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Kyoto Sanga
京都サンガ
logo
Full name Kyoto Sanga Football Club
Nickname(s) Purple Sanga
Founded 1922; 103 years ago (1922),
as Kyoto Shiko Club (京都紫光クラブ)
Ground Sanga Stadium by Kyocera
Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Ground Capacity 21,600
Owner Kyoto Purple Sanga Co., Ltd.
Chairman Masaaki Ito
Manager Cho Kwi-jae
League J1 League
2022 J1 League, 13th of 18
Kyoto Purple Sanga Co., Ltd.
Public
Industry Sports
Founded January 13, 1994 (1994-01-13) in Kyoto, Japan
Key people
 Hiroshi Imai (Chairman)
Kazuo Inamori (Honorary President)
Products Football club
Revenue Increase ¥ 2140 million (2014)
Owners Kyocera (55.4%)
Nintendo (16.6%)

Kyoto Sanga (京都サンガ) is a professional football club from Kyoto, Japan. They play in the J1 League, which is the highest level of football in Japan. The name "Sanga" comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "group" or "club." It also connects the team to Kyoto's many Buddhist temples.

The club used to be called Kyoto Purple Sanga. The color "purple" was part of their name because it's the color of their uniforms. Purple is also a special imperial color, showing Kyoto's history as Japan's ancient capital city. In 2007, they changed their name to just "Kyoto Sanga". They are the oldest club that plays in the J.League.

Kyoto Sanga has won two J2 League titles and one Emperor's Cup.

Club History

Early Days as Kyoto Shiko Club

The club started in 1922 as Kyoto Shiko Club. It was one of the few Japanese football clubs that was purely about football. Many other teams were part of big companies. For a long time, Kyoto Shiko Club couldn't join the top league, the Japan Soccer League First Division, because it was mostly for company teams.

Becoming Kyoto Purple Sanga

In 1993, when the J.League was created, the club became professional. They got help from new local sponsors like Kyocera and Nintendo. They changed their name to Kyoto Purple Sanga and joined the former Japan Football League. Some players decided to leave and form their own amateur clubs at this time.

Ups and Downs in the J.League

Kyoto Purple Sanga first joined the J.League in 1996. They have been moved down to a lower league more times than any other team. This happened in 2000, 2003, and 2006. Even in 2003, when they had famous national team players like Park Ji-sung and Daisuke Matsui, they were still moved down. Those players later moved to European clubs.

In December 2007, the club earned a spot in the J1 League again. This was their fourth time reaching the top league. At this point, they shortened their name to Kyoto Sanga. However, after losing a game in November 2010, Sanga was moved back down to J2. This ended their three years in the top league.

In the 2021 season, Kyoto Sanga made a big comeback to the J1 League after 11 years. They finished as the second-best team. In 2022, they managed to stay in the J1 League by drawing a play-off game against Roasso Kumamoto.

Team Connections

Kyoto Sanga has connections with other football clubs:

  • Amitie SC (Kansai Soccer League Division 1) – This club formed when some players left the original Kyoto Shiko Club to stay amateur.
  • Kyoto Shiko Club (Kansai Soccer League Division 2) – This is another amateur club that split off later.
  • Shiko Club women's (Kansai Women's Soccer League) – This women's team is linked to the current Kyoto Shiko Club.

Team Colors and Kits

Club Colors

Kyoto Sanga is seen as the continuation of the original Kyoto Shiko Club. "Shiko" (紫光) means "brilliant purple." This is why purple has always been the main color for the Shiko/Sanga teams.

