Yokohama FC
Encyclopedia
are a Japan
ese football (soccer) club based in the city of Yokohama
.
clubs, Yokohama Flügels
and Yokohama Marinos
the previous year. Flügels supporters, whose club was essentially dissolved, rejected the suggestion that they should start supporting Marinos, their crosstown rivals. Instead, with money raised through donations from the general public and an affiliation with IMG
, the talent management company, the former Flügels supporters founded the Yokohama Fulie Sports Club. Following the socio model used by FC Barcelona
, the Fulie Sports Club created Yokohama F.C., the first professional sports team in Japan owned and operated by its supporters.
For its first season in 1999, Yokohama F.C. hired former German
World Cup star Pierre Littbarski
to be the manager and Yasuhiko Okudera
, the first Japanese footballer to play professionally in Europe, to be the chairman. Despite attempts to win straight entry into the J. League, the Japan Football Association
only permitted the team to enter the Japan Football League
and ruled that the club would not be eligible for promotion to J2 at the end of its first season. After two seasons as JFL champions, the team was promoted to the J2 Division of the J. League.
The club spent the next 6 seasons in J2, finishing mid-table between 2001 and 2005. However, Yokohama F.C. won the J2 championship in 2006 and gained promotion to J1 in the process. In 2007, Yokohama F.C. played its first season in the top flight of Japanese football in only its ninth year of existence. After a poor season the team were relegated with five games of the season still remaining. Despite their early demotion, Yokohama F.C. still lived to help decide the final outcome at the opposite end of the table. By beating title contenders Urawa Red Diamonds
on the last day of the season, they helped Kashima Antlers
claim their fifth J. League crown.
This success story was so dramatic as to make people somewhat excited in Japan. Yokohama FC's financial situation is so poor that they don't even possess their own football ground or a club house. Players did everything themselves including the carrying the goal posts and washing jerseys.
Some of the main players are veteran stars, such as Kazuyoshi Miura
(42), Atsuhiro Miura (35). These players once played for the National Team
.
They lost all pre-season matches, even against college students, then also the first official match of the year. After this, they suddenly changed the player-manager to a freshman with little experience named Takuya Takagi
38. At the beginning of the season few expected them to become champions.
kit, after NKK F.C.
, a former company club
which had closed in 1994. NKK F.C. was based in Kawasaki
and played most matches at Todoroki Athletics Stadium
, but used Mitsuzawa Stadium on days when the other Kawasaki clubs at the time (Verdy Kawasaki, Toshiba
and Fujitsu
) used it.
Moner Alemão Luis Augusto Dirk Lehmann
Yuji Hironaga
Takuya Jinno
Shoji Jo
Tomotaka Kitamura Shigeyoshi Mochizuki
Shingi Ono Yasunori Takada
Motohiro Yamaguchi Tsuyoshi Yoshitake
Mathieu Boots Steven Tweed
Choi Sung-Yong
Silvio Spann
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...
ese football (soccer) club based in the city of Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
.
History
The club was formed in 1999, following the merger of the city's two 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...
clubs, Yokohama Flügels
Yokohama Flügels
was a Japanese football club that played in the J. League between 1993 and 1998. In 1999 the club was officially merged with local rivals Yokohama Marinos and the two teams became known together as Yokohama F. Marinos.- History :...
and Yokohama Marinos
Yokohama F. Marinos
is a Japanese association football team that participates in the fully professional J. League Division 1; the top Japanese professional football league. Having won the J-League title three times and finished second twice, they are one of the most successful J-League clubs. The team are based in...
the previous year. Flügels supporters, whose club was essentially dissolved, rejected the suggestion that they should start supporting Marinos, their crosstown rivals. Instead, with money raised through donations from the general public and an affiliation with IMG
IMG (business)
IMG, originally known as the International Management Group is a global sports and media business headquartered in New York City.-History:...
, the talent management company, the former Flügels supporters founded the Yokohama Fulie Sports Club. Following the socio model used by 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....
