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Avispa Fukuoka
アビスパ福岡
Avispa Fukuoka logo.svg
Full name Avispa Fukuoka
Nickname(s) Avi, Hachi (Hornet, in Japanese), Meishu
Founded 1982; 43 years ago (1982) as Chūō Bōhan SC
Stadium Best Denki Stadium
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Stadium
capacity
22,563
Chairman Takashi Kawamori
Manager Kim Myung-hwi
League J1 League
2022 J1 League, 14th of 18

Avispa Fukuoka (アビスパ福岡, Abisupa Fukuoka) is a professional football club from Hakata, Fukuoka, Japan. They play in the J1 League, which is the highest level of football in Japan. The name "Avispa" means "wasp" in Spanish, which is why their nickname is "Hachi" (Hornet in Japanese).

Club History

Early Days in Fujieda

The club started in 1982 as Chūō Bōhan SC in Fujieda, Shizuoka. It was formed by workers from a security company. They moved up to the Japan Soccer League Division 2 in 1991. In 1992, they joined the new Japan Football League Division 2 and were promoted to Division 1 in 1993. The club changed its name to Fujieda Blux, hoping to join the J.League. However, it was hard to find a stadium that met the J.League rules. Also, there were already many football fans in Shizuoka, supporting teams like Júbilo Iwata and Shimizu S-Pulse.

Moving to Fukuoka (1994)

Because of these challenges, the club decided to move to Fukuoka in 1994. The people in Fukuoka were very excited to have a J.League team. The club changed its name again to Fukuoka Blux. They became a partner club of the J.League.

Winning the JFL (1995)

In their first year in Fukuoka, the team won the Japan Football League championship. They had help from Argentine player Hugo Maradona. This win meant they were promoted to the J.League for the 1996 season.

First Years in J.League (1996–1998)

Fukuoka Blux changed its name one more time to Avispa Fukuoka. This was to avoid any problems with a clothing brand called Brooks Brothers. They brought in experienced players like Satoshi Tsunami and Hideaki Mori. Even with new players, they finished 15th in 1996.

For the next two seasons (1997 and 1998), they finished at the very bottom of the league. But they were lucky and avoided being sent down to a lower league. This was because the J.League was creating a new second division, J.League 2, for 1999. So, no teams were relegated directly. Avispa had to play in special play-off games to stay up. During this time, players like Yoshiteru Yamashita and Chikara Fujimoto were chosen to play for the Japanese national team.

Staying in J1 (1999–2001)

In 1999, Avispa added more strong players, including former national team members Nobuyuki Kojima and Yasutoshi Miura, and Yugoslavian player Nenad Maslovar. They fought hard and managed to stay in the top league. In 2000, Argentine player David Bisconti and Romanian player Pavel Badea joined the team. Avispa had their best finish ever in the second half of the season, coming in 6th place. In 2001, they signed former Korean international Noh Jung-Yoon and Yoshika Matsubara. However, they finished 15th and were moved down to J2.

Years in J2 (2002–2005)

After being relegated, Avispa kept their experienced players but let go of some younger ones in 2002. They finished 8th out of 10 teams. In 2003, with new manager Hiroshi Matsuda, the team decided to focus on finding and training young players from local high schools. They struggled at first but improved and finished 4th. In 2004, they finished 3rd and got to play in the promotion play-offs. But Kashiwa Reysol beat them twice, stopping their chance to go back to J1. In 2005, they finished 2nd and automatically moved up to J1. Two Avispa players, Hokuto Nakamura and Tomokazu Nagira, played for Japan in the 2005 World Youth Championship.

Back to J1 (2006)

In 2006, Avispa was in a tough fight to avoid relegation from the start of the season. They finished 16th and were sent back to J2 after losing in the play-offs against Vissel Kobe.

More Time in J2 (2007–2009)

After being relegated, the team got a new manager, Pierre Littbarski, a former German international player. He brought in some experienced players, but Avispa didn't have much success. They finished 7th in 2007. Because they weren't doing well near the top of the league, Littbarski was replaced by former Avispa player Yoshiyuki Shinoda in 2008.

