X-League (Japan)
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| Formerly | Japan American Football League (1971-1997) |
|---|---|
| Sport | American football |
| Founded | 1971 |
| No. of teams | 52 (X1:18, X2:16, X3:19) |
| Country | Japan |
| Most recent champion(s) | Panasonic Impulse (7th title) |
| Most titles | Obic Seagulls (8 titles) |
| Official website | Official website |
The X-League (Xリーグ) is the top-level American football league in Japan. It was founded in 1971 as the Japan American Football League, and changed its name to the X League in 1997. There are three divisions (X1, X2, and X3) among which there is promotion and relegation.[1] Teams in the three-tier league are split into East, West, and Central divisions. There are two types of teams, one being a company team in which only employees of that particular sponsoring company may participate as a player, and the other classified as a club team for which anyone can try out.
Game rules are based on those of the NCAA college division in America, with the exception of the length of quarters, which are 12 minutes (the same as the NBA) instead of 15. The regular season consists of the First Stage, Second Stage and Final Stage. Teams play five matches in the First Stage, after which the top and bottom three teams are separated into two groups; in the Second Stage there is round robin play within each group of three teams. During this stage, the length of quarters is extended from 12 to 15 minutes. The winners of the Second Stage advance to the Final Stage to determine the teams for the Japan X Bowl. There is a spring tournament as well called the Pearl Bowl which is used by teams to ready themselves and evaluate new players before the fall season.
The Japanese national team, which has won the first and second editions of the American Football World Cup and was runner-up, finishing second to the American team, in the 2007 installment of the tournament, was made up almost entirely of players from this league.
Americans are often recruited to play for X League teams, with a strict rule of four per team. No more than two foreign players per team are allowed on the field of play at a time.
Season Format
1st Stage
The 18 top tier teams are divided into 3 divisions of 6 teams each. The East and Central Divisions are made up of teams from the Kanto (East Japan) region while the West Division teams are from the Kansai (West Japan) region. The teams play a league schedule of 5 games each. After divisional play, the teams are regrouped based on their divisional standings for the 2nd stage.
2nd Stage
The top 3 teams from each division advance to the Super9 division while the bottom 3 are relegated to the Battle9 division.
The nine teams in the Super 9 are aligned into three new groups, with each group consisting of a 1st-place team, a 2nd-place team and a 3rd-place team from separate divisions. Each team plays the other two teams in its group. The top four teams in the Super 9, based on combined results from both divisional and second-stage play, advance to the Final Stage (semifinals).
In the Battle 9, the three groups each have a 4th-place team, a 5th-place team and a 6th-place team. The top two teams at the end of the stage advance to the Battle 9 Playoff Game.
Final Stage
The top four teams from the Super 9 are paired up in a random draw, with the two winners advancing to the Japan X Bowl to decide the championship.
X2-X1 Promotion/Replacement games
The 6th place team from each division of X1 is paired up against the 1st place team of each division of X2. If the X2 team defeats the X1 team, that team is promoted up to X1 while the X1 team is demoted to X2 for the following season.
