Iwaki FC

Iwaki FC
いわきFC
Full nameIwaki FC
Founded2012; 12 years ago (2012)
GroundHawaiians Stadium Iwaki
Iwaki, Fukushima
Capacity5,600
ChairmanSatoshi Okura
ManagerYuzo Tamura
LeagueJ2 League
2023J2 League, 18th of 22
Websitehttps://iwakifc.com/
Current season

Iwaki FC (いわきFC, Iwaki Efushi) is a football (soccer) club based in Iwaki, a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The club competes in the J2 League, the second tier of Japanese football league system.

History

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Founder Club

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Iwaki FC was founded in 2012, before getting official recognition in 2013 with the creation of their homonymous corporation.[1][2] The club name got more attention when Under Armour decided to support the club in climbing the Japanese football pyramid from the bottom.[3] The vision behind the club’s formation, was an intention of "making Iwaki the central football-city in Tohoku".[4] In service of this, a new training field opened in November 2016 and the club-house was just launched in May 2017: two central structures necessary to rise to the top of Japanese football.[5][6]

Fukushima Prefectural Football League (2013–2017)

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Results during this period supported Iwaki FC’s rise, as they won several lesser league titles in the Fukushima Prefectural Football Leagues, eventually joining the first division of the Fukushima Prefectural Leagues. Their next target was the Tohoku Soccer League. Meanwhile, the club achieved their first win at the 23rd National Club Team Football Championship Tournament (winning the final 9–0).[7] Iwaki FC also debuted at Emperor's Cup in 2017 edition. After defeating Norbritz Hokkaido in the first round, they surprisingly overcame Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo for 5–2 after extra-time.[8] They lost against Shimizu S-Pulse in the third round, but it was still a surprising run.

Tohoku Soccer League (2018–2019)

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First advancing to the Tohoku Soccer League in 2018, Iwaki FC earned promotion to the following year's JFL for the first time in history in 2019, after two seasons in the Tohoku Soccer League competition. The club won the All Japan Regional Promotion Series and as a result Iwaki was crowned champions.

Japan Football League (JFL) (2020–2021)

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Joining the Japan Football League for the 2020 season, in the 2021 season, Iwaki FC finished in first position in the JFL competition, earned promotion to the following year's J3 League after two seasons in JFL competition. The team were crowned champions for their first title in the fourth tier in Japan Football League.

J. League (2022–)

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In the 2022 season, their first year in the J3 League, Iwaki FC received a J2 license on 28 October 2022, and become eligible for promotion.[9] On 6 November the same year, they were crowned J3 League champions, earning promotion to the following year's J2 League. They secured the league title in the 32nd round, following a 3–0 win against Kagoshima United and defeats for the 2nd and 3rd-placed teams in that round: Fujieda MYFC and Matsumoto Yamaga. 14 days later, Iwaki FC finished as league champions, ending their 2022 season with 78 points from 34 matches, 11 points clear of 2nd-placed Fujieda MYFC, who also ended up being promoted to the J2. On 26 September 2023, Iwaki FC was declared to have met the requirements to obtain a license up to J1 League level.[10]

Stadium

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Iwaki FC used to J-Village Stadium for 2022 season in J3. But, since promotion to J2 League, Iwaki will use Iwaki Green Field for 2023 season.

League and cup record

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Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
League J. League
Cup		 Emperor's
Cup		 Shakaijin
Cup
Season Division Tier Teams Pos. P W D L F A GD Pts
2013 Fukushima Prefectural
Football League (Div. 3 West)[11][12]		 8 6 2nd 10 5 3 2 30 13 17 18 Not eligible
2014 9 5 3rd 8 3 1 4 17 15 2 10
2015 Fukushima Prefectural
Football League (Div. 3 East)[13]		 6 1st 10 10 0 0 41 9 32 30
2016 Fukushima Prefectural
Football League (Div. 2)[14]		 8 6 1st 10 10 0 0 93 1 92 30 Did not qualify Quarter final
2017 Fukushima Prefectural
Football League (Div. 1)[15]		 7 6 1st 10 10 0 0 93 0 93 30 3rd round 2nd round
2018 Tohoku Soccer
League (Div. 2 South)		 6 10 1st 18 18 0 0 139 12 127 54 1st round 3rd
2019 Tohoku Soccer
League (Div. 1)		 5 10 1st 18 15 3 0 82 14 68 48 1st round 3rd
2020 Japan Football
League 		4 16 7th 15 6 3 6 24 24 0 21 2nd round Not eligible
2021 17 1st 32 21 8 3 65 28 37 71 1st round
2022 J3 League 3 18 1st 34 23 7 4 72 23 49 76 Didn't qualify
2023 J2 League 2 22 18th 42 12 11 19 45 69 -24 47 2nd round
2024 20 TBD 38 2nd round TBC
Key
  • Pos. = Position in league; P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals difference; Pts = Points gained

Honours

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J3 League
  • Champions (1st): 2022
Japan Football League
  • Champions (1st): 2021
National Club Team Football Championship Tournament
  • Champions (1st): 2016
All Japan Regional Football Champions League
  • Champions (1st): 2019
Shakaijin Cup
  • Bronze medal (3rd): 2018, 2019

