FC Tokyo facts for kids
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| Full name | Football Club Tokyo | ||
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| Founded | 1935 as Tokyo Gas FC | ||
| Stadium | Ajinomoto Stadium Chōfu, Tokyo |
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| Stadium capacity |
49,970 | ||
| Chairman | Naoki Ogane | ||
| Manager | Peter Cklamovski | ||
| League | J1 League | ||
| 2022 | J1 League, 6th of 18 | ||
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Football Club Tokyo, or simply FC Tokyo, is a professional football team from Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. They play in the J1 League, which is the top football league in Japan.
FC Tokyo is one of the few teams in the J.League that uses "FC" (Football Club) in its name without a longer team name. The club has won several important titles, including one J2 League championship, one Emperor's Cup, and three J.League Cup titles. They also won the 2010 J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship.
Contents
History of FC Tokyo
How the Club Started (1935–1997)
The team began in 1935 as a company team called Tokyo Gas Football Club. They played in local leagues and slowly moved up. In 1991, they joined the national leagues. With a Brazilian player named Amaral and manager Kiyoshi Okuma, the team became very good. In 1998, they won the JFL championship. However, they couldn't join the top league (J1) yet because they didn't meet all the requirements. So, they stayed in J2.
Becoming FC Tokyo (1998–Present)
To help the team join the J.League, several companies created a new company called "Tokyo Football Club Company" in 1998. In 1999, the team officially changed its name to FC Tokyo. They joined the J2 League and quickly showed their strength. They even beat three J1 League teams in the J.League Cup, reaching the top four.
In the same year, FC Tokyo finished second in the J2 league. This meant they were automatically promoted to the J1 League for the 2000 season. Many people thought they would struggle in J1, but the team won four games in a row at the start. They ended up finishing in 7th place, which was a great achievement.
Their success helped more fans come to their games. Since 2002, with Hiromi Hara as manager, the team aimed for a championship. In 2003, they achieved their highest-ever finish, coming in 4th. That year, they also played a friendly match against the famous Spanish club Real Madrid. Even though they lost 3–0, it was a valuable experience for the club.
In 2004, their long-time star player, Amaral, who fans called "The King of Tokyo," left the team. Yasuyuki Konno, a player from the Athens Olympics national team, joined to replace him. In November 2004, FC Tokyo won the J.League Cup. This was their first major title since joining the J.League.
After playing for 10 years without one, FC Tokyo finally got a mascot in 2009. His name is Tokyo Dorompa, and he looks like a tanuki.
In 2010, FC Tokyo was relegated back to the second tier (J2 League) after 11 years in J1. But they quickly bounced back! In November 2011, they won the J2 League title. They also won the 2011 Emperor's Cup that year. This was very special because they were a J2 team when they won it. They were only the third second-tier team ever to win the Emperor's Cup.
Stadium
FC Tokyo plays its home games at Ajinomoto Stadium, which is also known as Tokyo Stadium. This stadium can hold almost 50,000 fans!
For many years, FC Tokyo did not have its own home stadium. They played at different football fields around Tokyo. But in 2001, Ajinomoto Stadium became their permanent home. The club also has training grounds in Kōtō and Kodaira, Tokyo.
The stadium's playing field is actually built lower than the ground around it. This is because there are height limits near the airport.
Players who Played in Big Tournaments
FIFA World Cup Players
These players represented their country in the FIFA World Cup while playing for FC Tokyo:
- Teruyuki Moniwa (2006)
- Yoichi Doi (2006)
- Yasuyuki Konno (2010)
- Yuto Nagatomo (2010)
- Shuichi Gonda (2014)
- Masato Morishige (2014)
Olympic Players
These players represented their country in the Summer Olympic Games while playing for FC Tokyo:
- Naohiro Ishikawa (2004)
- Teruyuki Moniwa (2004)
- Yasuyuki Konno (2004)
- Yuhei Tokunaga (2004, 2012)
- Yōhei Kajiyama (2008)
- Yuto Nagatomo (2008)
- Shuichi Gonda (2012)
- Sei Muroya (2016)
- Shoya Nakajima (2016)
Manager History
FC Tokyo has had many managers over the years. Here are some of them:
- Kiyoshi Okuma (1995–2001, 2010–2012)
- Hiromi Hara (2002–2005, 2006–2007)
- Hiroshi Jofuku (2008–2010, 2016)
- Ranko Popović (2012–2013)
- Massimo Ficcadenti (2014–2015)
- Albert Puig (2022–2023)
- Peter Cklamovski (2023–present)
Club Achievements
FC Tokyo and its earlier form, Tokyo Gas SC, have won several important titles:
- Regional League Promotion Series: 1 (1990)
- Japan Football League: 1 (1998)
- J.League Cup: 3 (2004, 2009, 2020)
- J.League Cup / Copa Sudamericana Championship: 1 (2010)
- J2 League: 1 (2011)
- Emperor's Cup: 1 (2011)
Images for kids
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FC Tokyo fans during the Tokyo derby against Tokyo Verdy
See also
- FC Tokyo (volleyball)
- FC Tokyo U-23
