Tommi Pikkarainen

Tommi Pikkarainen (born 6 December 1969) is a Finnish football manager and former player, currently working as a sporting director of Vaasan Palloseura (VPS) in Veikkausliiga.

Playing career As a player, Pikkarainen played as a centre back for KPV and Porin Pallo-Toverit in Veikkausliiga, and for KPV and Pallo-Iirot in second-tier Ykkönen. He also played for Husqvarna FF in Swedish second division. His professional playing career was limited due to knee injury when aged 24. Later he played also for Sporting Kristina and VG-62 in lower divisions in the Finnish football league system and also coached for the clubs.

Coaching career Pikkarainen has coached Pargas IF, SalPa, and Vaasan Palloseura (VPS) and Turun Palloseura (TPS) in Finnish Veikkausliiga, and Riteriai in Lithuanian A Lyga in 2020. He has also worked previously as an assistant coach for Inter Turku and Jaro, and as a U19 youth coach for TPS between 2012 and 2015.

Since March 2022, he served as a sporting director of FC Jazz, having previously played for the club when it was named Porin Pallo-Toverit in 1991. On 13 February 2024, it was announced that Pikkarainen will leave the club in the end of March as his two-year deal expires. Later he stated that the reason for leaving was the inequality and negligence in the city of Pori between different sports.

On 21 October 2024, Veikkausliiga club VPS announced the appointment of Pikkarainen as the club's new sporting director after the departure of Petri Vuorinen, starting after the ongoing season. Pikkarainen would make a return to the club after having served as VPS head coach in Veikkausliiga in 2010–2011.

Personal life His son Juhani Pikkarainen is a professional footballer and Finland international.

Coaching record