, the Fulie Sports Club created Yokohama F.C., the first professional sports team in Japan owned and operated by its supporters.
For its first season in 1999, Yokohama F.C. hired former German
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
World Cup star Pierre Littbarski
Pierre Littbarski
Pierre Michael Littbarski is a German football manager and former player. He was mainly a winger or attacking midfielder and is best known for his brilliant dribbling abilities. He was a FIFA World Cup winner with West Germany in 1990. He was also runner–up twice in 1982 and 1986 with West Germany...
to be the manager and Yasuhiko Okudera
Yasuhiko Okudera
is a former Japanese footballer who is currently the president of J. League Division 2 club Yokohama FC and was formerly the president of English club Plymouth Argyle. Okudera was the first Japanese footballer to play professionally in Europe, as well as being the first Asian football player to...
, the first Japanese footballer to play professionally in Europe, to be the chairman. Despite attempts to win straight entry into the J. League, the Japan Football Association
Japan Football Association
The Japan Football Association, sometimes known as the Japan Soccer Association , is the governing body responsible for the administration of association football in Japan. It is responsible for the national team as well as club competitions....
only permitted the team to enter 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...
and ruled that the club would not be eligible for promotion to J2 at the end of its first season. After two seasons as JFL champions, the team was promoted to the J2 Division of the J. League.
The club spent the next 6 seasons in J2, finishing mid-table between 2001 and 2005. However, Yokohama F.C. won the J2 championship in 2006 and gained promotion to J1 in the process. In 2007, Yokohama F.C. played its first season in the top flight of Japanese football in only its ninth year of existence. After a poor season the team were relegated with five games of the season still remaining. Despite their early demotion, Yokohama F.C. still lived to help decide the final outcome at the opposite end of the table. By beating title contenders Urawa Red Diamonds
Urawa Red Diamonds
are a professional association football club playing in Japan's football league, J. League Division 1. One of Japan and Asia's best supported teams, the club has been able to boast the highest average crowds for thirteen of the J-League's twenty season history...
on the last day of the season, they helped Kashima Antlers
Kashima Antlers
are a Japanese professional association football club playing in the J. League Division 1. Antlers is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island"....
claim their fifth J. League crown.
Fight for promotion
Although they had a dire season in 2005, they ended 11th out of 12, they were in the top half of table throughout the 2006 season. On 26 November they finished on the top spot of the J2 league, and hence were finally promoted to division 1.This success story was so dramatic as to make people somewhat excited in Japan. Yokohama FC's financial situation is so poor that they don't even possess their own football ground or a club house. Players did everything themselves including the carrying the goal posts and washing jerseys.
Some of the main players are veteran stars, such as Kazuyoshi Miura
Kazuyoshi Miura
----Kazuyoshi Miura , often known simply as Kazu, is a Japanese football striker. He has played for the Japanese national team and was the first Japanese recipient of the Asian Player of the Year award in 1993, an award presented annually by the Asian Football Confederation. He is currently with...
(42), Atsuhiro Miura (35). These players once played for the National Team
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
.
They lost all pre-season matches, even against college students, then also the first official match of the year. After this, they suddenly changed the player-manager to a freshman with little experience named Takuya Takagi
Takuya Takagi
is a former Japanese football player and a current football coach. He is currently the manager at Roasso Kumamoto. He was a physical forward and the Japanese media and fans dubbed him as the Cannon of Asia.-Club:...
38. At the beginning of the season few expected them to become champions.
Football tactics
First, Takagi concentrated on getting the basics right and focused on defense. The team then kept clean sheets in 15 consecutive games. This success gave the young players confidence to be more aggressive on the field. As a result, they didn't lose more than one game in succession and won the title.Colours
As they could not adopt directly Flugels' white and blue strip given its similarity to that of Marinos, Yokohama F.C. decided to adopt an all-cyanCyan
Cyan from , transliterated: kýanos, meaning "dark blue substance") may be used as the name of any of a number of colors in the blue/green range of the spectrum. In reference to the visible spectrum cyan is used to refer to the color obtained by mixing equal amounts of green and blue light or the...
kit, after NKK F.C.
