Reipas Lahti is a sports club based in Lahti, Finland. It is involved in various of ball games and also other sports. The club emerged in the late 1940s, when the inhabitants of Viipuri had mostly been relocated in Lahti, after evacuation during World War II. As a consequence, the activities of Viipurin Reipas, which had been founded in 1891, were continued in the new home town of the evacuees. The name of the club was still Reipas Viipuri until 1962, when the ball game section became simply Reipas.
Reipas has played in top-flight football, ice hockey and bandy, with particular success in football.
In bandy, Reipas last appeared in top flight in 1967, but then discontinued its involvement in this sport the following year. In 1975, the football and ice hockey sections became independent clubs, football being continued under the name of Lahden Reipas, and ice hockey under the name of Kiekkoreipas, who now play as Pelicans.
Football The hallmark of Reipas in football is a shirt with vertical orange and black stripes.
From 1963 to 1970, Reipas won the Mestaruussarja three time, thus achieving a hat trick of Finnish championships. However, by 1996 the club was in financial difficulties, and the problem was solved by merging Reipas and they more recently arrived local rival Kuusysi. At the time both clubs played in the northern section of the second-tier Ykkönen, but at the end of the season Reipas found themselves in the relegation zone.
FC Lahti The new club was simply called FC Lahti, and it inherited Kuusysi's place in Ykkönen. The divisional position and the league license of Reipas, in 1997 Kakkonen, was given to FC Pallo-Lahti, which was founded as a reserves team. Later this team was discontinued and the place in the division in question was given up.
FC Reipas Together with the other changes, a club named FC Reipas was founded in 1996. Its task is to continue the tradition of bringing up new generations of footballers in Lahti, more specifically U15–U18 players. Nowadays the club has teams in all age groups.
The club also has an elderly men's team.
The club organises the annual Lahti Soccer tournament.
Return of Reipas Lahti Lahden Reipas, i.e. Reipas Lahti returned to men's competitive football for the season 2012, when it was given the former place of Reipas Salpausselkä in Kolmonen.
In 2024, Reipas signed a deal with FC Lahti to function as their reserve team. In 2025 the two clubs faced each other in the Finnish Cup, and Reipas surprisingly beat FC Lahti 2-1 to advance in the tournament.
Season to season
SeasonLevelDivisionSectionAdministrationPositionMovements1931Tier 2B-Sarja (Second Division)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)3rd1932Tier 2B-Sarja (Second Division)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)4th1933Tier 2B-Sarja (Second Division)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)4th1934Tier 2B-Sarja (Second Division)East GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)2ndPromotion Group 4th1935Tier 2B-Sarja (Second Division)East GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)4th1936Tier 2Itä-Länsi-Sarja (Second Division)East LeagueFinnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)2ndPromotion Group 4th1937Tier 2Itä-Länsi-Sarja (Second Division)East LeagueFinnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)2nd1938Tier 2Itä-Länsi-Sarja (Second Division)East League, South GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)1stPromotion Playoff – Promoted1939Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League) Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto) 8thRelegated1940–1944 Wartime – activity ceased1945–46Tier 3SPL Maakuntasarja (Third Division)Kymenlaakso North GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)2ndfirst season in Lahti1946–47Tier 3SPL Maakuntasarja (Third Division)Häme East GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromotion Playoff1947–48Tier 3SPL Maakuntasarja (Third Division)Häme East GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromotion Playoff1948Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Third Division)South Group AFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromotion Playoff1949Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Third Division)South Group AFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)2ndPromotion Playoff – Promoted1950Tier 2Suomensarja (Second Division)East GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)10thRelegated1951Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Third Division)South Group BFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)5th1952Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Third Division)South Group BFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)3rd1953Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Third Division)South Group BFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)2nd1954Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Third Division)Central Group IVFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromotion Group East 6th1955Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Third Division)West Group 2Finnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)5th1956Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Third Division)South Group IIFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)3rd1957Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Third Division)South Group IIFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)3rd1958Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Third Division)South Group II – South East FinlandFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)4th1959Tier 3Maakuntasarja (Third Division)Group 2 UusimaaFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromoted1960Tier 2Suomensarja (Second Division)East GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)1stPromoted1961Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)5th1962Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)2nd1963Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)1stChampions1964Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)5th1965Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)3rd1966Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)5th1967Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)5thChampions1968Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)2nd1969Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)4th1970Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)1stChampions1971Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)9th1972Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)3rd1973Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)3rd1974Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)2nd1975Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)6th1976Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)4th1977Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)5th1978Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)9th1979Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)4thChampionship Group 5th1980Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)10thRelegation Group 8th – Relegated1981Tier 2I Divisioona (First Division)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)6thRelegation Group 2nd1982Tier 2I Divisioona (First Division)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)1stPromotion Group 2nd – Promoted1983Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)11thRelegation Group 7th – Relegated1984Tier 2I Divisioona (First Division)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)5th1985Tier 2I Divisioona (First Division)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)2ndPromotion Playoff1986Tier 2I Divisioona (First Division)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)1stPromoted1987Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)10th1988Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)3rdChampionship Group 4th1989Tier 1Mestaruussarja (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)8thRelegation Group 2nd1990Tier 1Futisliiga (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)5th1991Tier 1Futisliiga (Premier League)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)12thRelegated1992Tier 2I Divisioona (First Division)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)12thRelegated1993Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division)East GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)2ndPromoted1994Tier 2Ykkönen (First Division)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)4th1995Tier 2Ykkönen (First Division)Finnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)4th1996Tier 2Ykkönen (First Division)North GroupFinnish FA (Suomen Palloliitto)9thRelegated – Merged with Kuusysi to form FC Lahti1997–2011 Only youth teams 2012Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division)Group 3Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa)3rd2013Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division)Group 3Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa)2nd2014Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division)Group 3Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa)3rd2015Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division)Group 3Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa)5th2016Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division)Group 3Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa)2nd2017Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division)Group 3Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa)3rd2018Tier 4Kolmonen (Third Division)Group 3Helsinki & Uusimaa (SPL Uusimaa)1stPromoted2019Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division)Group AFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)6th 2020Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division)Group AFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)8th 2021Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division)Group AFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)4th 2022Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division)Group AFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)3rd 2023Tier 3Kakkonen (Second Division)Group AFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)4th 2024Tier 4Kakkonen (Second Division)Group AFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)1stPromotion Playoff2025Tier 4Kakkonen (Second Division)Group AFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto)7th2026Tier 4Kakkonen (Second Division)Group AFinnish FA (Suomen Pallolitto) 27 seasons in Veikkausliiga 19 seasons in Ykkönen 16 seasons in Kakkonen 7 seasons in Kolmonen
Honours in football Finnish champion (3): 1963, 1967, 1970 Finnish Cup (7): 1964, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978 Finnish Cup runners-up (3): 1963, 1967, 1970
References
External links Reipas Lahti homepages FC Reipas homepages Reipas Lahti and Veikkausliiga web exhibition by Sports Museum Foundation of Finland.
it:Lahden Reipas lt:Reipas Lahti