Yokohama FC - last updated on 14 December 2007
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Club name: Yokohama Football Club (横浜FC)
Foundation: 1998
City: Yokohama
Colours: Sky blue and white
Website: www.yokohamafc.com
Honours:
J. League Division 2 - 1 (2006)
Japan Football League - 2 (1999, 2000)
A bit of history:
The club was formed in 1999, following the merger of the city's two J. League clubs, Yokohama Flügels and Yokohama Marinos the previous year. Flügels supporters, whose club was essentially dissolved, rejected the suggestion that they should start supporting Marinos, their crosstown rivals. Instead, with money raised through donations from the general public and an affiliation with IMG, the talent management company, the former Flügels supporters founded the Yokohama Fulie Sports Club. Following the socio model used by FC Barcelona, the Fulie Sports Club created Yokohama F.C., the first professional sports team in Japan owned and operated by its supporters.
For its first season in 1999, Yokohama F.C. hired former German World Cup star Pierre Littbarski to be the manager and Yasuhiko Okudera, the first Japanese footballer to play professionally in Europe, to be the chairman. Despite attempts to win straight entry into the J. League, the Japan Football Association only permitted the team to enter the Japan Football League. After two seasons as JFL champions, the team was promoted to the J2 Division of the J. League.
The club spent the next 6 seasons in J2, finishing mid-table between 2001 and 2005. However, Yokohama F.C. won the J2 championship in 2006 and gained promotion to J1 in the process. In 2007, Yokohama F.C. played its first season in the top flight of Japanese football in its ninth year of existence. After a poor season the team were mathematically relegated with five games of the season still remaining and will return to J2 for 2008. Despite their early demotion, Yokohama FC still lived to beat title contenders Urawa Red Diamonds on the final day of the season, which gave the 2007 J.League title to Kashima Antlers.
Club crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
Yokohama FC