In 2009, many of the Australian players left, and the club brought in younger players from universities. After a good start, Avispa's performance dropped. They finished in the lower half of the J2 table, and their hopes for promotion were gone for another year.

Promotion to J1 (2010)

Manager Yoshiyuki Shinoda added more players from local universities for the 2010 season. They also signed midfielders Kosuke Nakamachi and Genki Nagasato. The season started slowly, but then the team improved a lot. They won 17 of their next 25 games, including a comeback win against rivals JEF United. Avispa secured their promotion back to J1 with two games left in the season.

Back in J1 (2011)

Moving up to J1 meant some big changes to the team. New players joined to help with defense and scoring goals. Many experts thought the team would finish last. The players struggled to work together and didn't earn any points in their first 13 games. Even though they improved a bit later, manager Shinoda left and was replaced by Tetsuya Asano.

Results got better, including a big 6–0 away win. But the club couldn't get out of the relegation zone. They finished 17th and were sent back to J2. At the end of the season, Koji Maeda became the new manager.

Struggles in J2 (2012–2014)

In 2012, the team hoped to return to J1 right away. Instead, they had their worst season ever, finishing 18th. They won only 9 games and let in 68 goals. Manager Koji Maeda left the club, and they planned to rebuild for 2013.

In 2013, Slovenian manager Marijan Pusnik joined the team. He focused on helping young players grow. Rookies Yuta Mishima and Takeshi Kanamori got chances to play. The team's performance got better, and they were competing for play-off spots. However, they had a slump, and the club needed money to keep going. They finished 14th but found the money to stay afloat. Pusnik agreed to stay for another season. In 2014, Avispa finished 16th, and Pusnik's contract was not renewed.

Another Promotion (2015)

The club hired a new coach, Masami Ihara. He had previously coached Kashiwa Reysol. Avispa finished third in J2 and won the promotion play-offs, moving back up to J1.

Back to J1 and Relegation (2016)

In 2016, Avispa finished 18th in J1 and was relegated back to J2.

J2 Play-offs (2017)

In 2017, Avispa finished fourth in J2. They won their semi-final play-off game against Tokyo Verdy 1–0. However, in the final game, they had a 0-0 draw with Nagoya Grampus. This meant Nagoya Grampus finished higher and Avispa could not be promoted to J1.

Recent Years (2021–Present)

Avispa finished second in the 2020 J2 League, which meant they returned to the J1 League for the first time since 2016.

On November 4, 2023, Avispa won the J.League Cup! They beat Urawa Red Diamonds 2–1 in the final. This was the first major trophy in the club's history, a huge achievement!

On October 31, 2024, it was announced that head coach Shigetoshi Hasebe, who led Avispa for five years, would be leaving the club at the end of the season.

Current Players

No. Position Player
1 Japan GK Takumi Nagaishi
2 Japan DF Masato Yuzawa
3 Japan DF Tatsuki Nara (captain)
4 Japan DF Seiya Inoue
5 Japan DF Takumi Kamijima
6 Japan MF Masato Shigemi
7 Japan MF Takeshi Kanamori (vice-captain)
8 Japan MF Kazuya Konno
9 Iran FW Shahab Zahedi
10 Japan FW Hisashi Jogo
11 Japan MF Tomoya Miki
13 Switzerland FW Nassim Ben Khalifa
14 Japan MF Shintaro Nago
15 Japan MF Hiroki Akino
16 Japan DF Itsuki Oda
17 Brazil FW Wellington
18 Japan FW Yuto Iwasaki
19 South Korea DF Kim Moon-hyeon
No. Position Player
20 Japan DF Tomoya Ando
22 Japan FW Kazuki Fujimoto
24 Japan GK Yuma Obata
25 Japan MF Yuji Kitajima
29 Japan DF Yota Maejima
31 Japan GK Masaaki Murakami
32 Japan FW Abdul Hanan Sani Brown
37 Japan DF Masaya Tashiro
40 Japan DF Jurato Ikeda
47 Japan DF Yu Hashimoto
49 Japan FW Ichika Maeda
50 Japan FW Sonosuke Sato DSP
51 Japan GK Kazuaki Suganuma
52 Japan MF Shohei Takemoto Type 2
53 Japan MF Hikaru Maeda Type 2
77 Japan MF Takaaki Shichi (on loan from Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
88 Japan MF Daiki Matsuoka
Japan FW Shosei Usui

