This year, the Jõhvi football club Phoenix is celebrating its tenth anniversary and has been welcoming many guests, congratulations, and gifts. However, the most honoured and eagerly awaited guest was Aivar Pohlak, President of the Estonian Football Association. On 8 October, he found the opportunity to visit Jõhvi.
As Aivar Pohlak noted, he had heard many good things about the Jõhvi People’s Football History Museum, and had been invited several times by Sergei Ivanov. So, at the first opportunity, he came to see with his own eyes the only football museum in Estonia. Naturally, he was deeply impressed by what he saw, particularly enjoying the collection of football scarves from Estonian clubs and the small exhibition of postage stamps donated by the well-known Estonian collector Samuil Golomb.
In the guestbook of the Jõhvi Football Museum, the President of the Estonian Football Association wrote down his thoughts on the visit and wished the club continued success. He also left his autograph on a painting by local artist Eduard Kont. Sergei Ivanov, head of the Phoenix football club, presented Aivar Pohlak with commemorative gifts, and in return, the EFA President promised to donate some of his own items to the museum.
The visit of the honoured guest did not end there: Aivar Pohlak and Sergei Ivanov toured the Jõhvi town stadium and discussed the construction of the football hall, the planning of which is already in its final stages. In essence, this marks the creation of a football centre, as the Jõhvi parish is planning to build a full-sized synthetic football pitch between the town stadium and the future indoor football hall.
At the end of the visit, the guest and hosts took photos by the commemorative marker “100 Years of Football in Jõhvi” and beside the wooden sculpture of the Phoenix, located near the entrance to the stands.