2016 X-League team organization
X1
X2
East
Central
West
- Fuji Xerox J-Stars
- Asahi Pretec Golden Fighters
- Club Hawkeye
- Nishinomiya Bruins
- Kirix Toyota Bull Fighters
- Iso Superstars
X3
East
West
A Block
- Kakogawa Ozunas
- Wako Raiders
- Club Islands
- Tri-stars
- Hiroshima UCS Hawks
- Osaka Prefectural Police Shields
B Block
- Aichi Golden Wings
- Club Bears
- Osaka Gas Skunk Scans
- Okayama Standing Bears
- Triple Fire Birds
- Masahide Blazers
Past League Results
X-League Divisional Standings since 1997
| Advanced to Final6 or Super9 | Promoted from X2 | Demoted to X2 at the end of the season. | Team Folded at the end of the season. |
- East/Central
| Year | Division | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | East | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Onward Oaks | Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Apricot | Fujitsu Frontiers | Tokai Bank Red Wave | Renown Rovers |
| Central | Kajima Deers | Nissan Prince Tokyo | Recruit Seagulls | Skylark Co.,Ltd. Skylarks | Sanwa Bank Lark Hills | Sakura Bank Dainosu | |
| 1998 | East | Nissan Prince Tokyo | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Skylark Co.,Ltd. Skylarks | Tokai Bank Red Wave | Sumitomo Bank Springs | Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Apricot |
| Central | Kajima Deers | Recruit Seagulls | Onward Oaks | Fujitsu Frontiers | Renown Rovers | Sanwa Bank Lark Hills | |
| 1999 | East | Onward Oaks | Recruit Seagulls | Nissan Prince Tokyo | Tokyo Marine Dolphins | Tokyo-Mitsubishi Bank Apricot | Sankura Bank Dainosu |
| Central | Kajima Deers | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Fujitsu Frontiers | Skylark Co.,Ltd. Skylarks | Tokyo Marine Dolphins | Sanwa Bank Lark Hills | |
| 2000 | East | Fujitsu Frontiers | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Onward Oaks | Skylark Co.,Ltd. Skylarks | Club Dainosu | Renown Rovers |
| Central | Recruit Seagulls | Nissan Prince Tokyo | Kajima Deers | Tokyo-Mitsubishi Bank | Tokyo Marine Dolphins | Tokyo Skyliners | |
| 2001 | East | Kajima Deers | Fujitsu Frontiers | Nissan Prince Tokyo | Gakusei-Engokai Rocbull | Club Dainosu | Club Huskies |
| Central | Recruit Seagulls | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Onward Oaks | Lions | Renown Rovers | Penta-Ocean Construction Co. Pirates | |
| 2002 | East | Fujitsu Frontiers | Kajima Deers | Lions | Nissan Skyliners | IBM Big Blue | Sakura Bank Dainosu |
| Central | Seagulls | Onward Skylarks | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Gakusei-Engokai Rocbull | Renown Rovers | Club Huskies | |
| 2003 | East | Onward Skylarks | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Fujitsu Frontiers | Nissan Skyliners | Tokyo Gas Creators | Club Huskies |
| Central | Kajima Deers | Obic Seagulls | Penta-Ocean Construction Co. Pirates | All Mitsubishi Lions | Gakusei-Engokai Rocbull | IBM Big Blue | |
| 2004 | East | Kajima Deers | Asahi Beer Silver Star | All Mitsubishi Lions | IBM Big Blue | Gakusei-Engokai Rocbull | Penta-Ocean Construction Pirates |
| Central | Onward Skylarks | Obic Seagulls | Nissan Skyliners | Fujitsu Frontiers | Tokyo Gas Creators | Club Huskies | |
| 2005 | East | Obic Seagulls | Onward Skylarks | Fujitsu Frontiers | Yasuda L.A. Pirates | Tokyo Gas Creators | All Mitsubishi Lions |
| Central | Kajima Deers | Asahi Beer Silver Star | IBM Big Blue | Nissan Skyliners | Gakusei-Engokai Rocbull | Renesas Hurricanes | |
| 2006 | East | Onward Skylarks | Kajima Deers | IBM Big Blue | All Mitsubishi Lions | Meiji Yasuda Pirates | Gakusei-Engokai Rocbull |
| Central | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Obic Seagulls | Fujitsu Frontiers | Nissan Skyliners | Tokyo Gas Creators | Renesas Hurricanes | |
| 2007 | East | Fujitsu Frontiers | Obic Seagulls | Asahi Beer Silver Star | All Mitsubishi Lions | Renesas Hurricanes | Gakusei-Engokai Rocbull |
