Arvids Jurgens
Encyclopedia
Arvīds Jurgens was a Latvia
n footballer
, ice hockey
, basketball
and bandy
player who play played for Latvia national teams in all four of these sports. He was one of the best all-around Latvian sportsmen.
. When in 1923 RFK
was formed, Jurgens alongside most of the JKS footballers joined the new club which proved to be the flagman of Latvian football in the years to come.
From 1924 to 1926 Jurgens won three Latvian league titles with RFK and became a two-time winner of the Riga Football Cup
. From 1924 he also played for Latvia national football team
for which in the years to come he played nearly two times as many matches as his main competitor Harijs Lazdiņš
from Olimpija Liepāja
. He was a member of the Latvian football team at the 1924 Summer Olympics
.
In 1927 Jurgens became the instigator for Riga Vanderer
being formed as there was an incident involving Jurgens playing for different clubs in different sports which eventually led to Jurgens being arrested before a bandy
match. He joined the newly founded Vanderer (alongside several other former RFK footballers) and together with the side rose to the Latvian Higher League over just two years. For the 1928/1929 season Jurgens left Latvia and played with Austria Wien becoming the first Latvian footballer to play abroad. Before the 1932 season Jurgens left Vanderer for ASK Riga
with which he won his fourth Latvian championship in 1932. He played with ASK until the 1937/38 season after which he switched solely to refereeing eventually becoming one of the best football referees in Latvia. With Latvia national football team he played his last match in 1935. Jurgens continued to perform as a football referee after World War II
when he lived in Germany
and Canada
.
. In ice hockey, unlike football Jurgens played as a forward and not as a goalkeeper.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
player who play played for Latvia national teams in all four of these sports. He was one of the best all-around Latvian sportsmen.
Football career
Jurgens began playing football with JKS Riga in 1921, in 1922 winning silver medals of Riga championship with the club, although he was mainly the second choice goalkeeper behind Hermanis SaltupsHermanis Saltups
Hermanis Saltups was a Latvian football goalkeeper. While playing with JKS Riga, Saltups became one of the footballers who participated in the first ever international game for Latvia national football team . To pursue studies of medicine in Germany Saltups left football just several weeks after...
. When in 1923 RFK
Rigas FK
Riga FK was a Latvian football club which was founded December 14, 1923. It was the strongest and most popular Latvian football club in 1920s and 1930s, it was also the base team for Latvia national football team in its early years...
was formed, Jurgens alongside most of the JKS footballers joined the new club which proved to be the flagman of Latvian football in the years to come.
From 1924 to 1926 Jurgens won three Latvian league titles with RFK and became a two-time winner of the Riga Football Cup
Riga Football Cup
Riga Football Cup was a knockout tournament held in Latvian football between 1925 and 1936. In 1937 it was replaced by the Latvian Football Cup. Clubs from other cities than Riga were allowed to participate in the tournament....
. From 1924 he also played for Latvia national football team
Latvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
for which in the years to come he played nearly two times as many matches as his main competitor Harijs Lazdiņš
Harijs Lazdinš
Harijs Lazdiņš was a Latvian football goalkeeper who played for Olimpija Liepāja and Latvia national football team in 1920s-1930s.-Biography:...
from Olimpija Liepāja
Olimpija Liepaja
Olimpija Liepāja was Latvian football club that in the 1920-1930s was one of the strongest in Latvia and with which played many Latvia national football team footballers. It was from the city of Liepāja.-History:...
. He was a member of the Latvian football team at the 1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics
The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France...
.
In 1927 Jurgens became the instigator for Riga Vanderer
Riga Vanderer
Riga Vanderer was a Latvian football club that was founded in 1927, disbanded in 1940, restored a year later and disbanded again in 1944.-Founding:...
being formed as there was an incident involving Jurgens playing for different clubs in different sports which eventually led to Jurgens being arrested before a bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
match. He joined the newly founded Vanderer (alongside several other former RFK footballers) and together with the side rose to the Latvian Higher League over just two years. For the 1928/1929 season Jurgens left Latvia and played with Austria Wien becoming the first Latvian footballer to play abroad. Before the 1932 season Jurgens left Vanderer for ASK Riga
FK ASK
FK ASK Riga was a Latvian football club of the Latvian army, founded in 1923. In the 1920s and 1930s it was one of the leading clubs in Latvia. In 1940s it was disbanded, a new football club of the Soviet army was created in Riga under the name FK AVN, later AVN was renamed to ASK...
with which he won his fourth Latvian championship in 1932. He played with ASK until the 1937/38 season after which he switched solely to refereeing eventually becoming one of the best football referees in Latvia. With Latvia national football team he played his last match in 1935. Jurgens continued to perform as a football referee after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when he lived in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Ice-hockey career
In ice hockey Jurgens won five Latvian league titles - from 1932 to 1937 when playing with ASK Riga hockey team. With Latvia national ice hockey team he played at the 1936 Winter Olympics1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria, Germany. Germany also hosted the Summer Olympics the same year in Berlin...
. In ice hockey, unlike football Jurgens played as a forward and not as a goalkeeper.
Football
- Latvian Higher League: 1924, 1925, 1926, 1932
- Riga Football Cup: 1924, 1925
- Baltic Cup: 1928