Kashima Antlers

Kashima Antlers
鹿島アントラーズ

Full name	Kashima Antlers F.C.
Founded	1947
Ground	Kashima Soccer Stadium Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan (Capacity: 40,728 )
Chairman	Hiroshi Ushijima
Manager	Jorginho
League	J. League Division 1
2011	6th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Kashima Antlers (鹿島アントラーズ, Kashima Antorāzu) 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".

Since the J-League's creation in 1993, Kashima have proved by far Japan's most successful club team, having won the league title seven times, the J. League Cup four times and the Emperor's Cup four times. Antlers have finished in the top five of J1 for over 70% of all seasons played to date and since 1993 have an average end of season league placing of 3rd.

By clinching the 2007 J. League title they became the first team in Japan to have won 10 domestic titles, and later the same year they completed their second league and cup double after claiming the Emperor's Cup title. In 2008 they became the first club to successfully defend their league title on two separate occasions. In 2009 they became the first club to win three consecutive league titles. Most recently, with victory in the 2011 J. League Cup, Kashima became the first club to win 15 domestic titles.

Antlers are also one of only five teams to have competed in Japan's top flight of football every year since its inception.

Overview

Founded in 1947 as Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. in Osaka. It played in the semi-professional Japan Soccer League and moved to Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture in 1975. They were promoted to the JSL's top flight in 1984, but never made much of an impact, going down in 1985/86, returning in 1986/87 and going down again in 1988/89. Its last standing in the JSL was 2nd in the Second Division for 1991/92.

After the formation of the fully professional J. League, Sumitomo, like all other clubs, stripped the corporate brand from the team name and reformed as the Kashima Antlers. Kashima was essentially promoted to the new top flight, as many JSL First Division teams decided to relegate themselves being unprepared for professionalism. (Of the original 10 J. League founding member clubs, Kashima and Shimizu S-Pulse were newly promoted. Ironically, Kashima had defeated a forerunner of Shimizu's, Nippon Light Metal/Hagoromo Club, to earn its JSL Second Division place back in 1974).

Since the J. League's creation in 1993, Kashima Antlers have consistently been amongst the strongest teams in the country, holding several distinctions and records. Led by former Brazilian star and Japanese national team coach Zico, Kashima were the first team to win a J. League stage, claiming the 1st stage of the inaugural season in 1993, and in 2000 became the first J. League team to achieve the "treble", winning all three major titles: J. League, J. League Cup, and Emperor's Cup. This followed a near miss in 1997 when, after being the first team to win both cup competitions, they finished second in the league. In 2007 Antlers became only the second team to win a second league and cup double, and in doing so took their domestic trophy total to eleven; the highest in Japan during the professional era (but not overall - the record is still held by Tokyo Verdy), and the first team to reach double figures.

To this day, Kashima have maintained strong ties with the football community in Brazil, a fact borne out of Zico's past affiliation with the club. Kashima's Brazilian connection had been manifesting itself in the club's transfer policy: few non-Brazilian foreign player signed for Kashima since the inception of the J. League.

Its hometowns are Kashima, Itako, Hasaki and Kamisu, all in Ibaraki Prefecture. The team plays at Kashima Soccer Stadium.

Kashima is no longer primarily sponsored by Sumitomo, currently bearing the logo of Tostem, a glass window maker.

Players

Current squad

As of 17 July 2011 Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Akihiro Sato 3 DF Daiki Iwamasa 4 DF Kazuya Yamamura 5 DF Alex 6 MF Koji Nakata 7 DF Toru Araiba 8 FW Juninho 9 FW Yuya Osako 10 MF Masashi Motoyama 13 FW Shinzo Koroki 14 MF Chikashi Masuda 15 MF Takeshi Aoki 16 MF Takuya Honda 17 FW Ryuta Sasaki 18 FW Yoshiki Nakagawa

