Juris Ernštreits

Juris Ernštreits (born July 22, 1953 in Ventspils) is a former Latvian football defender most notable for playing seven seasons with Zvejnieks Liepāja.

Biography

Ernštreits got his first taste of serious level football in 1971 when playing with the reserves squad of Daugava Rīga. After military service in the Soviet army he joined Venta Ventspils with which he spent the 1974 season playing in the Latvian Higher League. Despite the clubs mediocre performance Ernštreits was noticed by Zvejnieks Liepāja head coach Afanasijs Ptičkins and offered to join the Liepāja club which was playing in the Soviet Second League. For eight years (from 1975 to 1982) Ernštreits played with Zvejnieks.

Ernštreits was a solid and reliable defender who cemented the defence not only of the Zvejnieks squad but also of the Latvia national team in the 1979 Spartakiad. For many football fans in Liepāja his decision to leave the club in the spring of 1983 came as a big surprise, but Ernštreits considered that he was capable of competing on the top level any more. After football Ernštreits wanted to become a sailor, however due to he was not considered reliable enough by the Soviet authorities to be allowed in international waters. Therefore he took up the work of ships electrician and played in the Latvian league with Sarkanais Metalurgs Liepāja (not to be confused with Zvejnieks which was formerly known under the same name) until 1990. [ [http://www.kurzemes-vards.lv/?doc=46897&ftext=gadi+p%E7c+sporta Ernštreits biography] ]

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