Kagoshima United FC
Kagoshima United FC (鹿児島ユナイテッドFC, Kagoshima Yunaiteddo FC) is a football club in Japan that was formed from the merger of Volca Kagoshima and FC Kagoshima, both have been playing in Kyushu Soccer League before the merger. Their top team currently plays in J3 League, and their secondary team plays in Kyushu Soccer League.
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| Full name | Kagoshima United FC | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Yokanise Eleven よかにせイレブン | ||
| Founded | 1959 (as Volca Kagoshima) 2014 (as Kagoshima United) | ||
| Ground | Shiranami Stadium Kagoshima, Kagoshima | ||
| Capacity | 19,934 | ||
| Chairman | Tsuyoshi Tokushige, Kenichiro Yuwaki (co-owners) | ||
| Manager | Arthur Papas | ||
| League | J3 League | ||
| 2020 | J3 League, 4th | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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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.
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.
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.
Record
| Season | Div. | Teams | Pos. | GP | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Attendance/G | Emperor's Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | JFL | 14 | 3rd | 26 | 18 | 3 | 5 | 45 | 19 | 26 | 57 | 1,825 | 2nd Round |
| 2015 | 16 | 3rd  | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 46 | 25 | 21 | 60 | 2,624 | 1st Round | |
| 2016 | J3 | 16 | 5th | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 39 | 29 | 10 | 50 | 3,665 | 1st Round |
| 2017 | 17 | 4th | 32 | 17 | 4 | 11 | 49 | 37 | 12 | 55 | 3,508 | 2nd Round | |
| 2018 | 17 | 2nd | 32 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 46 | 35 | 11 | 57 | 4,040 | 2nd Round | |
| 2019 | J2 | 22 | 21st  | 42 | 11 | 7 | 24 | 41 | 73 | -32 | 40 | 5,783 | 2nd Round |
| 2020 | J3 | 18 | 4th | 34 | 18 | 4 | 12 | 55 | 43 | 12 | 58 | 2,214 | Did not qualify |
- Key
- Pos. = Position in league; GP = 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 league home attendance
Honours
Volca Kagoshima (1959–2013)
- Kyushu Soccer League (1973–)
FC Kagoshima (1994–2013)
- Kyushu Soccer League (1973–)
- Champions (1): 2012
League history
Current squad
As of 22 January 2021.[2]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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References
- "Kagoshima United to join J3". J.League. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- "トップチーム". Kagoshima United FC. Retrieved Jan 22, 2021.