| Central | Kajima Deers | Onward Skylarks | IBM Big Blue | Meiji Yasuda Pirates | Tokyo Gas Creators | Fuji Xerox Minerva | |
| 2008 | East | Onward Skylarks | Fujitsu Frontiers | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Meiji Yasuda Pirates | Renesas Hurricanes | Fuji Xerox Minerva |
| Central | Kajima Deers | Obic Seagulls | IBM Big Blue | All Mitsubishi Lions | All Tokyo Gas Creators | Gakusei-Engokai Rocbull | |
| 2009 | East | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Obic Seagulls | Nihon Unisys Bulls | All Mitsubishi Lions | Fuji Xerox Minerva | All Tokyo Gas Creators |
| Central | Fujitsu Frontiers | Kajima Deers | IBM Big Blue | Meiji Yasuda Pirates | Hurricanes AFC | Bullseyes Tokyo | |
| 2010 | East | Kajima Deers | IBM Big Blue | Asahi Beer Silver Star | All Mitsubishi Lions | Bullseyes Tokyo | Fuji Xerox Minerva |
| Central | Obic Seagulls | Fujitsu Frontiers | Meiji Yasuda Pirates | All Tokyo Gas Creators | Hurricanes AFC | Nihon Unisys Bulls | |
| 2011 | East | Kajima Deers | Fujitsu Frontiers | All Mitsubishi Lions | Meiji Yasuda Pirates | Bullseyes Tokyo | Fuji Xerox Minverva |
| Central | Obic Seagulls | Nojima Sagamihara Rise | Asahi Beer Silver Star | IBM Big Blue | All Tokyo Gas Creators | Nihon Unisys Bulls | |
| 2012 | East | Kajima Deers | Nojima Sagamihara Rise | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Meiji Yasuda Pirates | Nihon Unisys Bulls | Bullseyes Tokyo |
| Central | Obic Seagulls | Fujitsu Frontiers | IBM Big Blue | Tokyo Gas Creators | All Mitsubishi Lions | Fuji Xerox Minerva | |
| 2013 | East | Fujitsu Frontiers | Kajima Deers | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Tokyo Gas Creators | Nihon Unisys Bulls | Hurricanes |
| Central | Obic Seagulls | Nojima Sagamihara Rise | IBM Big Blue | All Mitsubishi Lions | Meiji Yasuda Pirates | Tokyo MPD Eagles | |
| 2014 | East | Fujitsu Frontiers | IBM Big Blue | Nojima Sagamihara Rise | Tokyo Gas Creators | Meiji Yasuda Pirates | Hurricanes |
| Central | LIXIL Deers | Obic Seagulls | Asahi Beer Silver Star | All Mitsubishi Lions | Bulls Football Club | Taiyo Building Mgmt. Cranes | |
| 2015 | East | Fujitsu Frontiers | Nojima Sagamihara Rise | Obic Seagulls | All Mitsubishi Lions | Meiji Yasuda Penta-Ocean Pirates | Tokyo MPD Eagles |
| Central | IBM Big Blue | LIXIL Deers | Asahi Beer Silver Star | Bulls Football Club | Tokyo Gas Creators | Hurricanes |
- West
| Year | Division | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | West | Matsushita Electric Works Impulse | Sunstar Finies | MYCAL Bears | Osaka Black Eagles | Iwatani Sidewinders | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers |
| 1998 | West | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | Matsushita Electric Works Impulse | MYCAL Bears | Iwatani Sidewinders | Sunstar Finies | Iuchi Black Eagles |
| 1999 | West | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | MYCAL Bears | Matsushita Electric Works Impulse | Kohaku Finies | Iuchi Black Eagles | Iwatani Sidewinders |
| 2000 | West | Matsushita Electric Works Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | MYCAL Bears | Kohaku Finies | Iuchi Black Eagles | Iwatani Sidewinders |
| 2001 | West | Matsushita Electric Works Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | MYCAL Bears | Iwatani Sidewinders | Kohaku Finies | AS ONE Black Eagles |
| 2002 | West | Matsushita Denko Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | AS ONE Black Eagles | Iwatani Sidewinders | Hankyu Bruins | Kohaku Finies |
| 2003 | West | Matsushita Denko Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | AS ONE Black Eagles | Naigai Denki Marvies | Hankyu Bruins | Iwatani Sidewinders |
| 2004 | West | Matsushita Denko Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | AS ONE Black Eagles | Naigai Denki Marvies | Finies Football Club | Hankyu Bruins |
