Montedio Yamagata facts for kids
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| Full name | Montedio Yamagata | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Montedio, Monte, The Eagle Bees | ||
| Founded | 1984 | ||
| Stadium | ND Soft Stadium | ||
| Stadium capacity |
20,315 | ||
| Chairman | Kentaro Aita | ||
| Manager | Akinobu Yokouchi | ||
| League | J2 League | ||
| 2022 | J2 League, 6th of 22 | ||
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Montedio Yamagata (モンテディオ山形) is a professional association football club from Japan. The team is based in Tendo, Yamagata. They currently play in the J2 League, which is the second highest football league in Japan.
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What's in a Name?
The name "Montedio" is a special word. It combines two Italian words. "Monte" means "mountain," and "Dio" means "God." So, the name means "Mountain God."
Club History
The club started in 1984 in Tsuruoka, Yamagata as NEC Yamagata Soccer Club. They moved up to the Japan Football League (former) in 1994. In 1996, the club changed its name to Montedio Yamagata. Since 1999, they have been playing in the J. League Division 2.
On November 30, 2008, Montedio Yamagata was promoted to the top league, J. League Division 1, for the first time. Their best finish in the J1 League was 13th place in 2010. However, in 2011, they were moved back down to J.League Division 2. This happened because some strong players left the team.
Yamagata returned to the J1 League in 2014 after winning a special playoff. But they only stayed for one season. They went back to the J2 League for the 2016 season. As of 2023, the club has been playing in the J2 League for eight seasons in a row.
Home Stadium
Montedio Yamagata plays its home games at the Yamagata Prefectural Sports Park Athletics Stadium. This stadium is also known as ND Soft Stadium Yamagata. It can hold 20,315 fans.
There are plans to build a new stadium. It will also hold about 20,000 people. The new stadium will have a full roof to protect fans from the weather. This is important for cold regions.
J.League Performance
Montedio Yamagata has played many seasons in the J.League. They have mostly been in the J2 League. In 2001, they finished 3rd in J2. In 2008, they came in 2nd, which helped them get promoted to J1. They were also promoted to J1 in 2014 by finishing 6th and winning the playoffs.
In the top league (J1), their highest position was 13th in 2010. They were moved down from J1 in 2011 and again in 2015. The team also reached the final of the Emperor's Cup in 2014, finishing as runners-up.
Current Squad
As of 17 July 2025.
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Players on Loan
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Club Leaders
These are the main people who help run the club for the 2025 season.
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Akinobu Yokouchi |
| Coach | Jin Sato Ken Iwase Keisuke Kaizaki Ren Yumitani |
| Goalkeeper coach | Yusaburo Matsuoka |
| Physical coach | Kenta Hamabe |
| Analyst | Daito Kai Hinata Sakaguchi |
| Trainer | Tsukasa Sato Hiraku Toguri So Adachi Daigo Shigeoka |
| Team operations coordinator | Masahiro Sasaki |
| General affairs | Takuya Fukai Takaaki Sakai |
| Interpreters | Yuki Masuda Kei Yoshida |
Who Has Managed the Team?
Here is a list of the managers who have led Montedio Yamagata over the years.
| Manager | Nationality | Time as Manager | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Finish | ||
| Shoichi Kato | Japan |
1984 | 1989 |
| Masanobu Tashiro | Japan |
1990 | 1993 |
| Naoki Sugisawa | Japan |
1994 | |
| Nobuhiro Ishizaki |  Japan |
1 February 1995 | 31 January 1999 |
| Shigeharu Ueki | Japan |
1 February 1999 | 31 January 2001 |
| Kōichi Hashiratani | Japan |
1 January 2001 | 31 December 2003 |
| Jun Suzuki | Japan |
1 February 2004 | 31 January 2006 |
| Yasuhiro Higuchi | Japan |
1 February 2006 | 31 January 2008 |
| Shinji Kobayashi | Japan |
1 February 2008 | 31 January 2012 |
| Ryōsuke Okuno | Japan |
1 February 2012 | 31 January 2014 |
| Nobuhiro Ishizaki | Japan |
1 February 2014 | 31 January 2017 |
| Takashi Kiyama | Japan |
1 February 2017 | 31 January 2020 |
| Kiyotaka Ishimaru | Japan |
1 February 2020 | 21 April 2021 |
| Jin Satō | Japan |
22 April 2021 | 29 April 2021 |
| Peter Cklamovski |  Australia/ Macedonia |
30 April 2021 | 4 April 2023 |
| Susumu Watanabe | Japan |
4 April 2023 | 18 June 2025 |
| Jin Sato (Interim) | Japan |
18 June 2025 | 25 June 2025 |
| Akinobu Yokouchi | Japan |
25 June 2025 | Current |
General Managers
- Shigetoshi Nakaigawa – 1986–1997, 2007–2019
Team Achievements
Montedio Yamagata has won several titles in lower leagues.
| Honour | Number of Wins | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| Yamagata Prefecture League | 1 | 1989 |
| Tohoku Soccer League | 4 | 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 |
Team Rivalries
Ōu Honsen (Dewa Derby)
Montedio Yamagata, when it was called NEC Yamagata, first played against TDK in 1990. This was in the old Tohoku regional football league. Both clubs are from the area that used to be called Dewa Province. Their rivalry is now known as Ōu Honsen (奥羽本戦). This name comes from the Japan Railways Ōu Main Line (奥羽本線), a train line.
- Battle of Ōshū
See also
In Spanish: Montedio Yamagata para niños
