Kashiwa Reysol facts for kids
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| Full name | Kashiwa Reysol | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Taiyō-Ō (Sun King) Aurinegro (gold-and-black) |
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| Short name | REY | ||
| Founded | 1940 as Hitachi S.C. | ||
| Stadium | Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium ("Hitachidai") Kashiwa, Chiba |
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| Stadium capacity |
15,900 | ||
| Owner | Hitachi | ||
| Chairman | Ryuichiro Takikawa | ||
| Head coach | Masami Ihara | ||
| League | J1 League | ||
| 2022 | J1 League, 7th of 18 | ||
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Kashiwa Reysol (pronounced Kah-shee-wah Ray-sol) is a professional football club from Japan. They are based in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, which is near Tokyo. The team plays in the J1 League, which is the top football league in Japan.
Their home stadium is called Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium, also known as "Hitachidai". The name Reysol comes from two Spanish words: Rey (meaning "King") and Sol (meaning "Sun"). So, "Reysol" means "Sun King". This name connects to their parent company, Hitachi, because "Hitachi" means "rising sun" in Japanese.
The club started in 1940. They were one of the first eight teams to form the Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965. Kashiwa Reysol has spent most of its history playing in the top division of Japanese football. They have won the Japanese League title twice, in 1972 and 2011. They also won the J.League Cup three times (1976, 1999, 2013) and the Emperor's Cup three times (1972, 1975, 2012).
Contents
Club History and Achievements
Early Days as Hitachi SC (1940–1992)
The club began in 1939 and was officially formed in 1940 as the Hitachi, Ltd. Soccer Club. This was a "company team," meaning it was owned and run by the Hitachi company. They were based in Kodaira, Tokyo.
In 1965, Hitachi SC helped create the Japan Soccer League (JSL). They were one of the "Original Eight" founding clubs. Other famous clubs like Urawa Reds and JEF United Chiba were also part of this group.
During the mid-1970s, the club had a lot of success. They won the Emperor's Cup and JSL titles. Many of their players also played for the Japanese national team.
In 1986, the club moved from Kodaira to Kashiwa. It took some time for them to get used to the new city. They were even moved down to the JSL Division 2 that year. They went up and down between divisions a few times. When the new professional league, the J.League, was formed, they weren't strong enough to join right away. Instead, they played in the Japan Football League Division 1, which was the second-highest league at the time.
Becoming Kashiwa Reysol (1993–Present)
In 1993, the club changed its name to Kashiwa Reysol. They wanted to become a professional team. To help them achieve this, they brought in Careca, a famous player from the Brazil national football team. Their goal was to win the JFL and move up to the J1 League.
Even with Careca, the 1993 season was tough. But with his help and their Brazilian manager Zé Sérgio, they finished second in the JFL in 1994. This earned them a spot in the top league!
Reysol started playing in the J1 League in 1995. In 1998, Akira Nishino became their new manager. They also signed Hristo Stoichkov, a famous player from the Bulgaria national football team. In 1999, Hong Myung-bo from the Korea national team joined. That same year, Kashiwa Reysol won the J.League Cup, their first major title under their new name.
After this success, the team had some difficult seasons. In 2005, they finished near the bottom of the J1 League. They lost a special play-off game and were moved down to the J2 League.
But they didn't stay down for long! A new manager, Nobuhiro Ishizaki, took over in 2006 with a mostly new team. They quickly earned their way back to the J1 League in their very next season.
In 2009, they were moved down again. However, in 2010, led by manager Nelsinho Baptista, they won the J2 League and returned to the top flight. What happened next was amazing: they immediately won the J1 League in 2011! This made them the first Japanese club to win the second division and then the top division in back-to-back seasons. Because they won the league, they got to play in the FIFA Club World Cup. They made it to the semi-finals, beating teams like Auckland City and Monterrey.
From 2010 to 2014, Kashiwa Reysol won six different titles in five years!
- 2010: J2 League
- 2011: J1 League
- 2012: Emperor's Cup and Super Cup
- 2013: J.League Cup
- 2014: Suruga Bank Championship
Club Honours
Kashiwa Reysol has won many important titles throughout its history:
| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| All Japan Works Football Championship | 2 | 1958, 1960 |
| All Japan Inter-City Football Championship | 1 | 1963 |
| JSL Division 1 | 1 | 1972 |
| Emperor's Cup | 3 | 1972, 1975, 2012 |
| JSL Cup | 1 | 1976 |
| JSL Division 2 | 1 | 1990–91 |
| J.League Cup | 2 | 1999, 2013 |
| J2 League | 2 | 2010, 2019 |
| J1 League | 1 | 2011 |
| Japanese Super Cup | 1 | 2012 |
| Suruga Bank Championship | 1 | 2014 |
Team Rivalries
The Marunouchi Big Three
Kashiwa Reysol has had strong rivalries with JEF United Chiba and the Urawa Reds. These three clubs are close to each other. They were also all founding members of the Japan Soccer League in 1965.
Because their former parent companies were all based in a part of Tokyo called Marunouchi, these three clubs were known as the Marunouchi Gosanke (meaning "Marunouchi Big Three"). Games between them were called Marunouchi derbies. A "derby" is a football match between two local rival teams.
Chiba Derby
Reysol and JEF United Chiba first played each other way back in 1941. Now, both clubs are based in Chiba Prefecture. Their rivalry is known as the Chiba derby. They play a friendly match every year before the season starts, called the Chibagin Cup.
Other Rivalries
Reysol also has rivalries with other teams:
- Kashima Antlers (called the Tonegawa clásico)
- FC Tokyo (called the Kanamachi derby)
- Omiya Ardija (called the Nodasen derby)
Team Anthem
Kashiwa Reysol's official team song is "We Are Reysol." It is sung by the famous anime singer Hironobu Kageyama. The song was released in 1994, the same year Reysol moved up to the J1 League.
Team Colours and Kits
Kashiwa Reysol's main colour is yellow, like the sun. This connects to their name, "Sun King." Their uniform is yellow and black, which is called Aurinegro in Spanish. This colour combination is similar to famous clubs like Peñarol or Borussia Dortmund. Kashiwa Reysol is the only top-division club in Japan that wears yellow and black.
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
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Kashiwa Reysol U-18 Team
The U-18 (under 18) team for Kashiwa Reysol plays in the Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League. This is a top league for young football players in Japan.
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Club Captains
Here are the players who have been captain of Kashiwa Reysol:
| Captain | Nationality | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Takahiro Shimotaira |  Japan |
–1998 |
| Hong Myung-bo |  Korea |
1999 |
| Tomokazu Myojin | Japan |
2000–2005 |
| Yuta Minami | Japan |
2006–2007 |
| Hidekazu Otani | Japan |
2008–2022 |
| Taiyo Koga | Japan |
2023–present |
Club Officials
These are the people who manage and support the Kashiwa Reysol team in 2024:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Masami Ihara |
| Coaches | Ryoichi Kurisawa Hidekazu Otani Yuta Someya |
| Coaches & Physical coach | Naoya Matsubara |
| Goalkeeping coach | Keita Inoue |
| Technical | Yasushi Okamura |
| Doctor | Kojiro Hyodo |
| Medical | Kaoru Arakawa Hiroyuki Akai Toshiya Itagaki Hisao Iwaki Fabiano |
| Interpreter | Isao Yakita Masayoshi Edson Hayakawa Michinori Katsuta |
| Scout and support coach |  Lee Chang-won |
| Equipment | Masafumi Kimura |
| Competent | Takumi Miyamoto |
Images for kids
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Reysol supporters at Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium
See also
In Spanish: Kashiwa Reysol para niños
