FC Ryukyu
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| Full name | FC Ryukyu | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 | ||
| Ground | Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium Okinawa, Okinawa | ||
| Capacity | 25,000 | ||
| Chairman | Keishiro Kurabayashi | ||
| Manager | Kazuki Kuranuki (from the 2023 season) | ||
| League | J3 League | ||
| 2023 | J3 League, 17th of 20 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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FC Ryukyu (FC琉球, Efu Shī Ryūkyū) are an Association football club from the Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. In 2022, after spending four years in the J2 League, the club was relegated. They will play on J3 League from the 2023 season.
The team derive their name from Ryukyu, the historic name for Okinawa Prefecture. The club once had futsal and handball teams.
History
The club was founded in 2003. Most of the players who initially joined the club were those who had left Okinawa Kariyushi FC after a rift with their management, which were beholden to the Kariyushi hotel chain. Their first 2003 season saw them win the championship in Okinawa Prefectural Division 3 North. They were allowed to skip to Division 1 the next season, where they again succeeded in finishing top of the table.
In the 2005 season, they belonged to the Kyūshū Regional League (Kyu League). After finishing 2nd and winning the Regional League play-off, they were promoted to the JFL and became the first ever Okinawan football side who played in a national league.
In December 2007, the club appointed former Japan national coach Philippe Troussier as their general manager. Jean-Paul Rabier was appointed as their manager in January 2008.
They applied for J. League Associate Membership in January 2008, but their application was declined at the J. League board meeting held on February 19, 2008.
In December 2008, the resignation of Rabier was announced. Former coach Hiroyuki Shinzato was promoted to be the new manager in January 2009.
In 2014, FC Ryukyu could finally join the J3 League.
In January 2015, FC Ryukyu announced a partnership with Seoul United from the Korean Challengers League. According to the agreement the teams will play a friendly match every year. The first match was scheduled for 1 March 2015.
FC Ryukyu have made steady progress in recent years, finishing in 8th place in J3 in 2016, and improving on that the following year, finishing 6th.
In the 2018 season they secured promotion to J2 with 3 games left after a 1–1 draw at Nagano Parceiro, and in the following game beat Thespakusatsu Gunma to claim the J3 title with two games to spare.
They started their first season in J2 in style with 4 straight wins to top the league, but faded as the season progressed eventually finishing in 14th place.
Team colour and crest
Their team colour is bengara, a shade of red pigment. It is called red ochre in English and can be generally described as claret. Bengara derives from a Dutch word bengala which in turn derives from Bengal, a region in India and Bangladesh. This name was given because the pigment was traditionally imported from Bengal to Japan. Okinawa has a close association with the bengara colour which is prominently applied to Shuri Castle, one of the most symbolic historical buildings in the area.
In 2008 they adopted a sky-blue trim for their home uniform, as their bengara pigment pattern was considered too and similar to Aston Villa from England (the claret and sky-blue pattern was around long before Troussier and the French staff arrived, so a coincidence in colours is feasible). [citation needed]
Their crest features a pair of Shisas, imaginary talismanic creatures in the area, and the crown of the kings of the former Ryukyu Kingdom.
