Mito HollyHock facts for kids
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| Full name | Football Club Mito HollyHock Ibaraki | ||
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| Nickname(s) | HollyHock, FC Mito, Mitochan | ||
| Founded | 1994 | ||
| Stadium | K's denki Stadium Mito Mito, Ibaraki |
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| Stadium capacity |
12,000 | ||
| Chairman | Kunio Numata | ||
| Manager | Naoki Mori | ||
| League | J2 League | ||
| 2022 | J2 League, 13rd of 22 | ||
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Mito HollyHock (水戸ホーリーホック, Mito Hōrīhokku) is a professional football (soccer) club from Japan. They are based in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. The team currently plays in the J2 League, which is the second-highest level of professional football in Japan.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The team's nickname, "HollyHock," comes from the special family symbol of the Tokugawa clan. This powerful family used to rule from Mito during the old Edo period in Japan. It's like their special badge!
Club History
The club started in 1990 as Prima Aseno FC. It was formed by workers from a food company called Prima Ham in Tsuchiura. Later, they changed their name to Prima Ham FC Tsuchiura.
In 1996, they did very well and moved up to the Japan Football League. Before the 1997 season, Prima Ham stopped supporting the club financially. So, they joined with another team called FC Mito, which started in 1994. Together, they became Mito HollyHock.
Mito HollyHock wanted to join the J. League Division 2 in 1999. At first, they were not allowed because of money problems and not enough fans coming to their games. But, they worked hard! In 1999, they finished 3rd in the Japan Football League. More and more fans started coming to their stadium. Because of this improvement, the club was invited to join the J. League in 2000.
Besides football, Mito HollyHock also has teams in e-sports (video games!) and Ice Hockey. They play in the Ibaraki Prefectural League for ice hockey.
League and Cup Journey
Mito HollyHock has been playing in the J2 League since 2000. This is Japan's second-highest football division. They have played many seasons, always trying their best to climb higher.
Here's a quick look at their journey:
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| League | J. League Cup |
Emperor's Cup |
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| Season | Div. | Teams | Pos. | P | W (OTW / PKW) | D | L (OTL / PKL) | F | A | GD | Pts | Attendance/G | ||
| 1997 | Old JFL | 16 | 16th | 30 | 3 (1) | - | 26 | 24 | 69 | -45 | 10 | Not eligible | 2nd round | |
| 1998 | 16 | 14th | 30 | 7 (1) | - | 22 | 37 | 69 | -32 | 23 | 3rd round | |||
| 1999 | New JFL | 9 | 3rd | 24 | 13 (3) | 0 | 8 (0) | 48 | 32 | 16 | 45 | 891 | 3rd round | |
| 2000 | J2 | 10 | 9th | 40 | 9 (6) | 4 | 19 (2) | 37 | 61 | -24 | 43 | 2,021 | 1st round | 3rd round |
| 2001 | 12 | 11th | 44 | 5 (3) | 4 | 26 (6) | 41 | 93 | -52 | 25 | 1,559 | 1st round | 3rd round | |
| 2002 | 12 | 10th | 44 | 11 | 7 | 26 | 45 | 73 | -28 | 40 | 2,739 | Not eligible | 3rd round | |
| 2003 | 12 | 7th | 44 | 15 | 11 | 18 | 37 | 41 | -4 | 56 | 3,085 | 3rd round | ||
| 2004 | 12 | 9th | 44 | 6 | 19 | 19 | 33 | 60 | -27 | 37 | 3,773 | 4th round | ||
| 2005 | 12 | 10th | 44 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 41 | 57 | -16 | 52 | 3,334 | 4th round | ||
| 2006 | 13 | 10th | 48 | 14 | 9 | 25 | 48 | 69 | -21 | 51 | 3,017 | 3rd round | ||
| 2007 | 13 | 12th | 48 | 8 | 10 | 30 | 32 | 70 | -38 | 34 | 2,415 | 4th round | ||
| 2008 | 15 | 11th | 42 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 52 | 70 | -18 | 47 | 3,044 | 4th round | ||
| 2009 | 18 | 8th | 51 | 21 | 10 | 20 | 70 | 79 | -9 | 73 | 2,673 | 2nd round | ||
| 2010 | 19 | 16th | 36 | 8 | 14 | 14 | 29 | 45 | -16 | 38 | 3,608 | 3rd round | ||
| 2011 | 20 | 17th | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 40 | 49 | -9 | 42 | 3,349 | 4th round | ||
| 2012 | 22 | 13th | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 47 | 49 | -2 | 56 | 3,973 | 3rd round | ||
| 2013 | 22 | 15th | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 50 | 58 | -8 | 55 | 4,630 | 3rd round | ||
| 2014 | 22 | 15th | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 50 | 4,734 | 3rd round | ||
