Reserve team
Encyclopedia
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are often young, inexperienced, or convalescing first squad players. Reserve team is the term applied to this second team fielded by sports clubs and is especially prevalent with football
clubs.
and the United States
the term reserve is commonly used to describe these teams. In Germany
and Austria
the terms Amateure or II is used, while B team is used in the Spanish football league system
, the Czech Republic
, and Slovakia
. In the Netherlands
and Norway
these teams are distinguished by a 2. In England reserve teams of league clubs play in completely separate leagues and competitions such as the FA Premier Reserve League
or the Central League
, although further down the pyramid
, reserve clubs feature in the same system as their parent clubs and can be promoted through the system. They cannot usually play in the same division as their parent team, although there are some exceptions to this (the Yorkshire Old Boys League
, for example, allows more than one team from the same club to play in the same division).
However, in other countries, reserve teams play in the same football pyramid as their senior team and have competed in the national cup competitions. In Spain
this has seen the reserve team of CD Málaga
change identity and play in La Liga
while Castilla CF
, the reserve team of Real Madrid
, reached the Copa del Rey
final, qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup
and won the Segunda División
.
In Germany
, Hertha BSC II, the reserve team of Hertha Berlin, reached the 1992–93 DFB-Pokal
final after their first team were eliminated in the quarter finals. They lost the final 1–0 to Bayer Leverkusen
. In the German football league system
, however, reserve teams are not allowed to be promoted above the 3. Liga
and from 2008–09 will not be allowed to play in the cup competition to serve the non-reserve team's interests. In the 2003-04 season, Bayern Munich's reserve team won the Regionalliga Süd
, a semi-professional league then in the third tier of German football (now the fourth), finishing nine points clear of the second-placed FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt. Due to the rule which prohibits one club from having two teams in fully professional leagues, the third-placed 1. FC Saarbrücken
was promoted to the Second Bundesliga
instead.
It is also claimed that the barring of the sides from being promoted to their parent teams league or automatic relegation if their 'A' side is relegated makes a mockery of the season that the reserve side had just competed in.
However there is support for the incorporated system with managers claiming it gives better competition for younger players, allowing them to play in front of larger crowds and play against older, more experienced players.
Feyenoord of the Netherlands are currently experiencing financial problems and it has been claimed by their chairman that the club could fold and take the license of Excelsior who had acted as a farm club in the past. This would be similar to CD Málaga reforming through its reserve side CF Málaga. Although this in itself has its critics with claims of clubs bending the rules.
, reserve teams in Spain play in the same league pyramid as their parent club but may not play in the same division.
, won the Segunda División
promotion play-off but were denied promotion because their senior team was already in the Primera División
. The following season CD España Industrial
, the reserve team of FC Barcelona
, also finished as runners-up in the same play-off but were similarly denied. However after winning another promotion play-off in 1956 CD España Industrial, separated from FC Barcelona and were renamed CD Condal
. The club were now able to be promoted to the Primera División. However they survived only one season and were relegated in 1957. In 1968 the club rejoined the FC Barcelona family as the reserve team and eventually evolved into FC Barcelona B
.
In 1983/84 Castilla CF
and Bilbao Athletic
, the reserve teams of Real Madrid
and Athletic Bilbao
, finished as winners and runners-up of the Segunda División
. Castilla CF
, Bilbao Athletic
and Atlético Madrid B
finished third in 1987/88, 1989/90 and 1998/99 respectively. In normal circumstances these teams would have all been promoted except for the fact that their senior team was already in the Primera División.
also reached the Copa del Rey
final and qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup
. During their cup run they beat four Primera División teams including Hércules CF
, Athletic Bilbao
, Real Sociedad
and Sporting de Gijón
. The latter two eventually finished second and third in the Primera División. In the final they played Real Madrid
but lost 6-1. However because Real also won La Liga
, Castilla CF qualified for European Cup Winners Cup. Despite beating West Ham United
3-1 in the opening game at the Bernabéu
, they lost the return 5-1 and went out in the first round.
. The club was originally formed in 1948 as Atlético Malagueño
, the reserve team of CD Málaga
. In 1992 the latter club was disbanded and two years later Atlético Malagueño were relaunched as Málaga CF. They were eventually promoted to the Primera División in 1999. In 2006 they were relegated to the Segunda División
which led to Málaga CF B being relegated to the Segunda División B
.