No. Position Player 19 FW Hideya Okamoto 20 MF Gaku Shibasaki 21 GK Hitoshi Sogahata 22 DF Daigo Nishi 23 DF Gen Shoji 24 DF Yukitoshi Ito 25 MF Yasushi Endo 26 DF Ryuga Suzuki 27 MF Takahide Umebachi 28 MF Shouma Doi 29 GK Shinichiro Kawamata 30 MF Ryuta Miyauchi 31 GK Naoki Yagi 40 MF Mitsuo Ogasawara

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player DF Tomohiko Miyazaki (to Júbilo Iwata) MF Daichi Kawashima (to Montedio Yamagata) FW Carlão (to S.C. Braga)

2012 Season Transfers

Main article: List of Japanese football transfers winter 2011–12

Managers

Manager	Nationality	Tenure
Masakatsu Miyamoto	Japan	1993–1994
Edu	Brazil	1995
João Carlos	Brazil	1996–1998
Takashi Sekizuka	Japan	1998
Zé Mario	Brazil	1998–1999
Zico	Brazil	1999
Takashi Sekizuka	Japan	1999
Toninho Cerezo	Brazil	2000–2005
Paulo Autuori	Brazil	2006
Oswaldo de Oliveira	Brazil	2007–2011
Jorginho	Brazil	2012–

Record as J. League member

Season	Division	Teams	Position	Average Attendance	J. League Cup	Emperor's Cup	Asia
1992	-	-	-	-	Semifinal	Quarterfinal	-	-
1993	J1	10	2	14,016	Group Stage	Final	-	-
1994	J1	12	3	16,812	1st Round	1st Round	-	-
1995	J1	14	7	19,141	-	Semifinal	-	-
1996	J1	16	1	15,386	Group Stage	Quarterfinal	-	-
1997	J1	17	2	16,985	Winner	Winner	-	-
1998	J1	18	1	15,345	Semifinal	Semifinal	CC	Quarterfinal
1999	J1	16	9	17,049	Final	4th Round	CWC	3rd Place
2000	J1	16	1	17,507	Winner	Winner	CC	Quarterfinal
2001	J1	16	1	22,425	Semifinal	Quarterfinal	-	-
2002	J1	16	4	21,590	Winner	Final	CC	Quarterfinal
2003	J1	16	5	21,204	Final	Semifinal	CL	Group Stage
2004	J1	16	6	17,585	Quarterfinal	Quarterfinal	-	-
2005	J1	18	3	18,641	Group Stage	Quarterfinal	-	-
2006	J1	18	6	15,433	Final	Semifinal	-	-
2007	J1	18	1	16,239	Semifinal	Winner	-	-
2008	J1	18	1	19,714	Quarterfinal	5th Round	CL	Quarterfinal
2009	J1	18	1	21,617	Quarterfinal	Quarterfinal	CL	Round of 16
2010	J1	18	4	20,966	Quarterfinal	Winner	CL	Round of 16
2011	J1	18	6	16,156	Winner	5th Round	CL	Round of 16

Honors

Sumitomo Metals (Amateur era)

• All Japan Vase
  • Winners (1): 1973
• Japan Soccer League Division 2
  • Champions (2): 1984, 1986-1987
• JSL Cup
  • Runners-Up (1): 1987

Kashima Antlers (Professional era)

• J. League Division 1:
  • Champions (7): 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2008, 2009
  • Runners-Up (2): 1993, 1997
• Emperor's Cup:
  • Winners (4): 1997, 2000, 2007, 2010
  • Runners-Up (2): 1993, 2002
• J. League Cup:
  • Winners (4): 1997, 2000, 2002, 2011
  • Runners-Up (3): 1999, 2003, 2006
• Xerox Super Cup:
  • Winners (5): 1997, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2010
  • Runners-Up (4): 2001, 2002, 2008, 2011
• A3 Mazda Champions Cup:
  • Winners (1): 2003

External links

• (Japanese) Official Website
• (English) Official Website