Kagoshima United
鹿児島ユナイテッド
Kagoshima United FC Crest
Full nameKagoshima United Football Club
Nickname(s)Yokanise Eleven
よかにせイレブン
Founded1959 (1959) as Volca Kagoshima
2014 (2014) as Kagoshima United
StadiumShiranami Stadium
Kagoshima
Capacity19,934
ChairmanTsuyoshi Tokushige, Kenichiro Yuwaki (co-owners)
ManagerYasuaki Oshima　
LeagueJ2 League
2023J3 League, 2nd of 20 (promoted)
WebsiteClub website

Kagoshima United FC (鹿児島ユナイテッドFC, Kagoshima Yunaiteddo Efushī) is a Japanese professional football club based in Kagoshima, Capital of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. That was formed from the merger of Volca Kagoshima and FC Kagoshima. Both clubs played in the Kyushu Soccer League before the merger. Their top team set play in the J2 League from 2024, Japanese second tier of professional league football. After promotion from J3 in 2023. Their secondary team plays in the Kagoshima Prefectural League as Kagoshima United FC SECOND.

History

Origins (1959–2013)

Volca Kagoshima was established in 1959 as Kagoshima Teachers' Soccer Club. The club was a founding member of the Kyushu Soccer League in 1973. Since the league's inception, the club had always played in this league and never be relegated to the Prefectural Leagues until the merge with FC Kagoshima in 2014. They advanced to the Regional League promotion series five times, but never succeeded to promote to the upper tier, Japan Football League, known as the highest level for amateur club football in the country. The club changed the name from Kagoshima Teachers to Volca Kagoshima in 1995.

FC Kagoshima was established in 1994 as an affiliated club of the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya. They were promoted to the Kyushu Soccer League as early as 2004 and changed the name to Osumi NIFS United FC.

Both of Volca and NIFS have been seeking the way to promote to the JFL separately. The idea of a merged club of Volca and FC Kagoshima (renamed from NIFS in 2010) had been discussed by the Kagoshima Prefectural Football Association as early as 2012, however, it was failed to reach an agreement at that time. Although Volca and FC Kagoshima had applied for J.League Associate Membership separately, both sides restarted their talk about the merger, then finally agreed with merging their clubs to aim promotion to the J.League, in response of the advisory by the J.League organization. As both clubs had advanced to the final round of the Regional League promotion series in 2013, the merged club earned the promotion to the JFL of 2014.

Kagoshima United (2014–)

The two clubs, Volca Kagoshima and FC Kagoshima, were merged in 2014 to form Kagoshima United. In November 2015, after finishing promotion zone in 2015, they received J.League license to participate in the J3 League.[1]

In 2018, Kagoshima United was promoted to the J2 League for the first time in history from 2019 after five years at the J3.

In 2019, Kagoshima United was instantly relegated back to the J3, after a 21st place finish in their J3 debut season.

On 2 December 2023, Kagoshima United secure promotion to J2 League from 2024 after draw against Gainare Tottori 1–1 and back to second tier after 4 years since 2019.

Rivalries

The traditional rival of Kagoshima United is Roasso Kumamoto, the prefectural neighbours and former Kyushu Soccer League fellows since 1983 until 2005, except 2001–2002. Matches between the two clubs are labelled Hisatsu derby (肥薩ダービー, "Kumamoto-Kagoshima derby") and generate a lot of interest in both prefectures.

