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Machida Zelvia
町田ゼルビア
crest used since 2008
Full name Football Club Machida Zelvia
Nickname(s) Zelvia
Founded 1989; 36 years ago (1989) as FC Machida
Ground Machida GION Stadium
Machida, Tokyo
Ground Capacity 15,489
Owner CyberAgent
Chairman Takehisa Otomo
Manager Go Kuroda
League J2 League
2022 J2 League, 15th of 22

Football Club Machida Zelvia (フットボールクラブ町田ゼルビア, Futtobōru Kurabu Machida Zerubia), often called Machida Zelvia, is a professional football club from Machida, Tokyo, Japan. They play in the J1 League, which is the top football league in Japan. They earned their spot in J1 after winning the J2 League championship in 2023.

Club History: From Local to Pro

Early Days: The "Brazil of Tokyo" (1989–2002)

Machida is known as the "Brazil of Tokyo" because football is super popular there! The city has produced many J. League players from its famous football school, which started in 1977. To keep talented young players in Machida, the club FC Machida was created in 1989. At first, they played in the Tokyo Prefectural League, a local league.

Climbing the Ranks: Towards the J. League (2002–2011)

In 2003, the club grew and became Athletic Club Machida, including other sports. They moved up to the Kanto League in 2005 after winning the Tokyo Prefectural League. The next year, they won the Kanto League (Second Division) and were promoted to the First Division. In 2008, they won the Regional Promotion Playoff Series and joined the Japan Football League, a higher league.

In 2009, the club got its current cool name, Zelvia. This name is a mix of two Portuguese words: zelkova (Machida city's official tree) and salvia (Machida city's official flower). That same year, the club announced its goal to join the J. League's 2nd division. However, their home stadium wasn't big enough, and not enough fans came to games. So, they couldn't join the J. League just yet.

In 2010, Naoki Soma, a famous player from the 1998 FIFA World Cup, became their new coach. The stadium got better lights, and the team added more experienced J. League players. Zelvia also teamed up with Major League Soccer's D.C. United from the USA, which was a first for Japanese and American clubs! The team even beat their big rival, Tokyo Verdy, in the 2010 Emperor's Cup, but they were knocked out later. Coach Soma left, and Ranko Popović took over.

Up and Down: The Yo-Yo Years (2012–2022)

To meet J. League rules, the stadium was improved again between 2010 and 2011. In 2011, Zelvia finished third in the Japan Football League, which meant they were promoted to the J. League (Second Division)! But their time in J2 was short, as they finished last and were relegated.

They became one of the first clubs in the J3 League in 2014. In 2015, they finished second in J3 and won a play-off against Oita Trinita, which sent them back to J2! In their first season back in J2 (2016), Machida did great, finishing 7th, just missing the play-offs for J1.

In 2017, Zelvia finished 15th. In 2018, they had an amazing season, finishing 4th, which was a play-off spot! However, they couldn't join the J1 play-offs because their stadium didn't meet the requirements for the J1 League. In 2019, they finished 18th, but by the end of that year, they finally got their J1 League license!

In 2020, Zelvia finished 19th. In 2021, they climbed to 5th place. There were no promotion play-offs that season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, so Zelvia stayed in J2. In 2022, they finished 15th.

Making History: J1 League Debut (2023–Present)

After seven years in J2, Machida Zelvia finally made it to the J1 League! On October 22, 2023, under manager Go Kuroda, they won the 2023 J2 League title with 87 points after beating Roasso Kumamoto 3-0. They officially became J2 champions on October 28, 2023.

Zelvia played their first-ever J1 League game on February 24, 2024, against Gamba Osaka, ending in a 1-1 draw. Junya Suzuki scored their first goal in the top league. Zelvia had an amazing start to their debut J1 season, leading the league table early on! They finished their first J1 season in an incredible third place, which also qualified them for the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite, a major Asian club competition.

Home Stadium: Machida GION Stadium

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Machida GION Stadium

Zelvia plays its home games at Machida GION Stadium, also known as Nozuta Stadium. The stadium has been improved over the years. Before 2011, it held about 6,200 people. It got lights for night games in 2009. Between 2010 and 2011, it was renovated to have all-seated areas.

Even though the J2 League usually requires stadiums to have at least 10,000 seats, Zelvia was allowed to use Nozuta while it was being upgraded. For big games, they could use other stadiums. Now, Machida GION Stadium can hold 15,489 fans! In the 2024 season, their first in J1, they even played four matches at the new Japan National Stadium.

Team Colours and Sponsors

Sponsors

The club has different sponsors who help support the team. These companies have their names on the team's jerseys.

