Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo facts for kids
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| Full name | Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Consa | |||
| Founded | 1935 as Toshiba Horikawa-cho SC | |||
| Stadium | Sapporo Dome | |||
| Stadium capacity |
41,484 | |||
| Owner | Isao Ishimizu (11.4%) Ishiya (9.5%) |
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| Chairman | Yoshikazu Nonomura | |||
| Manager | Daiki Iwamasa | |||
| League | J1 League | |||
| 2022 | J1 League, 10th of 18 | |||
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Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (北海道コンサドーレ札幌, Hokkaidō Konsadōre Sapporo) is a professional football club from Sapporo, Japan. They play on the island of Hokkaido. The team is currently in the J2 League, which is the second-highest football league in Japan. They moved down to this league after the 2024 season.
Their main home stadium is the Sapporo Dome, an indoor stadium. They also play some games at the outdoor Sapporo Atsubetsu Stadium.
Contents
Team Name: What Does "Consadole" Mean?
The name "Consadole" is a mix of two words. It comes from consado, which is the Japanese word Dosanko (道産子, meaning "people of Hokkaido") spelled backward. It also includes the Spanish word Olé, which is a cheer used in sports.
Club History: From Toshiba to Consadole
Early Years as Toshiba S.C. (1935–1995)
The club started way back in 1935 as Toshiba Horikawa-cho Soccer Club in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. They moved up to Japan's second-tier league in 1978. In 1980, they changed their name to Toshiba Soccer Club. They reached their highest position, 4th, in the top league in 1990 and 1991.
The club wanted to become a professional team. However, their owner, Toshiba, decided that Kawasaki was not the best place for a professional club. Another big team, Verdy Kawasaki, was already based there. So, they decided to move to Sapporo. The local government in Sapporo was very eager to have a professional soccer team. In 1996, the club's ownership changed, and they moved to Sapporo. The team still uses red and black colors, which were inspired by the Italian club A.C. Milan.
Becoming Consadole Sapporo (1996–2015)
The team became Consadole Sapporo in 1996. They won the JFL championship in 1997 and were promoted to the J.League. In 1998, they finished 14th in their first J.League season. However, due to new league rules, they had to play in special play-off games. They lost these games and were moved down to the second division, J2.
In 1999, Takeshi Okada, a former coach for the Japan national team, became their coach. They tried to get back to J1 quickly but finished 5th. The club also faced serious money problems.
In 2000, they cut down on costs and used many players who were on loan from other teams. This plan worked, and they won the J2 championship. They were promoted back to J1 and even made a profit for the first time. In 2001, they finished 11th in J1. But in 2002, many key players left, and the team finished last, moving down to J2 again.
They tried to get back to J1 quickly in 2003 but finished 9th. Their money problems returned. The club then made big changes, letting go of some highly paid players. The team finished last in J2 in 2004, but their financial situation improved a lot.
In 2005 and 2006, they finished 6th. In 2006, they also reached the semi-finals of the Emperor's Cup. In 2007, they won the J2 championship and were promoted to J1. However, in 2008, they were moved down to J2 again. They were promoted to J1 in 2011 after finishing third. But in 2012, they had a very tough season and were relegated again after only 27 games.
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo (2016–Present)
In 2016, the club changed its name to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. After four years in J2, they won the 2016 J2 League championship. This meant they were promoted back to J1 for the 2017 season.
In 2018, they won the first Pacific Rim Cup tournament in Hawaii. They also achieved their highest J.League finish in Sapporo, coming in 4th place. In January 2022, Chanathip Songkrasin, a player from Thailand who was part of the 2018 J.League Best XI, joined another team. This transfer set a new record for the highest domestic transfer fee in the J.League.
On December 1, 2024, after playing in the top league for seven years, Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo was moved down to the J2 League.
Meet Dole Kun: The Team Mascot
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo's mascot is Dole Kun. He is a friendly Blakiston's fish owl, which is the largest owl in Japan and lives in Hokkaido. The owl is also on the team's crest. Dole Kun enjoys taking hot baths. He is also friends with Frep the Fox and Polly Polaris, who are mascots for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters baseball team. This is because both teams share the same stadium.
Current Players
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Players on Loan
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- You can find more past and present players here.
Coaching Staff
Here is the coaching staff for the 2025 season:
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Daiki Iwamasa |
| Assistant managers | Yasuyuki Akaike |
| Coaches | Kenta Togawa Makoto Sunakawa |
| Goalkeeping coaches | Osamu Sasaki Yuya Hikichi |
| Performance coordinator | Yosuke Kuotani |
| Physical coach | Osamu Yamada |
| Set-piece coach & analyst | Watabiki Daimu |
| Analyst | Kentaro Nakanishi |
| Trainer | Kazuhiro Sagawa |
| Athletic trainer | Seiichi Iwasa Takuma Morinaga |
| Sub-manager & equipe | Ren Sato |
| Equipe | Yuta Aikawa |
| Sub-manager & interpreter |  Lee Sung-ju |
| Interpreter | Nakajima Farang Issei Narit Jampalee |
Team Records in the J.League
This table shows how Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo has performed in the J.League over the years.