| 2005 | West | Matsushita Denko Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | Naigai Denki Marvies | AS ONE Black Eagles | Iwatani Sidewinders | Kobe Finies |
| 2006 | West | Matsushita Denko Impulse | Nagai Denki Marvies | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | SRC Kobe Finies | AS ONE Black Eagles | Iwatani Sidewinders |
| 2007 | West | Matsushita Denko Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | Naigai Denki Marvies | AS ONE Black Eagles | SRC Kobe Finies | Nagoya Cyclones |
| 2008 | West | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | Panasonic Denko Impulse | SRC Kobe Finies | Naigai Denki Marvies | Asahi Pretec Golden Fighters | AS ONE Black Eagles |
| 2009 | West | Panasonic Denko Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | Suita Marvies | Elecom Kobe Finies | Asahi Pretec Golden Fighters | AS ONE Black Eagles |
| 2010 | West | Panasonic Denko Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | Suita Marvies | Elecom Kobe Finies | AS ONE Black Eagles | Nagoya Cyclones |
| 2011 | West | Panasonic Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | AS ONE Black Eagles | Elecom Kobe Finies | Nagoya Cyclones | Fuji Xerox J-Stars |
| 2012 | West | Panasonic Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | AS ONE Black Eagles | Elecom Kobe Finies | Nagoya Cyclones | Nishinomiya Bruins |
| 2013 | West | Panasonic Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | AS ONE Black Eagles | Elecom Kobe Finies | Nishinomiya Bruins | Nagoya Cyclones |
| 2014 | West | Elecom Kobe Finies | Panasonic Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | AS ONE Black Eagles | Nagoya Cyclones | Nishinomiya Bruins |
| 2015 | West | Panasonic Impulse | Asahi Soft Drinks Challengers | Elecom Kobe Finies | AS ONE Black Eagles | Nagoya Cyclones | Fuji Xerox J-Stars |
- Until 2008, the top 2 teams in each division qualified for the playoffs to the Japan X bowl known as the Final6. Starting 2009, the top 3 teams in each division qualified for the Super9 in the 2nd stage.
Playing Venues
| Stadium | Location | Capacity | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East/Central Division | |||||
| Kawasaki Stadium | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | 2,700 | |||
| Yokohama Stadium | Yokohama, Japan | 20,000 | |||
| Sagamihara Asamizo Park Stadium | Minami-ku, Sagamihara | 11,808 | |||
| Amino Vital Field | Chōfu, Tokyo | 3,000 | |||
| Akitsu Soccer Stadium | Narashino, Chiba | 2,100 | |||
| Tokyo Dome | Bunkyo, Tokyo | 55,000 | |||
| Oi Futo Central Seaside Park Field | Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo | 5,000 | |||
| Chiba Marine Stadium | Chiba City, Chiba | 30,082 | |||
| Yurtec Stadium Sendai | Sendai, Miyagi | 19,694 | |||
| Todoroki Athletics Stadium | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | 26,232 | |||
| West Division | |||||
| Expo Flash Field | Suita, Osaka | 3,000 | |||
| Kobe Prince Stadium | Nada-ku, Kobe | 3,000 | |||
| Nagai Stadium | Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka | 47,816 | |||
| Kincho Stadium | Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka | 20,500 | |||
| Minato Soccer Stadium | Nagoya, Aichi | 20,000 | |||
| Tsurumi Ryokuchi Field | Tsurumi-ku, Osaka | 3,710 | |||
| Osaka Nagai Second Stadium | Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka | 15,000 | |||
| Handa Athletics Stadium | Handa, Aichi | 9,074 | |||
| Amagasaki Memorial Park Stadium | Amagasaki, Hyogo | 10,000 | |||
| Suzuka Sports Garden | Suzuka, Mie | 3,300 | |||
Japan X Bowl
The two semifinal winners from the final stage meet for the league championship in the Japan X Bowl held at the Tokyo Dome. Since 1987, Japan X Bowl has decided the X League championship. Until 2002, it was known as the Tokyo Super Bowl. The winner of this game goes on to the Rice Bowl to face the winner of the Koshien Bowl, the national college championship game.