Season(s) Kit Manufacturer Main Shirt Sponsor Collarbone Sponsor Additional Sponsor(s)
2019 svolme AbemaTV EAGLE KENSO (Right) odakyu TERADA
株式会社寺田電機製作所
Tamagawa University
2020 AQUA RESORT (Left) 25th Anniversary (Right)
2021 ABEMA
TV Video & Entertainment
EAGLE KENSO (Right)
2022 AQUA RESORT (1st)
BEST LAND (2nd)
TERADA
株式会社寺田電機製作所
Tamagawa University
2023 Adidas CyberAgent TERADA
株式会社寺田電機製作所
Tamagawa University
2024 Rudel

Current Squad: Meet the Players!

Here are the players currently on the Machida Zelvia team:

No. Position Player
1 Japan GK Kosei Tani
3 Japan DF Gen Shoji (captain)
4 Japan DF Ryuho Kikuchi
5 Kosovo DF Ibrahim Drešević
6 Japan DF Henry Heroki Mochizuki
7 Japan FW Yuki Soma
8 Japan MF Keiya Sento
9 Japan FW Shota Fujio
10 South Korea FW Na Sang-ho
13 Japan GK Tatsuya Morita
15 Australia FW Mitchell Duke
16 Japan MF Hiroyuki Mae
17 Myanmar GK Kaung Zan Mara
18 Japan MF Hokuto Shimoda (vice-captain)
19 Japan DF Yuta Nakayama (vice-captain)
20 Japan FW Takuma Nishimura
No. Position Player
22 Japan FW Takaya Numata
23 Japan MF Ryohei Shirasaki
26 Japan DF Kotaro Hayashi
28 South Korea MF Cha Je-hoon
30 Japan FW Yuki Nakashima
39 Chile MF Byron Vásquez
44 Japan GK Yoshiaki Arai
46 Japan MF Ken Higuchi
49 Japan FW Kanji Kuwayama
50 Japan DF Daihachi Okamura
60 Japan MF Chui Hiromu Mayaka
77 Japan DF Takumi Narasaka
88 Japan DF Hotaka Nakamura
90 South Korea FW Oh Se-hun
Japan MF Asahi Masuyama

Players on Loan

Some players are currently playing for other teams to gain more experience:

No. Position Player
11 Brazil FW Erik (at Vissel Kobe)
38 Japan MF Tenshiro Takasaki (at Shibuya City)
55 Japan GK Anton Burns (at Roasso Kumamoto)
99 Japan MF Daigo Takahashi (at Giravanz Kitakyushu)
Japan DF Soichiro Fukaminato (at Blaublitz Akita)
No. Position Player
Japan DF Mizuki Uchida (at Kamatamare Sanuki)
Japan MF Kosei Ashibe (at Mito HollyHock)
Japan MF Atsushi Kurokawa (at Bulgaria Spartak Varna)
Japan MF Sho Fuseya (at Kataller Toyama)

Club Staff: The People Behind the Team

These are some of the important people who help run Machida Zelvia for the 2025 season:

Position Name
Manager Japan Go Kuroda
Assistant manager Japan Kenji Arima
Goalkeeping coach Japan Yukiya Hamano
Fitness coach Japan Shunsuke Otsuka
Chief trainer Japan Yasuyuki Sasaki
Chief doctor Japan Takahiro Fujisawa
Japan Keisuke Irako

Manager History: Who Led the Team?

Here's a list of the managers who have coached Machida Zelvia over the years:

Manager Nationality Time as Manager
Start Finish
Sadao Shigeta Japan Japan 1991 1995
Shoji Komoda 1996 2002
Minoru Moriya 2003 2007
Tetsuya Totsuka 1 February 2008 31 January 2010
Naoki Soma 1 February 2010 31 January 2011
Ranko Popović Serbia Serbia 1 February 2011 31 January 2012
Osvaldo Ardiles Argentina Argentina 1 February 2012 17 November 2012
Yutaka Akita Japan Japan 26 November 2012 25 June 2013
Naoki Kusunose 25 June 2013 31 January 2014
Naoki Soma 1 February 2014 31 January 2020
Ranko Popović Serbia Serbia 1 February 2020 31 January 2023
Go Kuroda Japan Japan 1 February 2023 present

Team Achievements: Trophies and Titles

Machida Zelvia has won several important titles throughout its history:

FC Machida Zelvia Honours
Honour Number of Wins Years Won
Kanto Soccer League Division 2 1 2006
Kanto Soccer League Division 1 1 2007, 2008
Japanese Regional Football Champions League 1 2008
Tokyo Metropolitan Football Tournament 2 2011, 2015
J2 League 1 2023

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: FC Machida Zelvia para niños

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