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| League | J.League Cup | Emperor's Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Div. | Teams | Pos. | Attendance/G | ||
| 1998 | J1 | 18 | 14th | 11,953 | Group stage | 4th round |
| 1999 | J2 | 10 | 5th | 10,986 | 1st round | 3rd round |
| 2000 | 11 | 1st | 12,910 | 1st round | 4th round | |
| 2001 | J1 | 16 | 11th | 22,228 | Group stage | 3rd round |
| 2002 | 16 | 16th | 19,140 | Group stage | 3rd round | |
| 2003 | J2 | 12 | 9th | 10,766 | Not eligible | 3rd round |
| 2004 | 12 | 12th | 9,466 | Quarterfinal | ||
| 2005 | 12 | 6th | 11,133 | 3rd round | ||
| 2006 | 13 | 6th | 10,478 | Semifinal | ||
| 2007 | 13 | 1st | 12,112 | 3rd round | ||
| 2008 | J1 | 18 | 18th | 14,547 | Group stage | 4th round |
| 2009 | J2 | 18 | 6th | 10,207 | Not eligible | 3rd round |
| 2010 | 19 | 13th | 10,738 | 3rd round | ||
| 2011 | 20 | 3rd | 10,482 | 2nd round | ||
| 2012 | J1 | 18 | 18th | 12,008 | Group stage | 2nd round |
| 2013 | J2 | 22 | 8th | 10,075 | Not eligible | 4th round |
| 2014 | 22 | 10th | 11,060 | 3rd round | ||
| 2015 | 22 | 10th | 11,960 | 3rd round | ||
| 2016 | 22 | 1st | 14,559 | 2nd round | ||
| 2017 | J1 | 18 | 11th | 18,418 | Play-off stage | 2nd round |
| 2018 | 18 | 4th | 17,222 | Group stage | 4th round | |
| 2019 | 18 | 10th | 18,768 | Runners-up | 2nd round | |
| 2020 † | 18 | 12th | 4,303 | Quarter-finals | Did not qualify | |
| 2021 † | 20 | 10th | 6,816 | Quarter-finals | 3rd round | |
| 2022 | 18 | 10th | 12,215 | Play-off stage | 3rd round | |
| 2023 | 18 | 12th | 14,254 | Quarter-finals | Round of 16 | |
| 2024 | 20 | 19th | 17,086 | Quarter-finals | Round of 16 | |
| 2025 | J2 | 20 | 1st round | 2nd round | ||
- Key
- Attendance/G= Average home league attendance
- † 2020, 2021 seasons attendance was lower because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Source: J. League Data Site
Team Achievements and Honours
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo has won several titles throughout its history:
| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All Japan Senior Football Championship | 1 | 1977 |
| Japan Soccer League (Second tier) | 1 | 1979, 1988–89, |
| JSL Cup | 1 | 1981 (shared with Mitsubishi Motors) |
| Japan Football League | 1 | 1997 |
| J2 League | 3 | 2000, 2007, 2016 |
Managerial History
Here are the managers who have led the team:
| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Finish | ||
| Tadao Onishi |  Japan |
1 February 1981 | 31 January 1986 |
| Takeo Takahashi | Japan |
1 February 1987 | 1 February 1997 |
| Hugo Fernández |  URU |
1 February 1997 | 18 October 1998 |
| Hajime Ishii | Japan |
19 October 1998 | 31 January 1999 |
| Takeshi Okada | Japan |
1 February 1999 | 31 January 2002 |
| Tetsuji Hashiratani | Japan |
1 February 2002 | 31 May 2002 |
| Radmilo Ivančević |  Serbia |
1 June 2002 | 16 September 2002 |
| Chang Woe-ryong |  South Korea |
16 September 2002 | 31 January 2003 |
| João Carlos |  Brazil |
1 February 2003 | 4 August 2003 |
| Chang Woe-ryong | South Korea |
5 August 2003 | 31 January 2004 |
| Masaaki Yanagishita | Japan |
1 February 2004 | 31 January 2007 |
| Toshiya Miura | Japan |
1 February 2007 | 31 January 2009 |
| Nobuhiro Ishizaki | Japan |
1 February 2009 | 31 January 2013 |
| Keiichi Zaizen | Japan |
1 February 2013 | 27 August 2014 |
| Yoshihiro Natsuka | Japan |
28 August 2014 | 6 September 2014 |
| Ivica Barbarić |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
7 September 2014 | 24 July 2015 |
| Shuhei Yomoda | Japan |
24 July 2015 | 31 January 2018 |
| Mihailo Petrović | Serbia |
1 February 2018 | 31 January 2025 |
| Daiki Iwamasa | Japan |
1 February 2025 | |
Team Uniforms Over the Years
Here you can see how the team's uniforms have changed through the years.
| Home Kits - 1st | ||||
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| Away Kits - 2nd | ||||
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| Special Kits - 3rd | ||||
     20th Hakodate Commemorative |
 Hokkaido naming 150th anniversary |
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     25th Anniversary |
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Partner Clubs Around the World
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo has special partnerships with several football clubs in other countries:
- Khon Kaen (since March 2013)
Long An (since March 2013)
Johor Darul Ta'zim (since April 2016)
Sint-Truidense VV (since April 2019)- Buriram United (since June 2022)
Persipura Jayapura (since June 2023)
AC Milan (since March 2024)
See also
In Spanish: Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo para niños
