kids encyclopedia robot

Honda FC facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Honda Football Club
ホンダフットボールクラブ
Full name Honda Motor Football Club
Founded 1971; 54 years ago (1971)
Ground Honda Miyakoda Soccer Stadium
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
Ground Capacity 4,000
Owner Honda Motor Company
Chairman Masaaki Miyaji
Manager Shota Itokazu

Honda Football Club (ホンダフットボールクラブ, Honda Futtobōru Kurabu), often called Honda FC (ホンダFC, Honda Efu Shī), is a Japanese football club. They are based in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka. The team plays in the Japan Football League. This is the fourth level of semi-professional football in Japan.

Team History

The club started in 1971 as the Honda Motor company team. They moved up to the Japan Soccer League Division 2 in 1975. By 1981, they were in Division 1. Their best finishes were third place in 1985–86 and 1990–91. In 1991, they reached the finals of two cups but lost both. They also made it to the semi-finals of the Emperor's Cup in 1990 and 1991. They stayed in the top league until it ended in 1992.

Becoming a Pro Team

In the early 1990s, Honda FC thought about becoming a professional team. They wanted to join the J. League. They even considered joining with another Honda team and moving to Urawa, Saitama. However, the owner, Honda Motor, wanted to focus on making cars. So, the club did not become professional.

Because of this choice, many players left the team. In 1992, they played in the new Japan Football League Division 1. They finished 9th and were moved down to Division 2. They won the Division 2 championship in 1993. In 1994, the two JFL divisions combined, and Honda FC joined that league.

In 1996, they won the JFL championship. Around this time, they tried again to become a professional club. They even got a special membership for the J. League under a new name, Acute Hamamatsu. But their stadium was not big enough. Also, there was not enough local support. Another professional club, Júbilo Iwata, was already nearby. The games between Honda FC and Júbilo Iwata were known as the Tenryu-side Derby. Because of these issues, Honda FC gave up on becoming professional.

In 1999, the JFL was reorganized into the new JFL. Honda FC has been playing in this league ever since.

J's Gatekeeper

Honda FC does not plan to move up to the J. League. This is because they would lose support from the Honda company. Even so, they are often one of the best teams in the JFL. They make it hard for other teams to get promoted. To move up, other teams need to finish in the top two spots. Honda FC often takes one of these spots. This makes it tougher for other clubs to achieve their goal. Fans of these other clubs sometimes call Honda FC "J's Gatekeeper." This shows both respect and a little bit of frustration.

In 2007, Honda FC played very well in the Emperor's Cup. They reached the quarter-finals. They beat strong teams like Kashiwa Reysol and Nagoya Grampus. This was their first time in the quarter-finals since 1991. However, they lost to Kashima Antlers on December 22. In 2008, they won the JFL championship.

Home Stadium

MIYAKODA
Miyakoda Soccer Stadium

Honda FC plays its home games at the Honda Miyakoda Soccer Stadium. It is in Hamana-ku, Hamamatsu. The stadium is owned by Honda Motor Company. It was updated in 1996. This included adding 1,000 new seats and lights for night games. The stadium can now hold 4,000 fans.

Team Achievements

Honda FC has won many titles over the years:

  • All Japan Senior Football Championship: 2 times (1974, 1999)
  • Japan Soccer League Division 2: 2 times (1978, 1980)
  • Japan Football League (former) Division 2: 1 time (1993)
  • Japan Football League (former): 1 time (1996)
  • Japan Football League: 10 times (2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023)

Current Players

As of April 4, 2024.

No. Position Player
1 Japan GK Yuta Aoki (captain)
2 Japan DF Daiki Ikematsu
3 Japan DF Masafumi Miura
4 Japan DF Yuta Hachinohe
5 Japan MF Yuya Suzuki
6 Japan MF Ryusei Kusakari
7 Japan MF Kazuki Matsumoto
8 Japan MF Toshiki Sasaki
9 Japan FW Reon Kodama
10 Japan MF Yuya Tomita
11 Japan DF Hayato Kawabata
13 Japan FW Yuki Okazaki

Fs player|no=14|nat=JPN|name=Riku Suzuki|pos=FW}}

No. Position Player
15 Japan DF Yusuke Kishida
16 Japan DF Tappei Kawanami
17 Japan MF Fumiya Matsuoka
18 Japan FW Yumenosuke Shoji
19 Japan MF Kenshin Iwakiri
20 Japan GK Raisei Ono
21 Japan GK Yuki Kusumoto
22 Japan DF Koshiro Chibana
23 Japan MF Kosuke Shimizu
24 Japan DF Go Nakashima
25 Japan DF Daichi Miwa
26 Japan MF Takaya Hirakawa

Coaching Staff

Position Staff
Manager Japan Hidekazu Kobayashi
Assistant Manager Japan Takahiro Tsuchiya
Japan Shota Itokazu
Goalkeeper coach Japan Moto Nakamura
Physical coach Japan Shoji Takagi
Analyst Japan Tatsuya Furuhashi
Trainer Japan Masataka Oba
Japan Tomoya Oba
Manager Japan Shunsei Mashiyama

Team Managers Over Time

Manager Nationality Time with Team
Start Finish
Katsuyoshi Kuwabara  Japan February 1, 1973 January 31, 1983
Masakatsu Miyamoto  Japan February 1, 1983 June 30, 1990
Masataka Imai  Japan July 1, 1990 December 31, 1992
Kazuaki Nagasawa  Japan February 1, 1997 January 31, 1998
Akiyoshi Ohashi  Japan January 1, 2000 December 31, 2001
Takayoshi Amma  Japan February 1, 2002 January 31, 2005
Hideo Yoshizawa  Japan February 1, 2005 December 31, 2006
Masakazu Ishibashi  Japan January 1, 2007 December 31, 2009
Takahiro Ōkubo  Japan January 1, 2010 December 31, 2011
Yoshitaka Maeda  Japan February 1, 2012 January 31, 2014
Hiroyasu Ibata  Japan February 1, 2014 January 31, 2021
Hiroyuki Abe  Japan February 1, 2021 January 31, 2023
Hidekazu Kobayashi  Japan February 1, 2023 January 31, 2025
Shota Itokazu  Japan February 1, 2025 current

Team Uniforms Over Time

Home kit - 1st
2003 - 2004
2005 - 2006
2007 - 2008
2009 - 2010
2011 - 2012
2013 - 2014
2015 - 2016
2017 - 2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025 -
Away kit - 2nd
2003 - 2004
2005 - 2006
2007 - 2008
2009 - 2010
2011 - 2012
2013 - 2014
2015 - 2016
2017 - 2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025 -

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Honda FC para niños

kids search engine
Honda FC Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.