Jani Honkavaara
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 February 1976 | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1994 | Törnävän Pallo-55 | 5 | (2) |
| 1995–1999 | TP-Seinäjoki | 99 | (8) |
| 2000 | Joensuun Pallo | 18 | (1) |
| 2001 | TP-Seinäjoki | 14 | (0) |
| 2002 | JIPPO | 12 | (4) |
| 2002-2004 | Viikingit | 45 | (7) |
| 2005 | Someron Voima | 16 | (1) |
| 2006 | FC Kontu | 2 | (1) |
| 2006 | Viikingit | 10 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2007-2009 | Viikingit (Coach) | ||
| 2010 | HIFK | ||
| 2011 | IF Gnistan | ||
| 2012-2016 | HIFK | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Jani Honkavaara (born 2 February 1976) is a Finnish retired football player and has played in many Finnish teams and the Finnish national team.
Career
Honkavaara began his football career in TP-Seinäjoki (formerly known as Törnävän Pallo-55). During his time in the club, he played 10 matches in Finnish top tier Veikkausliiga. Later in his career he was mainly known for playing for East Helsinki based club FC Viikingit of Vuosaari.
Managerial career
After retiring as a football player, Honkavaara was first appointed to the role of reserve team head coach in FC Viikingit. In 2007 he was appointed to coaching team and held position of coach in the club till 2009. In autumn 2009 he was selected as head coach of HIFK where he led the club towards promotion to Finnish first division Ykkönen after season 2010. He resigned from the role of manager of HIFK after season 2011.[1] After the successful spell at HIFK, he went to coach another Helsinki based club IF Gnistan. Despite rather successful season, he then resigned from the club after season 2012, citing to family reasons.[2] Soon after he was appointed as the new head coach of HIFK which had faced relegation back to Finnish second division, Kakkonen, after the ending season, led by Honkavaara's successor in the managerial role, Juha Moilanen.[3] Right after next and very successful season 2013, he led HIFK back to Ykkönen.