is a professional football (soccer) club based in Gunma Prefecture

Gunma Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshu island. Its capital is Maebashi.- History :The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.Japan was without horses until...

 in 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...

. The club plays in J. League Division 2

J. League Division 2

The or is the second division of and is the second-tier professional association football league in Japan. Currently, J. League Division 2 is the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The first tier is represented by J...

. J. League Division 2

J. League Division 2

The or is the second division of and is the second-tier professional association football league in Japan. Currently, J. League Division 2 is the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The first tier is represented by J...

 is the second professional football league in Japan.

The club was founded in 1995 in Kusatsu town

Kusatsu, Gunma

is a small town in Agatsuma District in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Kusatsu is situated about 1,200 meters above sea level. The active volcano Kusatsu-Shirane and the inactive Mount Tengu and Mount Motoshirane are located west of Kusatsu.-Climate:Due to the altitude Kusatsu's annual average...

, one of the most well-known spa resorts in Japan. Its name basically means "The Spa, Kusatsu." Because of J. League restrictions on stadiums, they play at Shikishima Stadium

Shikishima Stadium

Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma is a multi-purpose stadium in Maebashi, Japan. It is currently used mostly for football matches. Sponsored by speciality Soy sauce maker Shoda Shoyu, it serves as a home ground of Thespa Kusatsu. The stadium holds 10,050 people....

 in nearby Maebashi, the prefectural capital.

History

The club was founded in 1995 as Liaison Kusatsu Football Club. The players were the students of specialized training college Higashi Nihon Soccer Academy. When the school was closed in 1999 due to financial difficulties, the players decided to stay in Kusatsu and keep the club alive. In 2002, the club was incorporated as K.K. Kusatsu Onsen Football Club with a future promotion to J. League in mind and adopted new team name Thespa Kusatsu.

Current players

As of November 14, 2011

2011 season transfers

In
Out

Season by season results and managers

Year	League	Played	Point	Win	Loss	Draw	Place	Manager	General Maanger
1995	Gunma Prefectural Div 4	?	?	?	?	?	Champions	Ratko Stevović Ratko Stevovic Ratko Stevović is a Montenegrin football manager. He managed Thespa Kusatsu club in Japan from 1995 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2001. Before Kusatsu, he coached Japan Football League side Toho Titanium S.C..-References:...	―
1996	Gunma Prefectural Div 3	?	?	?	?	?	Champions		―
1997	Gunma Prefectural Div 2A	?	?	?	?	?	Champions		―
1998	Gunma Prefectural Div 1	?	?	?	?	?	7th	Naoki Kimura	―
1999	Gunma Prefectural Div 2	?	?	?	?	?	?		―
2000	Gunma Prefectural Div 2B	?	?	?	?	?	2nd	Ratko Stevović Ratko Stevovic Ratko Stevović is a Montenegrin football manager. He managed Thespa Kusatsu club in Japan from 1995 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2001. Before Kusatsu, he coached Japan Football League side Toho Titanium S.C..-References:...	―
2001	Gunma Prefectural Div 2B	?	?	?	?	?	Champions		―
2002	Gunma Prefectural Div 1	14	42	14	0	0	Champions	Ryosuke Okuno	Shigeharu Ueki
2003	Kanto Regional Div 2	14	35	11	1	2	Champions
2004	JFL	30	62	19	6	5	3rd	Shigeharu Ueki	―
2005 J. League 2005 The 2005 season was the 13th season since the establishment of J. League. It began on March 5 and ended on December 3, followed by promotion/relegation series matches on December 7 and 10.-Promotion and relegation:...	J2	44	23	5	31	8	12th	Satoshi Tezuka	―
2006 J. League 2006 The 2006 J. League Division 1 season was the 14th season since the establishment of the J. League. It began on March 4 and ended on December 2.-Promotion/relegation:* At the end of the 2005 season, , ,and were promoted to J1....	J2	48	42	9	24	15	12th	Shigeharu Ueki	―
2007 J. League 2007 The 2007 J. League Division 1 season was the 15th season since the establishment of the J. League. The season began on March 3 and ended on December 1.-Promotion and relegation:* At the end of the 2006 season, , , and were promoted to J1...	J2	48	42	7	20	21	11th		―
2008 J. League 2008 The 2008 J. League Division 1 season is the 44th season of the top-flight club football in Japan and the 16th season since the establishment of J1 League. The season began on March 8 and ended on December 6....	J2	42	53	13	15	14	9th		―
2009 J. League 2009 The 2009 J. League Division 1 season is the 45th season of the top-flight club football in Japan and the 17th season since the establishment of J1 League. The season started on March 7, 2009 and ended on December 5, 2009....	J2	51	65	18	12	11	10th	Toru Sano	―
2010	J2	36	48	14	16	6	12th	Hiroshi Soejima	―

Former players

Santos

Carlos Alberto Souza dos Santos

Carlos Alberto Souza dos Santos, best known as Santos is a retired Brazilian footballer.Carlos Alberto Santos made nearly 200 Campeonato Brasileiro appearances for Goiás and Botafogo....

 Nobuyuki Kojima

Nobuyuki Kojima

Nobuyuki Kojima is a retired Japanese football goalkeeper. He played for several J-League clubs, including Bellmare Hiratsuka, Avispa Fukuoka and Thespa Kusatsu...

 Hideyuki Ujiie Leo Shin

Leo Shin

Leo Shin is a New Zealand professional association football player who has played for Thespa Kusatsu in Japan's professional J. League.-International career:...

External links

• Official Site