NKK F.C.
Nippon Kokan Soccer Club, or NKK Soccer Club was a Japanese football club which operated from 1912 to 1994. It played in the old Japan Soccer League since 1967 until its closing...
, a former company club
Works team
A works team is a sports team that is financed and run by a manufacturer or other business. Sometimes, works teams contain or are entirely made up of employees of the supporting company.-Africa:...
which had closed in 1994. NKK F.C. was based in Kawasaki
Kawasaki, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, between Tokyo and Yokohama. It is the 9th most populated city in Japan and one of the main cities forming the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihin Industrial Area....
and played most matches at Todoroki Athletics Stadium
Todoroki Athletics Stadium
is a multi-purpose stadium located in Todoroki ryokuchi in Kawasaki, Japan. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Kawasaki Frontale. Until the early 2000s it also hosted major clubs in the city, such as Verdy Kawasaki , Toshiba and NKK F.C.. The stadium...
, but used Mitsuzawa Stadium on days when the other Kawasaki clubs at the time (Verdy Kawasaki, Toshiba
Consadole Sapporo
is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 2. The team is located in Sapporo, on the island of Hokkaidō....
and Fujitsu
Kawasaki Frontale
is a J. League Division 1 association football club. The team is located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. Their home stadium is Todoroki Athletics Stadium, in Nakahara Ward, in the central area of Kawasaki.-History:...
) used it.
Current players
As of July 5, 2011Out on loan
Season by season results and managers
| Season | League | Pld | Pt | W | L | D | F | A | GD | Place | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | JFL | 24 | 55 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 57 | 32 | Champions |  Pierre LittbarskiPierre Littbarski Pierre Michael Littbarski is a German football manager and former player. He was mainly a winger or attacking midfielder and is best known for his brilliant dribbling abilities. He was a FIFA World Cup winner with West Germany in 1990. He was also runner–up twice in 1982 and 1986 with West Germany... |
|
| 2000 | 22 | 61 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 66 | 24 | Champions | |||
| 2001 J. League 2001 The 2001 season was the 9th season since the establishment of the J-League. The league began on March 10 and ended on November 24.At the end of the season the second stage winner Kashima Antlers won the Suntory Championship against Jubilo Iwata who won the first stage.-Clubs:Following sixteen clubs... |
J2 | 44 | 43 | 15 | 28 | 1 | 58 | 81 | |||
| 9th |  Yoshikazu NagaiYoshikazu Nagai Yoshikazu Nagai is a former Japanese football player. He holds the record for most appearances in Japan Soccer League First Division. His son Shunta is also a footballer.... / Yuji SakakuraYuji Sakakura is a retired Japanese football player. He was a defender.-Career:He was educated at and played for Yokkaichi Chuo Technical High School and Juntendo University. After finishing the university, he joined Japan Soccer League side Furuawa Electric S.C.... / Katsuyoshi Shinto |
||||||||||
| 2002 J. League 2002 The 2002 season was the 10th season since the establishment of the J. League. The league began on March 2, 2002 and ended on November 30, 2002. The Suntory Championship was not held, because Jubilo Iwata was winner of both stages... |
44 | 35 | 8 | 25 | 11 | 43 | 81 | ||||
| 12th | Katsuyoshi Shinto |
||||||||||
| 2003 J. League 2003 The 2003 season was the 11th season since the establishment of the J. League. The league began on March 15 and ended on November 29.-Promotion and relegation:* At the end of the 2002 Season, Oita Trinita and Cerezo Osaka were promoted to division 1.... |
44 | 42 | 10 | 22 | 12 | 49 | 88 | ||||
| 11th | Pierre Littbarski Pierre Littbarski Pierre Michael Littbarski is a German football manager and former player. He was mainly a winger or attacking midfielder and is best known for his brilliant dribbling abilities. He was a FIFA World Cup winner with West Germany in 1990. He was also runner–up twice in 1982 and 1986 with West Germany... |