Kit Evolution

{{gallery style="text-align:center;" mode="packed" widths="300px" heights="300px" _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 1997 HOME FP|1997 - 1998 Home Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 1999 HOME FP|1999 Home Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2000 HOME FP|2000 Home Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2001 HOME FP|2001 - 2002 Home Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2003 HOME FP|2003 - 2004 Home Kit _kyotopurplesanga0506h|2005 - 2006 Home Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2007 HOME FP|2007 - 2008 Home Kit _kyoto09_h|2009 - 2010 Home Kit _kyotosanga1112h|2011 - 2012 Home Kit _kyotosanga1314h|2013 Home Kit _kyotosanga1314h|2014 Home Kit __kyotosanga1516h|2015 - 2016 Home Kit _sanga17H|2017 - 2018 Home Kit _kyotosanga_19h|2019 Home Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2020 HOME FP|2020 Home Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2021 HOME FP|2021 Home Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2022 HOME FP|2022 Home Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2023 HOME FP|2023 Home Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2024 HOME FP|2024 - Home Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 1997 AWAY FP|1997 - 1998 Away Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 1999 AWAY FP|1999 - 2000 Away Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2001 AWAY FP|2001 - 2002 Away Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2003 AWAY FP|2003 - 2004 Away Kit _kyotopurplesanga0506a|2005 - 2006 Away Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2007 2nd FP|2007 - 2008 2nd Away Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2007 3rd FP|2007 - 2008 3rd Away Kit _kyoto09_a|2009 Away Kit _kyoto09_a|2010 Away Kit _kyotosanga1112a|2011 - 2012 Away Kit _kyotosanga1314a|2013 Away Kit _kyotosanga1314a|2014 Away Kit _kyotosanga1516a|2015 - 2016 Away Kit _sanga17A|2017 - 2018 Away Kit _kyotosanga_19a|2019 Away Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2020 AWAY FP|2020 Away Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2021 AWAY FP|2021 Away Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2022 AWAY FP|2022 Away Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2023 AWAY FP|2023 Away Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2024 AWAY FP|2024 - Away Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2007 3rd FP|2007 - 2008 3rd Kit _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2019 SP FP|2019 3rd Kit (Club 25th Anniversary) _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2022 SP FP|2022 3rd Kit (September Home Limited) _Kyoto Sanga F.C. 2023 SP FP|2023 3rd Kit (August Home Limited) }}

Home Stadiums

Sanga stadium by kyocera03
Sanga Stadium by Kyocera is the team's modern home stadium.

Takebishi Stadium Kyoto

For many years, Kyoto Sanga played most of their home games at the Takebishi Stadium Kyoto. This stadium was built in 1942 and can hold up to 20,588 fans.

Sanga Stadium by Kyocera

In 2019, Kyoto Sanga announced plans to move to a brand new stadium. This new stadium, called Sanga Stadium by Kyocera, was built specifically for football in Kameoka. The team moved into their new home on January 11, 2020. It's the first professional football-only stadium in Kyoto. The company Kyocera bought the rights to name the stadium, signing a 20-year deal.

Current Team Players

No. Position Player
2 Japan DF Shinnosuke Fukuda
3 Japan DF Shogo Asada
4 Japan DF Keita Matsuda
5 Japan DF Hisashi Appiah Tawiah
6 Japan DF Yuto Misao
7 Japan MF Sota Kawasaki
8 Japan MF Koki Tsukagawa (on loan from FC Tokyo)
9 Brazil FW Marco Túlio
10 Japan MF Shimpei Fukuoka
13 Japan FW Takumi Miyayoshi
14 Japan FW Taichi Hara
16 Japan MF Shohei Takeda
17 Japan FW Yuto Anzai
18 Japan MF Temma Matsuda
19 Japan MF Daiki Kaneko
20 Japan DF Kazunari Kita
21 Suriname GK Warner Hahn
23 Japan FW Yuta Toyokawa
No. Position Player
24 Japan DF Yuta Miyamoto (on loan from Urawa Reds)
26 Japan GK Gakuji Ota
28 Japan DF Toichi Suzuki
31 Japan FW Sora Hiraga
36 Japan GK Akira Fantini
37 Japan MF Takuji Yonemoto (on loan from Nagoya Grampus)
39 Japan MF Taiki Hirato
44 Japan MF Kyo Sato
45 Japan DF Kotaro Kanda Type 2
46 Japan MF Taiga Ishimoto Type 2
47 Japan FW Yuma Nishioka Type 2
48 Japan MF Ryuma Nakano DSP
50 Japan DF Yoshinori Suzuki
77 Brazil MF Murilo Costa
88 Japan GK Kentaro Kakoi
94 South Korea GK Gu Sung-yun
96 Brazil DF Lucas Oliveira (on loan from Cruzeiro)
99 Brazil FW Rafael Elias (on loan from Cruzeiro)

Players on Loan

These players are currently playing for other teams on a temporary basis.

No. Position Player
25 Japan MF Teppei Yachida (on loan to South Korea FC Anyang)
30 Japan DF Rikuto Iida (on loan to Nara Club)
Japan GK Tomoya Wakahara (on loan to V-Varen Nagasaki)
Japan DF Takahiro Iida (on loan to Ventforet Kofu)
No. Position Player
Japan DF Yuta Ueda (on loan to Omiya Ardija)
Japan FW Yudai Kimura (on loan to Tokyo Verdy)
Japan FW Fuki Yamada (on loan to Tokyo Verdy)

Club Officials

Here are some of the key people working for Kyoto Sanga for the 2024 season.

