JK Tammeka Tartu

Early years and the first decade in the Meistriliiga (1989–2013)

Tammeka was founded on 13 June 1989 as a youth academy by Hillar Otto, Avo Jakovits and Heino Ligi. In 2000, the club joined the Estonian football league system and began competing in the Southern division of the III liiga. Tammeka's debut season was a success as the team finished first with 46 points out of the possible 60. Tammeka was promoted to the II liiga, and in 2001, to the Esiliiga. The club established itself in the Esiliiga by placing sixth in the 2002 season and seventh in the 2003 season. Tammeka won the Esiliiga in the 2004 season and was promoted to the Meistriliiga. The team defeated Dünamo 9–0 in their first Meistriliiga match and finished their first season in the Estonian top flight in seventh place. In December 2005, Sergei Ratnikov was appointed as manager. Tammeka finished the 2006 season in sixth place.

Maag Tammeka

In 2007, Tammeka merged with city rivals Maag in an effort to establish a club in Tartu that would be able to compete with the Tallinn clubs for medals and European spots. The club was renamed as Maag Tammeka and began playing in orange shirts. Despite pooled resources, the team lost several key players and finished the 2007 season in fifth place. Ratnikov resigned in November 2007 and his assistant Sergei Zamogilnõi took over as manager. Maag Tammeka reached the 2007–08 Estonian Cup final, but lost to Flora 1–3. The team finished the 2008 season in seventh place, after which the sponsorship deal with Maag ended and Tammeka continued to operate as an independent club.

Establishing themselves in the top division

The following season, Tammeka reinstated their original name and colours, but had to operate with a smaller budget and thus lost several players. Reserve team coach Norbert Hurt was appointed as manager and several reserve team players were promoted to the first-team squad. Despite a slow start, Tammeka managed to finish the 2009 season in seventh place.

In the summer of 2009, the club was acquired by German-Iranian Babak Afshar and her wife Jane Afshar, of whom the latter was instated as the club's president. In December 2009, Marko Kristal replaced Hurt as manager. Kristal rebuilt the team around youth system players Albert Prosa, Kaarel Kiidron and Siim Tenno, finishing the 2010 season in sixth place. Despite a good start in the 2011 season, the team's performance faded in the second half of the season. In September 2011, former Tammeka player Kristjan Tiirik replaced Kristal as manager and the team finished the season in seventh place. The subsequent winter transfer window saw the departure of several key players, including Prosa, Kiidron and Tenno. Following a poor start to the 2012 season, Tiirik was replaced by Joti Stamatopoulos in July 2012. Stamatopoulos failed to make a difference and Tammeka finished the season last, amassing only 20 points. Despite finishing last, Tammeka escaped relegation as Viljandi disbanded. In January 2013, Uwe Erkenbrecher was appointed as manager. Despite growing financial troubles, Tammeka finished the 2013 season in ninth place and defeated Tarvas 6–2 on aggregate in the relegation play-offs, securing their Meistriliiga spot.

Troubles with Meistriliiga license and new legal entity (2014–2016)

By January 2014, the ongoing financial troubles had led to a situation where the club's coaches, players and employees were no longer willing to cooperate with the club's management and Tammeka's academy (Jalgpallikool Tammeka) had broken off from their parent club (Jalgpalliklubi Tammeka). On 11 January, the Estonian Football Association proposed a restructuring plan in an effort to save the club from bankruptcy, but the proposal was not accepted by the club's president Jane Afshar. On 1 February 2014, Tammeka lost their Meistriliiga license due to failing to fulfil a number of the league's licensing requirements, including failing to pay players wages and refusing the proposed restructuring plan. On 11 February, the license to compete in the top flight was granted to the team's academy Jalgpallikool Tammeka, ensuring the continuation of Tartu Tammeka under a new legal entity. Former Tammeka player Indrek Koser was appointed as manager and the team came seventh in the 2014 season. Tammeka finished the 2015 season in ninth place, but avoided relegation by defeating Tallinna Kalev 4–2 on aggregate in the relegation play-offs. The team came seventh in the 2016 season. In November 2016, Tammeka announced that Mario Hansi and Kaido Koppel would replace Koser in the coming season.

Top three aspirations (2017–present)

In March 2017, Tammeka's CEO Kristjan Tiirik announced in an interview with ERR that the club has developed a strategic plan which would see them play for medals and European spots by 2020. The team reached the 2016–17 Estonian Cup final, but were defeated by FCI Tallinn 0–2. Tammeka finished seventh again in the 2017 season. After the season, Hansi was appointed head of youth development and Koppel became the sole manager. Tammeka finished sixth in 2018 and fifth in 2019. After finishing fifth again in 2020, Tammeka experienced a difficult season in 2021, finishing in ninth place and having to play the relegation play-offs to secure their top-flight spot. For the 2022 season, Tartu Tammeka appointed Portuguese Miguel Santos as manager, but his tenure only lasted 21 games, as he left the role midway through the season. Replaced by Marti Pähn, Tammeka finished the 2022 season in sixth place, before finishing ninth in 2023 and avoiding relegation by defeating Viimsi 6–1 on aggregate in the relegation play-offs.