League & cup record
| Champions | Runners-up | Promoted | Relegated |
| Season | Div. | Tier | Teams | Pos. | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Attendance/G | Emperor's Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Kyushu Soccer League |
4 | 10 | 2nd | 18 | 13.5 | 1 | 3.5 | 51 | 12 | -39 | 42 | – | 3rd round |
| 2006 | JFL | 3 | 18 | 14th | 34 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 29 | 57 | -28 | 29 | 3,189 | 2nd round |
| 2007 | 18 | 17th | 34 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 38 | 82 | -44 | 27 | 2,443 | Did not qualify | ||
| 2008 | 18 | 16th | 34 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 31 | 58 | -27 | 27 | 2,882 | |||
| 2009 | 18 | 16th | 34 | 11 | 5 | 18 | 42 | 57 | -15 | 38 | 1,348 | |||
| 2010 | 18 | 10th | 34 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 51 | 51 | 0 | 48 | 1,777 | 2nd round | ||
| 2011 | 18 | 9th | 33 | 14 | 4 | 15 | 47 | 51 | -4 | 46 | 1,860 | 2nd round | ||
| 2012 | 17 | 9th | 32 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 58 | 62 | -4 | 43 | 2,164 | 1st round | ||
| 2013 | 18 | 11th | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 47 | 51 | -4 | 46 | 2,069 | 2nd round | ||
| 2014 | J3 | 3 | 12 | 9th | 33 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 31 | 50 | -19 | 34 | 1,398 | 2nd round |
| 2015 | 13 | 9th | 36 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 45 | 51 | -6 | 45 | 1,498 | 2nd round | ||
| 2016 | 16 | 8th | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 44 | 1,561 | 2nd round | ||
| 2017 | 17 | 6th | 32 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 44 | 36 | 8 | 50 | 2,508 | 1st round | ||
| 2018 | 17 | 1st | 32 | 20 | 6 | 6 | 70 | 40 | 30 | 66 | 3,146 | 1st round | ||
| 2019 | J2 | 2 | 22 | 14th | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 57 | 80 | -23 | 49 | 4,953 | 2nd round |
| 2020 † | 22 | 16th | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 58 | 61 | -3 | 50 | 1,170 | Did not qualify | ||
| 2021 † | 22 | 9th | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 57 | 47 | 10 | 65 | 1,618 | 2nd round | ||
| 2022 | 22 | 21st | 42 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 41 | 65 | -24 | 37 | 1,996 | 2nd round | ||
| 2023 | J3 | 3 | 20 | TBA | 38 |
- 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
- Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
- † 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
- Source: J.League Data Site
Honours
- Japanese Regional Promotion Series:
- Champions: 2005
- J3 League:
- Champions: 2018
Current squad
As of 24 October 2022.[1] 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.
|
Club Officials
For the 2022 season:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Kazuki Kuranuki
|
| Assistant head coach |  Duda Dos Santos
|
| Goalkeeping coach | Kazushi Haebaru
|
| Physical coach | Hitoshi Tanaka
|
| Analytical coach | Yuhei Abe
|
| Athletic trainer | Hiroaki Maeda Nobuo Sakakiyama
|
| Trainer | Ryuki Takee
|
| Doctor | Tomoyoshi Shimakawa Masato Inafuku Takuma Shinjo
|
| Competent | Takumi Kato
|
Managerial history
| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Finish | ||
| George Yonashiro | Japan |
1 February 2004 | 31 January 2007 |
| Hideo Yoshizawa | Japan |
1 February 2007 | 31 January 2008 |
| Jean-Paul Rabier |  France |
1 January 2008 | 31 December 2008 |
| Hiroyuki Shinzato | Japan |
1 February 2009 | 31 January 2012 |
| Takeo Matsuda | Japan |
1 February 2012 | 31 January 2013 |
| Norihiro Satsukawa | Japan |
1 February 2013 | 31 January 2016 |
| Kim Jong-song |  North Korea |
1 February 2016 | 31 January 2019 |
| Yasuhiro Higuchi | Japan |
1 February 2019 [2] | 20 October 2021 |
| Tetsuhiro Kina | Japan |
20 October 2021 [3] | 8 June 2022 [4] |
| Kazuki Kuranuki (caretaker) | Japan |
9 June 2022 | 13 June 2022 |
| Nacho Fernández |  Spain |
14 June 2022 | 31 January 2023 |
| Kazuki Kuranuki | Japan |
1 February 2023 [5] | – |
Kit evolution
| Home kits - 1st | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
          2003 |
     2004 |
     2005 |
     2006 - 2007 |
     2008 |
     2009 - 2010 |
     2011 |
     2012 |
     2013 |
     2014 |
     2015 |
     2016 |
     2017 |
     2018 |
     2019 |
     2020 |
     2021 |
     2022 - | ||
| Away kits - 2nd | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
    2006 - 2007 |
     2008 |
     2009 - 2010 |
     2011 |
     2012 |
     2013 |
     2014 |
     2015 |
     2016 |
     2017 |
     2018 |
     2019 |
     2020 |
     2021 - |
     2022 - |
| 3rd kits - Other | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
   2011 3rd |
    2020 charity | |||
References
- ^ "PROFILE | 選手・スタッフ". ゲキサカ. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ "Yasuhiro Higuchi dismissed". fcryukyu.com. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ "Tetsuhiro Kina appointment manager". fcryukyu.com. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ "喜名哲裕監督 解任のお知らせ" [Notice of dismissal of Tetsuhiro Kina]. fcryukyu.com. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ "倉貫一毅ヘッドコーチ 監督就任のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
External links
- Official website
(in Japanese)
