Japan women's national football team

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Japan
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Nadeshiko Japan (なでしこジャパン)
Association Japan Football Association
Head coach Norio Sasaki
Most caps Homare Sawa (132)
Top scorer Homare Sawa (66)
FIFA code JPN
FIFA ranking 6
Highest FIFA ranking 6 (September 2009)
Lowest FIFA ranking 14 (July 2003)
Home colours
Away colours
First international
 Chinese Taipei 1 - 0 Japan 
(Hong Kong; 7 June 1981 non-All Japan team)
 India 1 - 0 Japan 
(Jakarta, Indonesia; 21 January 1986 All Japan team)
Biggest win
 Japan 21 - 0 Guam 
(China; 5 December 1997)
Biggest defeat
 Italy 9 - 0 Japan 
(Kobe,Japan; 9 September 1981
 United States 9 - 0 Japan 
(Charlotte,NC,USA; 29 April 1999)
World Cup
Appearances 5 (First in 1991)
Best result Quarterfinals, 1995
Olympic Games
Appearances 2 (First in 1996)
Best result Semifinals, 2008
AFC Women's Asian Cup
Appearances 10 (First in 1981)
Best result Runners-Up 1986 ,1991 ,1995 , 2001

The Japan women's national football team, or Nadeshiko Japan (なでしこジャパン), is a selection of the best female players in Japan and is run by the Japan Football Association (JFA).

Contents

[edit] History of Nadeshiko Japan

[edit] The Birth of "Japan women's national football team"

During 1960s and 70s, women's football players and teams were increasing in Japan, and some teams made up a regional league in each places.

In 1980, "All-Japan Women's Football Championship" was held, and the next year 1981, Japan women's national football team played the first international match in Hong Kong. After while, the team continued playing matches in Japan or in other countries, however it was not "All Japan", but temporarily organized as a selection of members from any regional league.

In 1986, Ryohei Suzuki took office as the coach of Japan women's national football team, the first "All Japan". In 1989, the "Japan Women's Football League" (abbreviated to "L.League") was established, and the women’s national team attended "FIFA Women's World Championship 1991" in China.

[edit] Crisis years

Japan women's national football team has attended Atlanta Olympic Games, FIFA Women's World Championship 1995 and so on, so the national team and L.League were very popular.

But in 1999, Japan missed the participation in Sydney Olympic Games, it caused withdrawal of a series of teams from an L.League before long, and the Japanese women’s football was to be on the verge of the decline.

[edit] Regeneration

In August 2002, Japan Football Association appointed Eiji Ueda, who had acted as supervision of representative Macau National Football Team, as director representative, and it should have expected a comeback of women's football and planned team reorganization for the Athens Olympic Games .

At first, the team was always defeated, but Ueda made up the team stronger, and the team gained wide support in Japan. In particular, the game against the Korea DPR, which decided the participation in the Olympics, not only made the audiences rush to the National Stadium, but was also a TV program that recorded high rating.

Following the increase in public interest towards women football in Japan, the JFA organized a public contest to select a nickname for the team. "Nadeshiko Japan" was chosen among about 2,700 contestants and was announced on July 7, 2004. "Nadeshiko", a kind of dianthus, come from the phrase "Yamato Nadeshiko"(大和撫子, "ideal Japanese woman").

[edit] Nadeshiko Japan International Competition Records

[edit] FIFA Women's World Cup Record

[edit] Olympic Games Record

  • 1996 : 1st round
  • 2000 : Did not qualify
  • 2004 : quarter final
  • 2008 : 4th place

[edit] AFC Women's Asian Cup Record

[edit] Women's East Asian Cup Record

[edit] Schedule and recent results

Date Opponent Result Score1 Venue Competition
2009-07-29  Germany D 0-0 Mannheim, Germany Friendly Match
2009-08-01  France W 4-0 Maurice Beraud Stadium, France Friendly Match
2009-08-02  France W 5-1 France Friendly Match