||||||||||
| 2004 J. League 2004 The 2004 J. League Division 1 season was the 12th season of the J1 League. The league fixture began on March 13, 2004 and ended on December 11, 2004. The Suntory Championship 2004 took place on December 5 and December 11, 2004. The first ever J... |
44 | 52 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 42 | 50 | ||||
| 8th | |||||||||||
| 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:... |
44 | 45 | 10 | 19 | 15 | 48 | 64 | ||||
| 11th | Yusuke Adachi Yusuke Adachi Yusuke Adachi is a Japanese football manager.-References:*... |
||||||||||
| 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.... |
48 | 93 | 26 | 7 | 15 | 61 | 32 | Champions | Yusuke Adachi / Takuya Takagi Takuya Takagi is a former Japanese football player and a current football coach. He is currently the manager at Roasso Kumamoto. He was a physical forward and the Japanese media and fans dubbed him as the Cannon of Asia.-Club:... |
||
| 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... |
J1 | 34 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 26 | 19 | 66 | |||
| 18th, relegated | Takuya Takagi Takuya Takagi is a former Japanese football player and a current football coach. He is currently the manager at Roasso Kumamoto. He was a physical forward and the Japanese media and fans dubbed him as the Cannon of Asia.-Club:... /  Júlio César Leal JuniorJulio Cesar Leal Júlio César Leal Junior is an association football manager. He is the current coach of South African Premier Soccer League club Orlando Pirates.Leal has coached clubs in Kuwait, Brazil, Japan, and the United States.... |
||||||||||
| 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 | 50 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 51 | 56 | |||
| 10th | Satoshi Tsunami Satoshi Tsunami is a former Japanese international football player. He was a left full back.-Playing career:Tsunami was a product of Yomiuri Club's youth system. He played for Japan Soccer League side Yomiuri Club, which was transformed to Verdy Kawasaki when J. League was founded, between 1980 and 1996... |
||||||||||
| 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.... |
51 | 44 | 11 | 29 | 11 | 43 | 70 | ||||
| 16th | Yasuhiro Higuchi Yasuhiro Higuchi Yasuhiro Higuchi is a former Japanese football player.-References:*... |
||||||||||
| 2010 | 36 | 54 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 54 | 47 | 6th | Yasuyuki Kishino Yasuyuki Kishino Yasuyuki Kishino is a former Japanese football player. He currently coaches Japanese club Yokohama FC.- References :... |
Former notable players
Rudi VataRudi Vata
Rudi Vata is a former Albanian footballer who played as a defender. He is the manager of Albanian team KS Vllaznia Shkoder....
Moner Alemão Luis Augusto Dirk Lehmann
Dirk Lehmann
Dirk Lehmann is a retired German association football player.-Career:He made his senior debut with 1. FC Koln, and after a brief spell with Lierse S.K., joined another Belgian side in R.W.D...
Yuji Hironaga
Takuya Jinno
Takuya Jinno
is a retired Japanese football player. He was a left-footed forward.-Career:Jinno was educated at and played for Shutoku High School. After graduating in 1989, he joined Japan Soccer League side Nissan Motors. When Japan's first-ever professional league J. League Division 1 started in 1993, Nissan...
Shoji Jo
Shoji Jo
is a retired Japanese football player.He was born on the island of Hokkaidō and began his footballing career with JEF United in 1994. He quickly established himself, scoring twelve goals in his first season; he scored his first goal on his debut against Gamba Osaka on 12 March...
Tomotaka Kitamura Shigeyoshi Mochizuki
Shigeyoshi Mochizuki
is a retired Japanese football player. He was capped 14 times for the Japanese national team and scored the winning goal in Asian Cup 2000 Final, Japan vs Saudi Arabia.Mochizuki played for Vissel Kobe and JEF United Ichihara in the J. League....