Awards and Honors
All X-League Team
Since 2000, the X-League honors outstanding players by electing them to the All X-League Team. 11 offensive players, 11 defensive players and 3 special team players are voted by the Head Coaches and 5 players on each of the 18 X1 teams to be selected for the team.
X-League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award
The X-League Most Valuable Player award (X-League MVP) is an award given to the Japanese American Football player who is considered most valuable to his team in the X-League. Started in 2012, the award was divided between the best player in each division until 2014 when one overall MVP was awarded.
| Year | Division | Winner | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | East | Yasuhiro Maruta | Running Back | Kajima Deers |
| Central | Noriaki Kinoshita | Wide Receiver | Obic Seagulls | |
| West | Ryohei Imanashi | Cornerback | Panasonic Impulse | |
| 2013 | East | Keiya Hiramoto | Quarterback | Fujitsu Frontiers |
| Central | Noriaki Kinoshita | Wide Receiver | Obic Seagulls | |
| West | Tetsuo Takata | Quarterback | Panasonic Impulse |
| Year | Winner | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Gino Gordon | Running Back | Fujitsu Frontiers |
| 2015 | Tetsuo Takata[2] |
Quarterback | Panasonic Impulse |
X-League Rookie of the Year (ROY) award
The X-League Rookie of the Year award (X-League ROY) is an award given to the player who is considered have made a big impact during his first year with his team. Started in 2012, the award was divided between the best player in each division until 2014 when one overall ROY was awarded.
| Year | Division | Winner | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | East | Kohei Arai | Center | Kajima Deers |
| Central | Kevin Craft | Quarterback | IBM Big Blue | |
| West | Hisashi Kurokawa | Offensive Tackle | Panasonic Impulse | |
| 2013 | East | Jinpei Yoshimoto | Wide Receiver | Fujitsu Frontiers |
| Central | Kealakai Maiava | Offensive Tackle | Obic Seagulls | |
| West | David Motu | Linebacker | Panasonic Impulse |
| Year | Winner | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Colby Cameron | Quarterback | Fujitsu Frontiers |
| 2015 | Mason Mills | Quarterback | Asahi Beer Silver Star |
X-League Fairplay award
Since 2012, the X-League Fairplay award is awarded to the team that had accumulated the least amount of penalties during the 1st stage of the Fall season.
| Year | Division | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | West | Panasonic Impulse |
| 2013 | Central | All Mitsubishi Lions |
| 2014 | East | Hurricanes (X-League) |
| 2015 | Central | Hurricanes (X-League) |
Team names
- Silver Star → Asahi Beer Silver Star
- Matsushita Electric Works Impulse → Panasonic Electric Works Impulse
- Kohoku Finies → Sunstar Finies → Kohoku Finies → Finies Football Club → Kobe Finies → SRC Kobe Finies → Elecom Kobe Finies
- Recruit Seagulls → Seagulls → Obic Seagulls
- NEC Falcons (dissolved in 1997)
- Renoun Rovers (dissolved in 2003)
- Onward Oaks → Onward Skylarks(Combined with Skylark Skylarks in 2001) → Onward Oaks (dissolved in 2009)→ Sagamihara Rise (Remnants of the Onward Oaks formed a new team called the Sagamihara Rise (same uniforms and colors, although different logo) and played one level down in the X2 league through the 2010 season. They subsequently won the challenge game against the Renesas Hurricanes to move back up to X1 in December 2010, and will play again in the X1 Central Division for the 2011 season, with the Hurricanes moving down to X2)
References
- ^ "League Playoff Works". xleague.com. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- ^ Nagatsuka, Kaz (February 2, 2016). "Takata named MVP; 8 Impulse make All X-League team". xleague.com. Retrieved March 4, 2016.