FC Machida Zelvia facts for kids
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| Full name | Football Club Machida Zelvia | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Zelvia | ||
| Founded | 1989 as FC Machida | ||
| Ground | Machida GION Stadium Machida, Tokyo |
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| Capacity | 15,489 | ||
| Owner | CyberAgent | ||
| Chairman | Takehisa Otomo | ||
| Manager | Go Kuroda | ||
| League | J2 League | ||
| 2022 | J2 League, 15th of 22 | ||
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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.
Contents
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
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:
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Players on Loan
Some players are currently playing for other teams to gain more experience:
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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 |  Go Kuroda |
| Assistant manager | Kenji Arima |
| Goalkeeping coach | Yukiya Hamano |
| Fitness coach | Shunsuke Otsuka |
| Chief trainer | Yasuyuki Sasaki |
| Chief doctor | Takahiro Fujisawa 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 |
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 |
1 February 2011 | 31 January 2012 |
| Osvaldo Ardiles |  Argentina |
1 February 2012 | 17 November 2012 |
| Yutaka Akita | 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 |
1 February 2020 | 31 January 2023 |
| Go Kuroda | Japan |
1 February 2023 | present |
Team Achievements: Trophies and Titles
Machida Zelvia has won several important titles throughout its history:
| 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
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FC Machida Zelvia 2010 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2011 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2012 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2013 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2014 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2015 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2016 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2017 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2018 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2019 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2020 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2021 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2022 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2023 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2024 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2025 HOME FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2010 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2011 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2012 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2013 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2014 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2015 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2016 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2017 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2018 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2019 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2020 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2021 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2022 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2023 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2024 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2025 AWAY FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2014 SP FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2019 SP FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2022 SP FP
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FC Machida Zelvia 2024 SP FP
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See also
In Spanish: FC Machida Zelvia para niños