Shingi Ono Yasunori Takada
Yasunori Takada
Yasunori Takada 高田 保則 is a Japanese football player. He was a member of the Japan team for the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship hosted by Nigeria.-Club career statistics:...
Motohiro Yamaguchi Tsuyoshi Yoshitake
Tsuyoshi Yoshitake
is a Japanese footballer currently playing for FC Tampa Bay in the North American Soccer League.-Japan:Yoshitake attended Mie Prefectural Tsu Technical High School, where he was selected to the prefecture's select team to take part in a tournament in Brazil...
Mathieu Boots Steven Tweed
Steven Tweed
Steven Tweed is a Scottish professional football player and manager.- Career :Tweed has played professionally for an diverse assortment of clubs. He started his career in Scotland with Hibernian, for whom he made over 100 league appearances. He made his first move abroad in 1996 when he joined...
Choi Sung-Yong
Choi Sung-Yong
Choi Sung-Yong is a South Korean former football wingback and midfielder.He played in all of South Korea’s matches at the 1998 World Cup and was also a member of the 2002 World Cup squad...
Silvio Spann
Silvio Spann
Silvio Spann is a Trinidad and Tobagan footballer who is currently playing for W Connection.Spann is a midfielder, known for his hard work and stamina as well as his ability to shoot from long distance...
Managers
| Manager | Nat. | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Pierre Littbarski Pierre Littbarski Pierre Michael Littbarski is a German football manager and former player. He was mainly a winger or attacking midfielder and is best known for his brilliant dribbling abilities. He was a FIFA World Cup winner with West Germany in 1990. He was also runner–up twice in 1982 and 1986 with West Germany... |
1999-00 | |
| Yoshikazu Nagai Yoshikazu Nagai Yoshikazu Nagai is a former Japanese football player. He holds the record for most appearances in Japan Soccer League First Division. His son Shunta is also a footballer.... |
2001 | |
| Yuji Sakakura Yuji Sakakura is a retired Japanese football player. He was a defender.-Career:He was educated at and played for Yokkaichi Chuo Technical High School and Juntendo University. After finishing the university, he joined Japan Soccer League side Furuawa Electric S.C.... |
2001 | |
| Katsuyoshi Shinto | 2001-02 | |
| Pierre Littbarski Pierre Littbarski Pierre Michael Littbarski is a German football manager and former player. He was mainly a winger or attacking midfielder and is best known for his brilliant dribbling abilities. He was a FIFA World Cup winner with West Germany in 1990. He was also runner–up twice in 1982 and 1986 with West Germany... |
2003-04 | |
| Yusuke Adachi Yusuke Adachi Yusuke Adachi is a Japanese football manager.-References:*... |
2005-06 | |
| Takuya Takagi Takuya Takagi is a former Japanese football player and a current football coach. He is currently the manager at Roasso Kumamoto. He was a physical forward and the Japanese media and fans dubbed him as the Cannon of Asia.-Club:... |
2006-07 | |
| Júlio César Leal Junior Julio Cesar Leal Júlio César Leal Junior is an association football manager. He is the current coach of South African Premier Soccer League club Orlando Pirates.Leal has coached clubs in Kuwait, Brazil, Japan, and the United States.... |
2007 | |
| Satoshi Tsunami Satoshi Tsunami is a former Japanese international football player. He was a left full back.-Playing career:Tsunami was a product of Yomiuri Club's youth system. He played for Japan Soccer League side Yomiuri Club, which was transformed to Verdy Kawasaki when J. League was founded, between 1980 and 1996... |
2008 | |
| Yasuhiro Higuchi Yasuhiro Higuchi Yasuhiro Higuchi is a former Japanese football player.-References:*... |
2009 | |
| Yasuyuki Kishino Yasuyuki Kishino Yasuyuki Kishino is a former Japanese football player. He currently coaches Japanese club Yokohama FC.- References :... |
2010- |
Honours
- Japan Football LeagueJapan Football LeagueThe 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...
- Champions: 1999, 2000
- J. League Division 2J. League Division 2The 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...
- Champions: 2006