Under different names the Valmiera club was playing in the 1st Latvian league for several decades but only in the late 1970s it became known outside its region.

Local footballers like Valērijs Kuzņecovs, Dainis Andersons, Aleksandrs Madājevs and Jānis Ozols were the leaders of the Valmiera club.

But the biggest success in the history of football in Valmiera came in 1990 when Gauja won the Latvian championship.

[1] In the newly independent Latvia Gauja started to struggle – in 1992 it finished 10th from 12, but in 1993 the club experienced a catastrophe – it lost 17 from 18 matches in the league (mostly – because of near bankruptcy).

But after the season the club withdrew from Virsliga because of financial limitations and also took up its former name FK Valmiera.