| 2015 | 22 | 19th | 42 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 40 | 47 | -7 | 46 | 4,816 | 4th round | ||
| 2016 | 22 | 13th | 42 | 10 | 18 | 14 | 45 | 49 | -4 | 48 | 5,365 | 2nd round | ||
| 2017 | 22 | 14th | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 45 | 48 | -3 | 54 | 4,931 | 2nd round | ||
| 2018 | 22 | 10th | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 48 | 46 | 2 | 57 | 4,938 | 3rd round | ||
| 2019 | 22 | 7th | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 56 | 37 | 19 | 70 | 6,087 | 3rd round | ||
| 2020 † | 22 | 9th | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 68 | 62 | 6 | 58 | 2,018 | Did not qualify | ||
| 2021 † | 22 | 10th | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 59 | 50 | 9 | 59 | 2,696 | 2nd round | ||
| 2022 | 22 | 13th | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 47 | 46 | -1 | 54 | 3,140 | 2nd round | ||
| 2023 | 22 | 17th | 42 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 49 | 66 | -17 | 47 | 3,726 | 3rd round | ||
| 2024 | 20 | 15th | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 39 | 51 | -12 | 44 | 4,406 | 1st round | 3rd round | |
| 2025 | 20 | TBA | 38 | 2nd round | 1st round | |||||||||
- Key
- Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
- † 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
- Source: J.League Data Site
Team Achievements
Mito HollyHock has won several titles over the years. These wins show their strength and skill in different leagues and cups.
| Honour | No. | Years | Notes |
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| Ibaraki Prefecture Division 1 | 2 | 1992, 1993 | as Prima Ham Football Club |
| Ibaraki Prefecture Division 4 H Block | 1 | 1994 | as FC Mito |
| Ibaraki Prefecture Division 3 H Block | 1 | 1995 | as FC Mito |
| Kantō Soccer League | 1 | 1995 | as Prima Ham Football Club |
| Shakaijin Cup | 1 | 1995 | as Prima Ham Football Club |
Current Players
As of 16 July 2025.
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Players on Loan
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Team Leaders
These are the people who help run the team and coach the players.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Naoki Mori |
| Assistant manager | Yoshitaka Yasuda Daisuke Kimori |
| Analyst & First-team coach | Ryosuke Sato |
| Development coach | Naoki Mori |
| Goalkeeper coach | Takahiro Kono |
| Analyst | Tsukasa Takahashi |
| Physical coach | Yuki Nakamura |
| Chief trainer | Tatsuya Doi |
| Trainer | Takahiro Yamada |
| Physiotherapist | Toru Yaguchi |
| Equipment manager | Shunki Iwata Yoshifumi Yoshida |
| Competent | Hiromitsu Nonaka |
Who Has Managed the Team?
Here's a list of the managers who have led Mito HollyHock over the years.
| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | |
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| Start | Finish | ||
| Gert Engels |  Germany |
1 July 1990 | 30 January 1993 |
| Yuji Nakano |  Japan |
1 January 1992 | 31 December 1997 |
| Toshiya Miura | Japan |
1 February 1998 | 31 January 1999 |
| Branko Babić |  Serbia |
1 January 2000 | 31 December 2000 |
| Hiroshi Kobayashi | Japan |
1 February 2001 | 16. July 2001 |
| Masaaki Kanno | Japan |
17 July 2001 | 31 January 2003 |
| Hideki Maeda | Japan |
1 January 2003 | 31 December 2007 |
| Takashi Kiyama | Japan |
1 February 2008 | 31 January 2011 |
| Tetsuji Hashiratani | Japan |
1 February 2011 | 7 June 2015 |
| Takayuki Nishigaya | Japan |
27 June 2015 | 31 January 2018 |
| Shigetoshi Hasebe | Japan |
1 February 2018 | 31 January 2020 |
| Tadahiro Akiba | Japan |
1 February 2020 | 31 January 2023 |
| Yoshimi Hamasaki | Japan |
1 February 2023 | 4 May 2024 |
| Naoki Mori | Japan |
9 May 2024 | current |
Team Uniforms Over Time
Here you can see how Mito HollyHock's home and away jerseys have changed through the years!
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| Away Jersey | ||||
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Images for kids
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Home side goal seat section
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Home side A seat section, with supporters
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Mito vs. Sapporo, 18 November 2006
See also
In Spanish: Mito HollyHock para niños