, Japan
allowed reserve teams to play in the main league system
. Even today reserve teams of J. League clubs are allowed to compete in the Emperor's Cup
.
Reserve clubs were usually localized in the same city as their senior team and should not be confused with clubs from sister companies within a keiretsu
or otherwise, which were separate clubs competing for the same championships. An example is Toyota Automated Loom Works
, founding member of the JSL in 1965, later relegated and now competing in the Aichi Prefecture
league, and Toyota Motors
, now known as Nagoya Grampus
, founding member and mainstay of the J. League.
reserve teams these days are in the corresponding regional league. The most successful is JEF United Ichihara Chiba Reserves
, who compete in the national third division, the Japan Football League
. (Furukawa Electric Chiba still exists but is no longer affiliated with the JEF club.)
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...
clubs.
History
Reserve teams usually consist of a combination of emerging youth players and first team squad players. These teams are distinct from a club’s youth team, which usually consists of players under a certain age and plays in an age-specific league. In EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the United States
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
the term reserve is commonly used to describe these teams. 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 Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
the terms Amateure or II is used, while B team is used in the Spanish football league system
Spanish football league system
The Spanish football league system refers to the system in Spanish club football that consists of several football leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation.-Primera División:...
, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. In the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Norway
Reserve teams in Norwegian football
Reserve teams in Norwegian association football play in the ordinary league system. They are always attached to their first teams with a "2" suffix, must play in a lower league than the first team, and cannot play in the Premier League or First Division...
these teams are distinguished by a 2. In England reserve teams of league clubs play in completely separate leagues and competitions such as the FA Premier Reserve League
FA Premier Reserve League
The Premier Reserve League is the reserve team league for the top English football teams in the Premier League...
or the Central League
Central League (football)
The Central League , is a football league in England for reserve teams primarily of Football League clubs in the Midlands and North of England....
, although further down the pyramid
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
, reserve clubs feature in the same system as their parent clubs and can be promoted through the system. They cannot usually play in the same division as their parent team, although there are some exceptions to this (the Yorkshire Old Boys League
Yorkshire Old Boys League
The Yorkshire Amateur League is an amateur competitive football league based in England, consisting primarily of old boys clubs for local schools, some of whom field as many as five teams in the league....
, for example, allows more than one team from the same club to play in the same division).
However, in other countries, reserve teams play in the same football pyramid as their senior team and have competed in the national cup competitions. In Spain
Football in Spain
Football is the most popular sport in Spain. The Royal Spanish Football Federation is the national governing body and it organizes La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spain national football team, current champion of the FIFA World Cup...
this has seen the reserve team of CD Málaga
CD Málaga
Club Deportivo Málaga was a Spanish football club based in Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It played twenty seasons in La Liga, before being dissolved in 1992....
change identity and play in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
while Castilla CF
Real Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium....
, the reserve team of Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, reached the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
final, qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1980-81
The 1980–81 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup was won by FC Dinamo Tbilisi in the final against FC Carl Zeiss Jena. The competition included the Real Madrid reserve team Castilla.-Preliminary round:-First round:-First leg:-Second leg:...
and won the Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
.
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...
, Hertha BSC II, the reserve team of Hertha Berlin, reached the 1992–93 DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
final after their first team were eliminated in the quarter finals. They lost the final 1–0 to Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...
. In the German football league system
German football league system
The German football league system, or league pyramid, refers to a series of hierarchically interconnected leagues for association football clubs in Germany that consists of over 2,300 men's divisions, in which all leagues are bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation...
, however, reserve teams are not allowed to be promoted above the 3. Liga
3rd Liga
The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...
and from 2008–09 will not be allowed to play in the cup competition to serve the non-reserve team's interests. In the 2003-04 season, Bayern Munich's reserve team won the Regionalliga Süd
Regionalliga (football)
The Fußball-Regionalliga is the fourth tier of football in the German football league system. Until 1974, it was the second tier of the league system before being disbanded. The Regionalliga was then re-introduced as the third tier of the system in 1994...
, a semi-professional league then in the third tier of German football (now the fourth), finishing nine points clear of the second-placed FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt. Due to the rule which prohibits one club from having two teams in fully professional leagues, the third-placed 1. FC Saarbrücken
1. FC Saarbrücken
1. FC Saarbrücken is a German association football club based in the city of Saarbrücken, Saarland. The club began its existence as the football department of Turnverein Malstatt formed in 1903...
was promoted to the Second Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
instead.