Players on Loan

No. Position Player
Japan DF Kimiya Moriyama (at Ehime FC)
No. Position Player
Japan FW Reiju Tsuruno (at Ehime FC)

Club Staff

Position Staff
Manager South Korea Kim Myung-hwi
Assistant manager Japan Takeshi Hanita
Coaches Japan Yuto Kuwahara
Japan Shinya Tsukahara
Goalkeeping coach Japan Hideki Tsukamoto
Conditioning coach Japan Sotaro Higuchi
Interpreter Japan Atsushi Kamiyama
Brazil Gustavo De Marco
Chief trainer Japan Eiji Miyata
Athletic trainer Japan Naoki Yoshioka
Japan Naoki Nagai
Japan Toshiki Okuno
Kit manager Japan Ryuya Muto
Japan Takuna Nakano
Competent Japan Eishi Nakamura

Managers Through the Years

Manager Nationality Tenure
Start Finish
Yoshio Kikugawa  Japan 1 January 1982 31 December 1994
Jorge Olguín  Argentina 1 July 1993 31 December 1995
Hidehiko Shimizu  Japan 1 February 1996 31 January 1997
Carlos Pachamé  Argentina 1 January 1997 31 December 1997
Takaji Mori  Japan 1 February 1998 31 January 1999
Yoshio Kikugawa  Japan 1 January 1999 31 December 1999
Nestor Omar Piccoli  Argentina 1 January 2000 31 December 2001
Masataka Imai  Japan 1 February 2002 28 July 2002
Tasuya Mochizuki  Japan 29 July 2002 14 August 2002
Shigekazu Nakamura  Japan 15 August 2002 31 January 2003
Hiroshi Matsuda  Japan 1 February 2003 7 May 2006
Ryōichi Kawakatsu  Japan 8 May 2006 31 January 2007
Hitoshi Okino  Japan 11 December 2006 31 January 2007
Pierre Littbarski  Germany 1 February 2007 11 July 2008
Yoshiyuki Shinoda  Japan 15 July 2008 3 August 2011
Tetsuya Asano  Japan 3 August 2011 31 December 2011
Kōji Maeda  Japan 1 January 2012 28 October 2012
Futoshi Ikeda  Japan 29 October 2012 31 January 2013
Marijan Pušnik  Slovenia 1 January 2013 31 December 2014
Masami Ihara  Japan 1 February 2015 31 January 2019
Fabio Pecchia  Italy 1 February 2019 3 June 2019
Kiyokazu Kudō  Japan 4 June 2019 31 January 2020
Shigetoshi Hasebe  Japan 1 February 2020 31 January 2025
Kim Myung-hwi  South Korea 1 February 2025 Current

Team Kits and Colours

Season(s) Main Shirt Sponsor Collarbone Sponsor Additional Sponsor(s) Kit Manufacturer
2018 FJ.
Fukuoka Estate
Hakata Green Hotel (Left) - Shin Nihon Seiyaku PIETRO Hakata Nakasu Fukuya BIKEN TECHNO Before the ban is lifted YONEX
2019
2020 Plantel EX PIETRO
2021 Shin Nihon Seiyaku Japan Park (Right) DMM Hoken Yupiesu -/
BYBIT
2022 DMM Hoken BYBIT KIRIN Beverage
2023 Agekke DMM TV Hakata Nakasu Fukuya
2024 APAMAN

