Ventforet Kofu

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Ventforet Kofu
ヴァンフォーレ甲府
File:VentforetKofu.png
Full name Ventforet Kofu
Nickname(s) Ventforet
Founded 1965; 59 years ago (1965)
Ground Yamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium
Kofu
Ground Capacity 17,000
Chairman Kazuyuki Umino
Manager Satoru Sakuma
League J. League Division 1
2015 13th
Website Club home page

Ventforet Kofu (ヴァンフォーレ甲府 Vanfōre Kōfu?) is a Japanese football (soccer) club from Kofu. The team competes in the J. League Division 1. Its home ground is the Kose Sports Stadium.

The word "Ventforet" is a compound formed from two French root words: "vent" (wind) and "forêt" (forest). The name alludes to the famous phrase Fū-rin-ka-zan (風林火山）that Shingen Takeda, a prominent Kofu-based daimyo in the Sengoku period, emblazoned on his war banners. The phrase contains four similies: as swift as the wind; as silent as a forest; as fierce as fire; as immovable as a mountain.

History

Kofu Club (1965–1994)

The club was founded in 1965 when the old boys' club of Kofu Dai-ichi High School, the Kakujo Club, started to recruit graduates of other high schools with the intention of promotion to the Japan Soccer League.

The club joined the newly formed JSL Division 2 in 1972. They stayed there until the conclusion of the league in 1992 when it became a founding member of the former Japan Football League.

Kofu Club was formed by volunteers, unlike other mainstream football clubs at that time in Japan, whose players were mostly the employees of their sponsoring companies.

Ventforet Kofu (1995–present)

The club was renamed Ventforet Kofu in 1995 and joined J. League Division 2 in 1999 when it was formed. The club survived a difficult period between 1999 and 2001, when it suffered from financial troubles as well as miserable results on the pitch, including a streak of twenty-five consecutive losses. Ventforet finished bottom for three seasons in succession and was dubbed as "Excess baggage of J2."

Ventforet improved in 2002, and in 2005 finished third, gaining promotion to the Japanese first division by winning the promotion/relegation play-offs against Kashiwa Reysol. However, the team was relegated with a week remaining in the 2007 season.

At the end of 2010 season, the team was promoted a second time. Despite having striker Mike Havenaar contend for the Top Scorer award in division one the following year, the club was relegated again at the end of 2011. However, it returned after only one year's absence as champions of division two, Ventforet's first championship in its thirty-six year history. Ventforet has remained in division one of the Japanese League since then.

League history

  • Kanto League: 1967–71 (as Kofu Club)
  • Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1972–91 (as Kofu Club)
  • Division 3 (Old JFL Div. 2): 1992–93 (as Kofu Club)
  • Division 2 (Old JFL): 1994–98 (Kofu Club until 1994, Ventforet Kofu since 1995)
  • Division 2 (J. League Div. 2): 1999–05
  • Division 1 (J. League Div. 1): 2006–07
  • Division 2 (J. League Div. 2): 2008–10
  • Division 1 (J. League Div. 1): 2011
  • Division 2 (J. League Div. 2): 2012
  • Division 1 (J. League Div. 1): 2013–

Honours

2012
1969
1969, 1970

Current squad

As of 13 February 2016.[1]

Ventforet Kofu team in November 2010

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

No. Position Player
1 Japan GK Kohei Kawata
2 Japan DF Kensuke Fukuda
3 Japan DF Hiroto Hatao
4 Japan DF Hideomi Yamamoto (Captain)
5 Japan DF Ryo Shinzato
7 Japan MF Katsuya Ishihara
8 Japan MF Ryohei Arai
9 Brazil FW Nilson
10 Brazil FW Cristiano
11 Nigeria FW Chuka
13 Japan FW Akito Kawamoto
14 Japan MF Yusuke Tanaka
15 Japan MF Takamitsu Yoshino
16 Japan DF Masaru Matsuhashi
No. Position Player
17 Japan DF Takuma Tsuda
19 Japan FW Kohei Morita
20 Japan MF Masato Kurogi
22 Japan GK Hiroki Oka
23 Japan MF Sho Inagaki
24 Japan DF Naoya Shibamura
25 Japan FW Kota Mori
26 Japan DF Shun Kumagai
27 Australia MF Billy Celeski
28 Japan DF Yuki Hashizume
29 Japan DF Masaki Watanabe
30 Japan MF Kazunari Hosaka
31 Japan GK Kosuke Okanishi
41 Japan DF Yukio Tsuchiya

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player
Japan MF Taisuke Akiyoshi (on loan to Japan Fagiano Okayama)
Japan FW Daiki Matsumoto (on loan to Japan V-Varen Nagasaki)

Season by season results and managers

Year League Pld Pt W L D Place Manager
1992 Old JFL Div. 2 18 28 9 8 1 5th Japan Kazutomo Fukazawa
1993 18 - 6 12 - 9th
1994 Former JFL 30 - 9 21 - 14th Japan Susumu Katsumata
1995 30 43 14 16 - 9th Japan Yuji Tsukada
1996 30 33 11 19 - 11th
1997 30 52 19 11 - 6th
1998 30 59 22 8 - 4th
1999 J2 36 18 5 27 4 10th Japan Susumu Katsumata
2000 40 18 5 32 3 11th Japan Yuji Tsukada
2001 44 25 8 34 2 12th Brazil Reis
2002 44 58 16 18 10 7th Japan Takeshi Oki
2003 44 69 19 13 12 5th Japan Hideki Matsunaga (Jan 1, 2002 – Dec 31, 2004)
2004 44 58 15 16 13 7th
2005 44 69 19 13 12 3rd Japan Takeshi Oki (Feb 1, 2005 – Dec 31, 2007)
2006 J1 34 42 12 15 6 15th
2007 34 27 7 21 6 17th
2008 J2 42 59 15 13 14 7th Japan Takayoshi Amma (Feb 1, 2008 – Dec 31, 2009)
2009 51 97 28 10 13 4th
2010 36 70 19 4 13 2nd Japan Kazuo Uchida (Jan 1, 2010 – Dec 31, 2010)
2011 J1 34 33 9 6 19 16th Japan Toshiya Miura (Jan 1, 2010 – Aug 7, 2011)
Japan Satoru Sakuma (Aug 8, 2011 – Dec 31, 2011)
2012 J2 42 86 24 14 4 1st Japan Hiroshi Jofuku (Jan 1, 2012 – Nov 25, 2014)
2013 J1 34 37 8 13 13 15th
2014 J1 34 41 9 14 11 13th
2015 J1 34 37 10 7 17 13th Japan Yasuhiro Higuchi (Dec 8, 2014 – May 11, 2015)
Japan Satoru Sakuma (May 13, 2015 – )

Affiliated clubs

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ventforet.jp/clubs/top_players
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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