[edit] Coaches

[edit] Current Team

Squad for the 2008 Summer Olympics

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club
1 GK Miho Fukumoto福元美穂 October 2, 1983 (1983-10-02) (age 26) 39 -48 Japan Okayama Yunogo Belle
2 DF Yukari Kinga近賀ゆかり May 2, 1984 (1984-05-02) (age 25) 29 0 Japan NTV Beleza
3 DF Hiromi Ikeda池田浩美 December 22, 1975 (1975-12-22) (age 33) 112 4 Japan Tasaki Perule
4 DF Azusa Iwashimizu岩清水梓 October 14, 1986 (1986-10-14) (age 23) 33 5 Japan NTV Beleza
5 DF Miyuki Yanagita柳田美幸 April 11, 1981 (1981-04-11) (age 28) 86 11 Japan Urawa Reds Ladies
6 MF Tomoe Kato加藤與恵 May 27, 1978 (1978-05-27) (age 31) 112 8 Japan NTV Beleza
7 DF Kozue Ando安藤梢 January 9, 1982 (1982-01-09) (age 27) 61 10 Japan Urawa Reds Ladies
8 MF Aya Miyama宮間あや January 28, 1985 (1985-01-28) (age 24) 60 18 Japan Okayama Yunogo Belle
9 FW Eriko Arakawa荒川恵理子 October 30, 1979 (1979-10-30) (age 30) 62 19 United States FC Gold Pride
10 MF Homare Sawa澤穂希 September 6, 1978 (1978-09-06) (age 31) 136 68 Japan NTV Beleza
11 FW Shinobu Ohno大野忍 January 23, 1984 (1984-01-23) (age 25) 57 22 Japan NTV Beleza
12 FW Karina Maruyama丸山桂里奈 May 26, 1983 (1983-05-26) (age 26) 50 12 Japan TEPCO Mareeze
13 MF Ayumi Hara原歩 February 21, 1979 (1979-02-21) (age 30) 36 1 Japan INAC Leonessa
14 DF Kyoko Yano矢野喬子 January 3, 1984 (1984-01-03) (age 25) 44 1 Japan Urawa Reds Ladies
15 MF Mizuho Sakaguchi阪口夢穂 October 15, 1987 (1987-10-15) (age 22) 21 14 Japan Tasaki Perule
16 DF Rumi Utsugi宇津木瑠美 December 5, 1988 (1988-12-05) (age 21) 23 4 Japan NTV Beleza
17 FW Yuki Nagasato永里優季 January 15, 1987 (1987-01-15) (age 22) 44 25 Japan NTV Beleza
18 GK Ayumi Kaihori海堀あゆみ September 4, 1986 (1986-09-04) (age 23) 2 0 Japan INAC Leonessa

[edit] FIFA ranking

  • July 2003 : 14
  • August 2003 : 14 (→)
  • October 2003 : 14 (→)
  • December 2003 : 14 (→)
  • March 2004 : 14 (→)
  • June 2004 : 13 (↑)
  • August 2004 : 13 (→)
  • December 2004 : 13 (→)
  • March 2005 : 12 (↑)
  • June 2005 : 11 (↑)
  • September 2005 : 11 (→)
  • December 2005 : 11 (→)
  • March 2006 : 11 (→)
  • May 2006 : 13 (↓)
  • September 2006 : 13 (→)
  • December 2006 : 10 (↑)
  • March 2007 : 9 (↑)
  • June 2007 : 10 (↓)
  • October 2007 : 11 (↓)
  • December 2007 : 11 (→)
  • March 2007 : 10 (↑)
  • June 2007 : 10 (→)
  • October 2007 : 11 (↓)
  • December 2007 : 11 (→)
  • March 2008 : 10 (↑)
  • June 2008 : 10 (→)
  • September 2008: 9 (↑)

[edit] Youth National Team Records

[edit] FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Record

  • 2002 : Quarter-finals
  • 2004 : Did Not Qualify
  • 2006 : Did Not Qualify
  • 2008 : Qualified

[edit] FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup Record

  • 2008 : Quarter-finals

[edit] AFC U-19 Women's Championship Record

  • 2002 : Champions
  • 2004 :
  • 2006 : 4th Place
  • 2007 : 2nd Place
  • 2009 : Champions

[edit] AFC U-17 Women's Championship Record

  • 2005 : Champions
  • 2007 : 2nd Place
  • 2009 : Participates

[edit] See also

[edit] External links