Kawasaki Frontale

The club was founded in 1955 as Fujitsu Soccer Club. It was one of many city clubs that comprised the Japan Soccer League (JSL), including Yomiuri (later Tokyo Verdy 1969), Toshiba (later Consadole Sapporo) and NKK SC (now defunct). They first made the JSL Division 1 in 1977, only to be relegated the next season afterwards and would not return to the top flight until 2000, when they were first promoted to the rebranded J1.

The club co-founded the Japanese second tier three times under its three names: JSL Division 2 (1972), Japan Football League Division 1 (1992) and J.League Division 2 (1999).

Old Crest

Fujitsu's club became professional in 1997, and changed its name – "Frontale" means "frontal" in Italian. The club old crest and colours are based on those of Brazilian side Grêmio, because both clubs have cooperated since 26 March 1997.[1] The club joined the second division of the J.League in 1999, and became the champion of the division. But in the next season, it sank to the bottom of J.League Division 1, and was relegated. In 2004, they were champions of J2 and won promotion to J1 for the second time. With the former rival city clubs out of the way due to relocation or liquidation, Frontale began building its power base in the city.

In 2006 they achieved runner-up position in J1, their highest league position up to that time. In 2007, this club attended the AFC Champions League, and made important success, as the first Japanese club for qualifying its group stage, before Urawa Red Diamonds. But Kawasaki lost in the quarter finals, against Iranian Sepahan, in a penalty shoot-out after two scoreless games.

At long last, after two other second-place finishes in 2008 and 2009, Kawasaki finally won the title in 2017, coming from behind to upstage bitter rivals Kashima Antlers after they were held to a draw at Júbilo Iwata, 16 seasons and 40 years after their first promotion to the top division.

Kawasaki has advanced steadily, and provides players for the Japan national football team. At first, defender Yoshinobu Minowa was selected in 2005. After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, midfielder Kengo Nakamura and forward Kazuki Ganaha became new internationals, especially Kengo Nakamura found his position, and played both in his club and national team till now. Then goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima debuted in East Asian Cup 2008, but he allowed one goal for his J.League teammate, Chong Tese, who plays in the Korea DPR national football team. In May, Shuhei Terada was also selected for the Japan national team.

Uniforms

HOME
1999-2000	2001-2003	2004-2005	2006	2007
2008	2009-2010	2011	2012	2013
2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
2019

AWAY
1999-2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
2018	2019

Other
2014 ACL	2014 川崎市制 90周年記念	2015 新スタンド 完成記念	2016 カップ戦	2017 ACL 1st
2017 ACL 2nd	2017 SUMMER	2018 ACL 1st	2018 ACL 2nd

Colour, sponsors and manufacturers

Season(s)	Main Shirt Sponsor	Collarbone Sponsor		Additional Sponsor(s)				Kit Manufacturer
2018	Fujitsu	- / RENOSY	- / Fujitsu BSC	SMBC Nikko Securities	Fujitsu Fsas	Fujitsu Marketing	PFU	Puma
2019		RENOSY	Fujitsu BSC
2020

Todoroki Athletics Stadium

As of 23 Jan 2021.[2]

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  KOR Jung Sung-ryong 2 DF  JPN Kyohei Noborizato 3 MF  JPN Koki Tsukagawa 4 DF  BRA Jesiel 5 MF  JPN Shogo Taniguchi (captain) 6 MF  BRA João Schmidt 7 DF  JPN Shintaro Kurumaya 8 MF  JPN Yasuto Wakizaka 9 FW  BRA Leandro Damião 10 MF  JPN Ryota Oshima 11 FW  JPN Yu Kobayashi 13 DF  JPN Miki Yamane 15 DF  JPN Zain Issaka 16 MF  JPN Tatsuya Hasegawa 17 MF  JPN Kazuki Kozuka

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 MF  JPN Kaoru Mitoma 19 FW  JPN Daiya Tono 20 FW  JPN Kei Chinen 21 GK  JPN Shunsuke Ando 22 MF  JPN Kento Tachibanada 24 FW  JPN Ten Miyagi 25 MF  JPN Ao Tanaka 26 DF  JPN Kaito Kamiya 27 GK  JPN Kenta Tanno 28 MF  JPN Kazuya Yamamura 30 MF  JPN Shuto Tanabe 40 GK  KOR Lee Kyung-tae 41 MF  JPN Akihiro Ienaga 47 FW  JPN Reo Hatate

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 — GK  JPN William Popp (at Fagiano Okayama) — DF  JPN Kazuaki Mawatari (at Shonan Bellmare) — DF  JPN Jefferson Tabinas (at Gamba Osaka) — DF  BRA Maguinho (at Yokohama FC)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  JPN Yuto Suzuki (at Matsumoto Yamaga ) — MF  BRA Caio César (at V-Varen Nagasaki) — FW  JPN Ten Miyagi (at Kataller Toyama) — FW  JPN Kei Chinen (at Oita Trinita) — FW  JPN Daiya Tono (at Avispa Fukuoka)

Kawasaki Frontale (Professional era: 1997–present)

• J1 League
  • Champions (3): 2017, 2018, 2020
• Emperor's Cup
  • Winners (1): 2020
• J.League Cup
  • Winners (1): 2019
• Japanese Super Cup
  • Winners (1): 2019
• J2 League
  • Champions (2): 1999, 2004

Fujitsu SC (Amateur era: 1955–1996)

• JSL Division 2
  • Champions (1): 1976
• Kanto Soccer League
  • Champions (1): 1968

• Regional (Kanto Soccer League): 1967–71 (as Fujitsu)
• Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1972–76 (as Fujitsu)
• Division 1 (JSL Div. 1): 1977–78
• Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1979–91
• Division 2 (former JFL Div. 1): 1992–98 (as Fujitsu 1992–95; Fujitsu Kawasaki 1996; Kawasaki Frontale 1997–)
• Division 2 (J2): 1999
• Division 1 (J1): 2000
• Division 2 (J2): 2001–04
• Division 1 (J1): 2005–

Total (as of 2011): 10 seasons in the top tier, 30 seasons in the second tier and 5 seasons in the Regional Leagues.

Frontale's rivalry with FC Tokyo is known as the Tamagawa Clásico (using the Spanish word "Clásico" as used in derbies in Spain and Latin America). The two clubs first met in 1991 in the old Japan Soccer League Division 2 and were rivals for promotion to the J.League in the 1990s. They co-founded the new J2 League in 1999 and were promoted together the same year, and although Frontale were immediately relegated, they were promoted again in 2005 and have regularly met since then.

Frontale also has a Tamagawa rivalry with Tokyo Verdy 1969, which was originally also based in Kawasaki and moved to Chofu, Tokyo in 2000. The two were co-founders of the JSL Division 2 in 1972 and, although spent 20 seasons (1979 to 1999) in separate tiers, rekindled the rivalry in the late 1990s as Kawasaki fans deserted Verdy to support Frontale, seen as a more community-focused club, and since then their fortunes have reversed as Frontale is a top flight mainstay while Verdy sunk into the second tier beginning in 2005.

Other rivals include Kashima Antlers, Urawa Red Diamonds, Yokohama F. Marinos and Shonan Bellmare.

• Kawasaki Frontale Official Site