Position Name
Manager South Korea Cho Kwi-jae
First-team coach Japan Ryuji Ishikawa
Japan Koichi Sugiyama
Japan Naomichi Wakamiya
Japan Shuto Wakui
Goalkeeping coach Japan Yasuhiro Tominaga
Physical coach Japan Hirokazu Nishigata
Chief Trainer Japan Minoru Kimoto
Trainer Japan Yoshiaki Shirai
Japan Masaki Dozono
Japan Takuya Kawada
Interpreter Japan Taketo Okamoto
Japan Hiroki Kimura
Competent Japan Naoya Omae
Side Affairs Japan Ryusei Ishikura
Kit man Japan Noriyuki Matsuura

Club Achievements

Kyoto Sanga has won several important titles throughout its history.

Kyoto Sanga honours
Honour Number of Wins Years Won
Kansai Soccer League 4 1969, 1971, 1979, 1988
All Japan Senior Football Championship 1 1988
J2 League 2 2001, 2005
Emperor's Cup 1 2002

Team Managers Through the Years

Here is a list of the managers who have led the Kyoto Sanga team.

Manager Nationality Time as Manager
Start Date End Date
Bunji Kimura  Japan 1 January 1983 30 June 1990
George Yonashiro  Japan 1 February 1994 31 January 1995
Oscar  Brazil 1 February 1995 10 June 1996
George Yonashiro  Japan 11 June 1996 31 January 1997
Pedro Rocha  Uruguay 1 January 1997 31 December 1997
Hans Ooft  Netherlands 1 February 1998 1 June 1998
Hidehiko Shimizu  Japan 2 June 1998 30 June 1999
Shū Kamo  Japan 1 July 1999 31 May 2000
Gert Engels  Germany 1 June 2000 31 May 2003
Bunji Kimura  Japan 1 June 2003 30 June 2003
Pim Verbeek  Netherlands 1 July 2003 31 December 2003
Akihiro Nishimura  Japan 1 February 2004 13 June 2004
Kōichi Hashiratani  Japan 14 June 2004 4 October 2006
Naohiko Minobe  Japan 5 October 2006 11 October 2007
Hisashi Katō  Japan 12 October 2007 27 July 2010
Yutaka Akita  Japan 27 July 2010 31 January 2011
Takeshi Ōki  Japan 1 February 2011 31 January 2014
Valdeir Vieira  Brazil 1 January 2014 18 June 2014
Ryōichi Kawakatsu  Japan 29 June 2014 31 January 2015
Masahiro Wada  Japan 1 February 2015 10 July 2015
Kiyotaka Ishimaru  Japan 11 July 2015 6 December 2016
Takanori Nunobe  Japan 1 January 2017 10 May 2018
Boško Gjurovski  Macedonia 11 May 2018 31 January 2019
Ichizō Nakata  Japan 1 February 2019 31 January 2020
Noritada Saneyoshi  Japan 1 February 2020 31 January 2021
Cho Kwi-jae  South Korea 1 February 2021 Current

Club Captains

The captain is a very important player on the team. Here are the players who have been captain for Kyoto Sanga.

Kyoto Sanga's League Records

This table shows how Kyoto Sanga has performed in the J.League over the years.

Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
Season Division Teams Position Games Played Wins Draws Losses Goals For Goals Against Goal Difference Points Average Attendance League
Cup		 Emperor's
Cup
Kyoto Purple Sanga
1996 J1 16 16th 30 8 0 22 22 54 -32 24 9,404 Group stage Quarter-finals
1997 17 14th 32 9 - 18 40 70 -30 27 7,881 Group stage Round of 16
1998 18 13th 34 10 - 16 47 63 -16 39 8,015 Group stage 3rd round
1999 16 12th 30 9 0 15 38 58 -20 31 8,859 2nd round Round of 16
2000 16 15th 30 7 2 15 39 66 -27 25 7,253 Semi-finals 3rd round
2001 J2 12 1st 44 23 5 11 79 48 31 84 3,808 1st round Round of 16
2002 J1 16 5th 30 11 1 12 44 42 2 46 10,352 Group stage Winner
2003 16 16th 30 6 5 19 28 60 -32 23 10,850 Group stage 3rd round
2004 J2 12 5th 44 19 12 13 65 53 12 69 7,807 Not eligible 4th round
2005 12 1st 44 30 7 7 89 40 49 97 7,857 4th round
2006 J1 18 18th 34 4 10 20 38 74 -36 22 9,781 Group stage 4th round
Kyoto Sanga
2007 J2 13 3rd 48 24 14 10 80 59 21 86 6,629 Not eligible 3rd round
2008 J1 18 14th 34 11 8 15 37 46 -9 41 13,687 Group stage Round of 16
2009 18 12th 34 11 8 15 35 47 -12 41 11,126 Group stage 3rd round
2010 18 17th 34 4 7 23 30 60 -30 19 10,510 Group stage 3rd round
2011 J2 20 7th 38 17 7 14 50 45 5 58 6,294 Not eligible Runners-up
2012 22 3rd 42 23 5 14 61 45 16 74 7,273 3rd round
2013 22 3rd 42 20 10 12 68 46 22 70 7,891 3rd round
2014 22 9th 42 14 18 10 57 52 5 60 7,520 3rd round
2015 22 17th 42 12 14 16 45 51 -6 50 7,491 3rd round
2016 22 5th 42 18 15 9 50 37 13 69 6,524 2nd round
2017 22 12th 42 14 15 13 55 47 8 57 6,748 2nd round
2018 22 19th 42 12 7 23 40 58 -18 43 5,663 3rd round
2019 22 8th 42 19 11 12 59 56 3 68 7,850 2nd round
2020 † 22 8th 42 16 11 15 47 45 2 59 2,924 Did not qualify
2021 † 22 2nd 42 24 12 6 59 31 28 84 5,207 Round of 16
2022 J1 18 16th 34 8 12 14 30 38 -8 36 11,692 Play-off stage Semi-finals
2023 18 13th 34 12 4 18 40 45 -5 40 12,141 Group stage 2nd round
2024 20 TBA 38 2nd Round Semi-finals
Key
* Pos. = Position in league; P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals difference; Pts = Points gained
  • OTW / PKW = Overtime wins / Penalty kicks wins (used in 1997 & 1998 seasons). From 1999 to 2002, only overtime wins counted.
  • OTL / PKL = Overtime losses / Penalty kicks losses (used in 1997 and 1998 seasons). From 1999 to 2001, only overtime losses counted.
  • Points are awarded as: 3 points for a win; 2 points for an overtime win (OTW), 1 point for a penalty kick win (PKW); 1 point for a drawn game.
  • Attendance/G = Average number of fans at home league games.
  • † In 2020 & 2021, the number of fans was lower due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic.
  • Source: J.League Data Site

League History Overview

Kyoto Sanga has played in different leagues throughout its history.

  • Kansai Soccer League: 1966–1971 (as Kyoto Shiko Club)
  • Division 2 (JSL Division 2): 1972–1978 (as Kyoto Shiko Club)
  • Kansai Soccer League: 1979–1988 (as Kyoto Shiko Club)
  • Division 2 (JSL Division 2): 1989–1991 (as Kyoto Shiko Club)
  • Division 3 (Old JFL Division 2): 1992 (as Kyoto Shiko Club)
  • Division 2 (Old JFL Division 1): 1993–1995 (as Kyoto Shiko Club 1993; Kyoto Purple Sanga afterwards)
  • Division 1 (J1 League): 1996–2000 (as Kyoto Purple Sanga)
  • Division 2 (J2 League): 2001 (as Kyoto Purple Sanga)
  • Division 1 (J1 League): 2002–2003 (as Kyoto Purple Sanga)
  • Division 2 (J2 League): 2004–2005 (as Kyoto Purple Sanga)
  • Division 1 (J1 League): 2006 (as Kyoto Purple Sanga)
  • Division 2 (J2 League): 2007
  • Division 1 (J1 League): 2008–2010
  • Division 2 (J2 League): 2011–2021
  • Division 1 (J1 League): 2022–present

As of 2023, the club has spent:

  • 13 seasons in the top tier (J1 League)
  • 28 seasons in the second tier (J2 League or similar)
  • 1 season in the third tier
  • 16 seasons in the Regional Leagues

See Also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Kyoto Sanga FC para niños

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