Joonas Rantanen (born 27 July 1987) is a Finnish football manager, currently working as a manager of Veikkausliiga club Ilves. Rantanen has a UEFA Pro -coaching license.[1]
Coaching career
HJK organisation
Rantanen started as a sports coordinator for youth teams in HJK Helsinki organisation in 2009. He worked for HJK in various positions until 2015, when he had a brief study leave.[2]
He was named the head coach of Klubi 04, the reserve team of HJK, for the 2020 season,[5] winning the Kakkonen Group B and gaining a promotion to Ykkönen. Rantanen worked as an assistant coach in Toni Koskela's coaching staff in HJK first team for the 2021 Veikkausliiga season.[6]
Gnistan
During 2022–2023, Rantanen worked as a head coach of IF Gnistan in the second-tier Ykkönen, leading the team to finish as Ykkönen runner-up and qualify for the Veikkausliiga promotion play-offs at the end of the 2023 season, eventually losing to IFK Mariehamn.[7] However, Gnistan were later granted the Veikkausliiga license and promoted via supplemental process, after FC Honka was declared for bankruptcy.
Ilves
On 23 October 2023, Rantanen was appointed as the manager of Veikkausliiga club Ilves on a two-year deal, starting in 2024, and reuniting with former HJK sporting director Miika Takkula.[8] In his first season as a manager in the top tier, he coached the team in the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League qualifiers, advancing to the 3rd round by an aggregate win against Austria Wien.[9] He was named the Veikkausliiga Manager of the Month in September 2024, after leading his team to a winning streak during the month. He led Ilves to finish as the season's runners-up, falling two points short of the champions KuPS.