League & cup record

Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
League J. League Cup Emperor's Cup
SeasonDiv.TeamsTierPos.PWDLFAGDPtsAttendance/G
As Kagoshima United
2014 JFL1443rd261835451926571,825Not eligible2nd round
2015 163rd301866462521602,6241st round
2016 J31635th3015510392910503,6651st round
2017 174th3217411493712553,5082nd round
2018 172nd321697463511574,0402nd round
2019 J222221st42117244173-32405,7832nd round
2020 † J31834th3418412554312582,214Did not qualify
2021 † 157th28117103435-1403,7372nd round
2022 183rd3421310553916664,7402nd round
2023 202nd3818812584117625,5671st round
2024 J2202TBD38TBC
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

Volca Kagoshima (1959–2013)

FC Kagoshima (1994–2013)

Kagoshima United (2014–)

League history

  • Regional (Kyushu): 1973–2013
  • Division 4 (JFL): 2014–2015
  • Division 3 (J3): 2016–2018
  • Division 2 (J2): 2019
  • Division 3 (J3): 2020–2023
  • Division 2 (J2): 2024–

Current squad

As of 8 September 2023.[2][3] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Japan JPN Ryota Izumori
3 DF Brazil BRA Weslley
4 DF Japan JPN Kenta Hirose
5 DF Japan JPN Atsuki Satsukawa
6 MF Japan JPN Eisuke Watanabe
7 MF Japan JPN Kazuki Chiba
9 FW Japan JPN Koki Arita
10 FW Japan JPN Frank Romero
11 MF Japan JPN Junki Goryo
13 GK Japan JPN Kenta Matsuyama
14 MF Japan JPN Hiroya Nodake
15 MF Japan JPN Kazuaki Ihori DSP
16 MF Japan JPN Yuto Kide
17 DF Japan JPN Kota Hoshi
18 FW Japan JPN Mikuto Fukuda
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 FW Japan JPN Shunsuke Yamamoto
20 MF Japan JPN Masayoshi Endo
22 DF Japan JPN Takahiro Horie
23 DF Japan JPN Shosei Okamoto (on loan from Albirex Niigata)
25 FW Japan JPN Jin Hanato
27 MF Japan JPN Takumi Yamaguchi
28 DF Japan JPN Issei Tone
30 MF Japan JPN Yuji Kimura
31 GK Japan JPN Issei Ouchi (on loan from Yokohama FC)
34 FW Japan JPN Shota Suzuki
35 MF Japan JPN Shuto Nakahara
36 FW Japan JPN Rei Yonezawa
39 FW Japan JPN Shuntaro Kawabe
46 FW Japan JPN Seiya Take

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Japan JPN Taku Ushinohama (on loan at Gainare Tottori)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Japan JPN Kai Ishitsu (on loan at FC Tokushima)

Coaching staff

For the 2023 season.

Position Name
Manager Yasuaki Oshima
Assistant manager Naotsugu Obata
First-team coach Hiroki Honjo
Goalkeeper coach Masataka Sasaki
Analyst & Assistant coach Ren Yumitani
Sports scientist Tomohiro Kai
Fitness coach Takahiro Kiuchi
Chief trainer Hiroaki Maeda
Trainer Masaya Furukawa
Physiotherapist Go Kadomoto
Team operations manager Tsubasa Sameshima
Team manager Sena Abematsu
Kitman Suguru Shibahara

Managerial history

ManagerNationalityTenure
StartFinish
Takeshi Okubo Japan1 February 201431 January 2015
Tetsuya Asano Japan1 January 201531 December 2016
Yasutoshi Miura Japan1 January 201731 January 2019
Kim Jong-song North Korea1 February 201931 January 2021
Arthur Papas Australia1 February 202128 May 2021
Yasuaki Ōshima Japan28 May 20213 July 2021
Nobuhiro Ueno Japan4 July 202131 January 2022
Naoto Otake Japan1 February 202222 August 2023
Yasuaki Oshima Japan23 August 2023present

Crest and colours

The club crest has the illustrations of Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay, both symbolize Kagoshima Prefecture, on its background design, with red colour, which represents Volca, and light blue colour, represents FC Kagoshima.

Kit evolution

Kagoshima United's club colours are white and navy.

Home kit - 1st
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023 -
Away kit - 2nd
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023 -

References

  1. ↑ "Kagoshima United to join J3". J.League. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  2. ↑ "選手・スタッフ情報". Kagoshima United FC. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  3. ↑ "トップチーム". Kagoshima United FC. Retrieved Feb 5, 2022.
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