The Ventspils Gazette
Squad6 Mar 2028
Prince Ukachukwu signs on for more
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Prince Ukachukwu and Ventspils agree another 4 years.
Boardroom6 Mar 2028
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Ventspils
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Chigozie Ani wants to go home
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Ventspils know it.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Artur Pikk is not the player he was
It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph a local paper has to write. 35 years old, 3 points down on where he was, and a body that has started charging interest on a career.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Words exchanged at Ventspils
Chigozie Ani and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Market6 Mar 2028
Ventspils promote Kristaps Kamess from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Kristaps Kamess has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market6 Mar 2028
Kaspars Bulvitis steps up from the Ventspils academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Kaspars Bulvitis has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market6 Mar 2028
Ventspils promote Alvis Jagodinskis from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Alvis Jagodinskis has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market6 Mar 2028
One of our own: Vitalijs Jurkovskis joins the Ventspils first team
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Vitalijs Jurkovskis is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
In brief
- Boardroom No investment in the facilities at Ventspils
- The dugout When it matters, Artur Pikk plays
- The dugout No hiding place for Rens Hut