Tochigi City FC
Tochigi City Football Club (栃木シティフットボールクラブ, Tochigi Shiti Futtobōrukurabu), commonly known as Tochigi City FC (栃木シティFC, Tochigi Shiti Efushi) is a Japanese football club based in Tochigi Prefecture. The club set play in Japan Football League from 2024, Japanese fourth tier of football league. After promotion from Kantō Soccer League Div.1 in 2023.
| Full name | Tochigi City Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 as Hitachi Tochigi Soccer Club | ||
| Ground | City Football Station Tochigi, Tochigi | ||
| Capacity | 5,129 | ||
| Chairman |  Takashi Ōkuri | ||
| Manager | Naoki Imaya | ||
| League | Japan Football League | ||
| 2023 | Kantō Soccer League Div.1, 2nd of 10 Promoted via JRCL, 1st of 4 (champions) | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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History
The club was formed in 1947 as Hitachi Tochigi Soccer Club, the works team of the local Hitachi, Ltd. affiliate.
After finishing as a runners-up in the local Kanto Soccer League in 2009 season, they were promoted to the 2010 Japan Football League through the All Japan Regional Football Promotion League Series. Prior to their first season in JFL, the club has dropped Hitachi prefix in its name and changed the reference to sport from "soccer" to "football" following general Japanese trend. From the 2019 season, the club has adopted the new name as Tochigi City FC.[1][2]
In 2023, Tochigi City secure promotion to JFL after defeat Tsukuba FC 4–0 in final day of 2023 Japanese Regional Football Champions League, Champions of Japanese Regional Football Champions League for the first time in history due to finish 2nd place in Kanto Soccer League and return to fourth tier after six years absence since change name from Tochigi Uva.
Origin name
In 2002 it adopted the moniker Uva (meaning "grape" in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish), after the vineyards of its home area, southern Tochigi Prefecture.
League and cup record
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| League | Emperor's Cup | Shakaijin Cup | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Div. | Teams | Pos. | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| Tochigi Uva | |||||||||||||
| 2010 | JFL | 18 | 15th | 34 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 41 | 75 | -34 | 31 | 1st round | Ineligible |
| 2011 | 17 | 10th | 33 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 40 | 43 | -3 | 45 | 2nd round | ||
| 2012 | 17 | 17th | 32 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 36 | 70 | -34 | 22 | Prefectural qualify round | ||
| 2013 | 18 | 17th | 34 | 9 | 3 | 22 | 34 | 64 | -32 | 30 | 2nd round | ||
| 2014 | 14 | 13th | 26 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 16 | 37 | -21 | 19 | 1st round | ||
| 2015 | 16 | 16th | 30 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 29 | 61 | -32 | 19 | 1st round | ||
| 2016 | 16 | 15th | 30 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 34 | 77 | -43 | 16 | 1st round | ||
| 2017 | 16 | 16th | 30 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 22 | 56 | -34 | 24 | 2nd round | ||
| 2018 | KSL | 10 | 1st | 18 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 55 | 14 | 36 | 52 | Prefectural qualify round | Did not play |
| Tochigi City FC | |||||||||||||
| 2019 | KSL | 10 | 3rd | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 32 | 1st round | 2nd round |
| 2020 | 10 | 1st | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 6 | 19 | 23 | 1st round | Cancelled | |
| 2021 | 12 | 4th | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 45 | 26 | 19 | 46 | 2nd round | ||
| 2022 | 10 | 1st | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 14 | 19 | 37 | Prefectural qualify round | Quarter final | |
| 2023 | 10 | 2nd | 18 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 54 | 24 | 30 | 36 | 2nd round | 1st round | |
| 2024 | JFL | 16 | TBD | 30 | Ineligible | ||||||||
- 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
| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Tochigi Prefecture Division 1 | 10 | 1967, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1980, 1983, 1999, 2002 |
| Tochigi Prefecture 2nd Division A | 2 | 1989, 1990 |
| Tochigi Prefecture Division 2 | 1 | 1991 |
| Kantō Soccer League | 3 | 2018, 2020, 2022 |
| Japanese Regional Football Champions League | 1 | 2023 |
Current squad
As of 3 April 2024.[3]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club staff
| Position | Staff[4] |
|---|---|
| Manager | Naoki Imaya |
| Defense coach | Takuma Tsuda |
| Offense coach | Atsushi Izawa |
| Goalkeeper coach | Yuki Takita |
| Strenghtening coach | Nobuaki Sekimura |
| Analyst | Daito Kai Kazuki Yokoyama |
| Chief trainer | Arihiro Koizumi |
| Trainer | Kosuke Inoue |
| Competent/Kitman | Masateru Hata |
| Side affair and interpreter | Naoki Iwahashi |
| Reinforcement affairs | Takumi Abe |
References
- mainichi.jp
- sankei.com
- "Tochigi City FC". Tochigi City FC. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- "Club staff 2024". jfl.or.jp. Retrieved 7 April 2024.