Criticism and support
Having reserve teams play within the league system rather than a separate reserve league is a contentious issue. The majority of lower league clubs claim that they lose money as reserve side have low attendances and virtually no traveling support. In the 2010-11 German season 3.Liga Bayern Munich II (whose parent club is one of the more popular in the country) average under 1,000 fans, with this propped up by traveling fans of other clubs. In the same season Dynamo Dresden average gates of over 16,000.It is also claimed that the barring of the sides from being promoted to their parent teams league or automatic relegation if their 'A' side is relegated makes a mockery of the season that the reserve side had just competed in.
However there is support for the incorporated system with managers claiming it gives better competition for younger players, allowing them to play in front of larger crowds and play against older, more experienced players.
Feyenoord of the Netherlands are currently experiencing financial problems and it has been claimed by their chairman that the club could fold and take the license of Excelsior who had acted as a farm club in the past. This would be similar to CD Málaga reforming through its reserve side CF Málaga. Although this in itself has its critics with claims of clubs bending the rules.
Reserve Teams in Spain
Unlike the Premier League in England which has its own reserve league and academy leaguePremier Academy League
The Premier Academy League is the top level of youth football in England. It is contested between the Academy sides of The Premier League and some Football League clubs, including Welsh side Cardiff City...
, reserve teams in Spain play in the same league pyramid as their parent club but may not play in the same division.
Segunda División
In 1951/52 CD Mestalla, the reserve team of Valencia CFValencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, won the Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
promotion play-off but were denied promotion because their senior team was already in the Primera División
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
. The following season CD España Industrial
FC Barcelona B
Futbol Club Barcelona B is a Spanish football team. They are the reserve team of FC Barcelona. Reserve teams in the Spanish football league system play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their...
, the reserve team of FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, also finished as runners-up in the same play-off but were similarly denied. However after winning another promotion play-off in 1956 CD España Industrial, separated from FC Barcelona and were renamed CD Condal
CD Condal
Club Deportivo Condal was a Spanish football club based in Barcelona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Founded in 1934 and dissolved in 1970, it held home games at Camp de Les Corts, with a capacity of 25,000 spectators.-History:...
. The club were now able to be promoted to the Primera División. However they survived only one season and were relegated in 1957. In 1968 the club rejoined the FC Barcelona family as the reserve team and eventually evolved into FC Barcelona B
FC Barcelona B
Futbol Club Barcelona B is a Spanish football team. They are the reserve team of FC Barcelona. Reserve teams in the Spanish football league system play in the same football pyramid as their senior team rather than a separate league. However reserve teams cannot play in the same division as their...
.
In 1983/84 Castilla CF
Real Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium....
and Bilbao Athletic
Bilbao Athletic
Bilbao Athletic is a Spanish football club based in Bilbao, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country...
, the reserve teams of Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
and Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
, finished as winners and runners-up of the Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
. Castilla CF
Real Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium....
, Bilbao Athletic
Bilbao Athletic
Bilbao Athletic is a Spanish football club based in Bilbao, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country...
and Atlético Madrid B
Atlético Madrid B
Atlético Madrid B is a Spanish football team based in Madrid, in the namesake community. Founded in 1963, it is the reserve team of Atlético Madrid, and currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home games at Nuevo Cerro del Espino.-History:...
finished third in 1987/88, 1989/90 and 1998/99 respectively. In normal circumstances these teams would have all been promoted except for the fact that their senior team was already in the Primera División.
Castilla CF in Copa del Rey
In 1980 Castilla CFReal Madrid Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla is a Spanish football team that plays in the Segunda División B. It is the reserve team of Real Madrid. They play their home games at Alfredo di Stéfano Stadium....
also reached the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
final and qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1980-81
The 1980–81 season of the European Cup Winners' Cup was won by FC Dinamo Tbilisi in the final against FC Carl Zeiss Jena. The competition included the Real Madrid reserve team Castilla.-Preliminary round:-First round:-First leg:-Second leg:...
. During their cup run they beat four Primera División teams including Hércules CF
Hércules CF
Hércules Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in the Spanish second division, and holds home games at the Estadio José Rico Pérez, which seats 30,000 spectators.-History:After first...
, Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
, Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
and Sporting de Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
. The latter two eventually finished second and third in the Primera División. In the final they played Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
but lost 6-1. However because Real also won La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, Castilla CF qualified for European Cup Winners Cup. Despite beating West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
3-1 in the opening game at the Bernabéu
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators....
, they lost the return 5-1 and went out in the first round.
Málaga CF
Another interesting case is that of Málaga CFMálaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
. The club was originally formed in 1948 as Atlético Malagueño
Málaga CF
Málaga Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Málaga, Andalusia. The team currently plays in Spain's La Liga.Málaga CF is generally seen as the successor to CD Málaga, one of the most historical Andalusian football clubs, by being a near-identical looking football club that even shares...
, the reserve team of CD Málaga
CD Málaga
Club Deportivo Málaga was a Spanish football club based in Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It played twenty seasons in La Liga, before being dissolved in 1992....
. In 1992 the latter club was disbanded and two years later Atlético Malagueño were relaunched as Málaga CF. They were eventually promoted to the Primera División in 1999. In 2006 they were relegated to the Segunda División
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
which led to Málaga CF B being relegated to the Segunda División B
Segunda División B
Segunda División B is the third level of the Spanish football league system. It is administered by the RFEF. The top two levels are La Liga, also referred to as the Primera División, and the Segunda División. Immediately below Segunda División B is the Tercera Division...
.
Reserve teams in Japan
From the days of the old Japan Soccer LeagueJapan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flight soccer league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
allowed reserve teams to play in the main league system
Japanese football league system
The Japanese association football league system is organized in a pyramidal shape similar to football league systems in many other countries around the world...
. Even today reserve teams of J. League clubs are allowed to compete in the Emperor's Cup
Emperor's Cup
, commonly known as or , is a Japanese association football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J. League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League...
.
Japan Soccer League Reserve Teams
These teams were never promoted to the top flight due to their senior squad's presence there.- Toyo Industries/MazdaSanfrecce Hiroshimais a Japanese association football club in the J. League Division 1.-Club name:The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese numeral for three, San and an Italian word frecce or 'arrows'...
: Mazda Auto Hiroshima - Furukawa ElectricJEF United Ichihara Chibais a Japanese professional football club that plays in J. League Division 2. On February 1, 2005, the club changed its name from JEF United Ichihara to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as its hometown in 2003. The club name, JEF -taken from JR East and Furukawa Electric-...
: Furukawa Electric Chiba - Yomiuri Soccer Club: Yomiuri S.C. Juniors
- Yanmar DieselCerezo Osakais a J. League Division 1 association football team. The team name Cerezo means cherry tree in Spanish, which is also the flower of Ōsaka city....
: Yanmar Club
Reserve clubs were usually localized in the same city as their senior team and should not be confused with clubs from sister companies within a keiretsu
Keiretsu
A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings. It is a type of business group. The keiretsu has maintained dominance over the Japanese economy for the greater half of the twentieth century....
or otherwise, which were separate clubs competing for the same championships. An example is Toyota Automated Loom Works
Toyota Industries
Toyota Industries Corporation is a Japanese machine maker. Originally a manufacturer of automatic looms, it is the company from which Toyota Motor Corporation developed.-History:...
, founding member of the JSL in 1965, later relegated and now competing in the Aichi Prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
league, and Toyota Motors
Toyota Motor Corporation
, , , commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 317,734 people worldwide, and was the world's largest automobile manufacturer by production.The company was founded by...
, now known as Nagoya Grampus
Nagoya Grampus
are a Japanese association football club that play in the J. League. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and originally founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp...
, founding member and mainstay of the J. League.
J. League Reserve Teams Today
Most J. LeagueJ. League
The or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese...
reserve teams these days are in the corresponding regional league. The most successful is JEF United Ichihara Chiba Reserves
JEF United Ichihara Chiba Reserves
JEF United Ichihara Chiba Reserves is a Japanese football club that plays in the Japan Football League. It is the reserve team of J. League club JEF United Ichihara Chiba. They play their home games at Ichihara Seaside Stadium.-Current squad:...
, who compete in the national third division, the Japan Football League
Japan Football League
The is the 3rd tier of the Japanese association football league system, following J. League Division 1 and J. League Division 2. Also known as the JFL, it is generally considered as the top amateur league in Japan although in reality it is a semi-professional league as many full-time footballers...
. (Furukawa Electric Chiba still exists but is no longer affiliated with the JEF club.)