Kit Evolution

Home 1st
1996 - 1998
1999 - 2000
2001 - 2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024 -
Away 2nd
1996 - 1998
1999 - 2000
2001 - 2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024 -
Alternate 3rd / Special
2015
20th Anniversary
2017
Bee Festival Memorial
2018
Bee Festival Memorial
2019
Hachimatsuri Memorial
2020
25th Anniversary
2021
Autumn Formation
2022
SP

League and Cup Records

Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
League J.League Cup Emperor's
Cup
Season Div. Teams Pos. P W (OT/PK) D L (OT/PK) F A GD Pts Attendance/G
1996 J1 16 15th 30 9 (–/–) 19 (–/2) 42 64 –22 29 9,737 Group stage Round of 16
1997 17 17th 32 6 (–/1) 20 ((5/–) 29 58 –29 19 8,653 Group stage Round of 16
1998 18 18th 34 6 (1/1) 22 ((2/2) 29 69 –40 21 10,035 Group stage Round of 16
1999 16 14th 30 7 (3/–) 1 18 (1/–) 41 59 –18 28 11,467 2nd round Round of 16
2000 16 12th 30 9 (4/–) 2 10 (5/–) 41 48 –7 37 13,612 2nd round Round of 16
2001 16 15th 30 7 (2/–) 2 14 (5/–) 35 56 –21 27 13,822 2nd round 3rd round
2002 J2 12 8th 44 10 12 22 58 69 –11 42 6,491 Not eligible Round of 16
2003 12 4th 44 21 8 15 67 62 5 71 7,417 3rd round
2004 12 3rd 44 23 7 14 56 41 15 76 8,743 4th round
2005 12 2nd 44 21 15 8 72 64 8 78 10,786 4th round
2006 J1 18 16th 34 5 12 17 32 56 –24 27 13,780 Group stage Round of 16
2007 J2 13 7th 48 22 7 19 77 61 16 73 9,529 Not eligible 4th round
2008 15 8th 42 15 13 14 55 66 –10 58 10,079 3rd round
2009 18 11th 51 17 14 20 52 71 –19 65 7,763 3rd round
2010 19 3rd 36 21 9 6 63 34 29 69 8,821 Quarter-finals
2011 J1 18 17th 34 6 4 24 34 75 –42 22 10,415 Group stage 3rd round
2012 J2 22 18th 42 9 14 19 53 68 –15 41 5,586 Not eligible 3rd round
2013 22 14th 42 15 11 16 47 54 –7 56 5,727 2nd round
2014 22 16th 42 13 11 18 52 60 –8 50 5,062 2nd round
2015 22 3rd 42 24 10 8 63 37 26 82 8,736 3rd round
2016 J1 18 18th 34 4 7 23 26 66 –40 19 12,857 Quarter-finals 2nd round
2017 J2 22 4th 42 21 11 10 54 36 18 74 9,550 Not eligible 3rd round
2018 22 7th 42 19 13 10 58 42 16 70 8,873 3rd round
2019 22 16th 42 12 8 22 39 62 –23 44 6,983 3rd round
2020 22 2nd 42 25 9 8 51 29 22 84 3,289 Did not qualify
2021 J1 20 8th 38 14 12 12 42 37 5 54 5,403 Group stage 3rd round
2022 18 14th 34 9 11 14 29 38 –9 38 7,150 Semi-finals Quarter-finals
2023 18 7th 34 15 6 13 37 43 -6 51 8,689 Winners Semi-finals
2024 20 12th 38 12 14 12 33 38 -5 50 9,698 3rd Round 3rd round
2025 20 TBA 38 TBD TBD
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 season attendance reduced due to COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
  • Source: J.League Data Site

Club Achievements

Avispa Fukuoka Honours
Honour No. Years
All Japan Senior Football Championship 2 1989, 1990
Japan Football League Division 2 (third tier) 1 1992
Japan Football League (second tier) 1 1995
J.League Cup 1 2023

Partner Clubs

  • Belgium Sint-Truidense
  • Thailand Port FC

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Avispa Fukuoka para niños

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Avispa Fukuoka Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.