Current squad

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As of 9 August 2024.[16]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Japan JPN Kengo Tanaka (captain)
2 DF Japan JPN Yusuke Ishida
5 DF Japan JPN Shuhei Hayami
6 MF Japan JPN Kanta Sakagishi
7 MF Japan JPN Jun Nishikawa (on loan from Cerezo Osaka)
8 MF Japan JPN Sosuke Shibata (on loan from Shonan Bellmare)
9 FW Japan JPN Yoshihito Kondo
10 FW Japan JPN Kotaro Arima
11 FW Japan JPN Keita Buwanika
14 MF Japan JPN Daiki Yamaguchi
15 MF Japan JPN Naoki Kase
17 FW Japan JPN Kaina Tanimura
18 FW Japan JPN Keita Shirawachi
19 MF Japan JPN Yusuke Onishi
20 MF Japan JPN Yuma Kato
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 GK Japan JPN Kotaro Tachikawa
22 DF Japan JPN Jin Ikoma
23 MF Japan JPN Rui Osako (on loan from Cerezo Osaka)
24 MF Japan JPN Yuto Yamashita
27 DF Japan JPN Kazuki Dohana
28 FW Japan JPN Ryo Tanada (on loan from Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
30 FW Japan JPN Reo Sugiyama
31 GK Japan JPN Shuhei Shikano
32 DF Japan JPN Sena Igarashi
34 DF Japan JPN Rio Omori (on loan from FC Tokyo)
36 FW Japan JPN Taisei Kato DSP
37 DF Japan JPN Rintaro Yamauchi DSP
38 FW Japan JPN Naoki Kumata (on loan from FC Tokyo)
39 GK South Korea KOR Joo Hyun-jin
40 MF Japan JPN Yoshihiro Shimoda

Out on loan

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
13 MF Japan JPN Mizuki Kaburaki (at Vanraure Hachinohe)
— MF Japan JPN Asahi Haga (on loan at FC Osaka)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF Japan JPN Yuma Tsujioka (on loan at Tegevajaro Miyazaki)
— FW Japan JPN Iori Sakamoto (on loan at Blancdieu Hirosaki)

Club officials

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First-team

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Position Name
Manager Japan Yuzo Tamura
Assistant manager Japan Ryo Kobayashi
First-team coach Japan Takumi Watanabe
Goalkeeper coach Japan Jiro Takeda
Sprint coach Japan Shingo Akimoto
S&C Japan Tsubasa Hisanaga
Japan Kazuhiko Tomooka
Athletic trainer Japan Atsushi Hokari
Japan Tsubasa Hisanaga
Analyst Japan Yuta Murakami
Doctor Japan Yoshifumi Fukushima
Japan Yoshitomo Saita
Japan Nanako Yamamoto
Medical officer Japan Hidenori Izawa
Physiotherapist Japan Daiki Iwadate
Trainer Japan Kodai Harada
Japan Shunichiro Saito
Interpreter South Korea Lim Seung-geon

Managerial history

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As of 15 June 2023
Manager Nationality Tenure
Start Finish
Pieter Huistra  Netherlands 13 January 2016 31 December 2016
Yuzo Tamura  Japan 1 February 2017 31 January 2021
Hiromasa Suguri  Japan 1 February 2022 14 June 2023
Yuzo Tamura  Japan 15 June 2023 present

Kit evolution

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Home kit - 1st
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023 -
Away kit - 2nd
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023 -

References

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  1. ^ "一般社団法人いわきスポーツクラブ　いわきFC代表　向山　聖也　さん – 福島県ホームページ". www.pref.fukushima.lg.jp. Archived from the original on 2018-10-25. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  2. ^ "元蘭代表ハウストラ氏が福島県2部で監督就任。現役時代は広島に在籍".
  3. ^ "ドーム、「いわきFC」を運営する会社「株式会社いわきスポーツクラブ」を設立". www.facebook.com.
  4. ^ "「サッカーを通じて、いわき市を東北一の都市にする」いわきFC発足!!第1期メンバー募集開始 – ゲキサカ". ゲキサカ.
  5. ^ "「いわきＦＣパーク」開所　国内初の商業施設複合型クラブハウス". Archived from the original on 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  6. ^ "「いわきＦＣフィールド」オープン　地域活性化の一翼に期待".
  7. ^ "第23回全国クラブチームサッカー選手権大会".
  8. ^ "注目急上昇！Ｊ１撃破「いわきＦＣ」　凱旋の勇姿に熱い視線".
  9. ^ "[いわきFC OfficialSite] 2023年シーズン「J2クラブライセンス」交付のお知らせ". いわきFC OfficialSite (in Japanese). 25 October 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  10. ^ "[いわきFC OfficialSite] 2024年シーズン「J1クラブライセンス」交付のお知らせ". いわきFC OfficialSite (in Japanese). 26 September 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  11. ^ "RSSSF Japan Regional League data 2013". RSSSF.org. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  12. ^ "RSSSF Japan Regional League data 2014". RSSSF.org. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  13. ^ "RSSSF Japan Regional League data 2015". RSSSF.org. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  14. ^ "RSSSF Japan Regional League data 2016". RSSSF.org. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  15. ^ "RSSSF Japan Regional League data 2017". RSSSF.org. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  16. ^ "いわきFC OfficialSite". いわきFC OfficialSite (in Japanese). 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
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