Sagan Tosu facts for kids
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| Full name | Sagan Tosu Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Sagan | ||
| Founded | 1997 | ||
| Stadium | Ekimae Real Estate Stadium Tosu, Saga |
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| Stadium capacity |
24,130 | ||
| Chairman | Minoru Takehara | ||
| Manager | Kosuke Kitani | ||
| League | J1 League | ||
| 2022 | J1 League, 11th of 18 | ||
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Sagan Tosu (サガン鳥栖, Sagan Tosu) is a professional football team from Tosu, Saga Prefecture, Japan. The team will play in the J2 League starting in 2025. This is the second-highest football league in Japan. They were moved down from the J1 League in 2024.
The name Sagan is a special word. It sounds like sandstone (砂岩, sagan) in Japanese. This means many small parts coming together to make one strong thing. Think of it like a team where everyone works together! Sagan Tosu can also mean "Tosu of Saga (Prefecture)" in the local language. The club's owner also wanted the name to sound like his favorite team, Juventus.
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Club History
Sagan Tosu started in February 1997. They took over from another team, Tosu Futures, which had financial problems. Sagan Tosu joined the Japan Football League and the J. League Cup.
In 1999, they became one of the first ten teams in the new J. League Division 2 (J2). They played in J2 until the end of the 2011 season. That year, they earned a promotion to the top league, J1! With their new President, Minoru Takehara, Sagan Tosu slowly became one of Japan's top clubs.
In their first J1 League season in 2012, many people thought they would go back down to J2. But Sagan Tosu surprised everyone! They stayed between 5th and 11th place for most of the season. They even had a chance to play in the 2013 AFC Champions League. This is a big tournament for clubs in Asia. They finished 5th in the league. In 2012, they also became the first club in Asia to partner with Warrior Sports. This company sponsors many famous teams, like Liverpool in England.
In 2013, Sagan Tosu reached the semi-finals of the Emperor's Cup. This was a first for the club! They were the first team from the Kyushu area to do this since 1981. In 2013, they also invited the Australian team Sydney FC to Japan. Famous Italian player Alessandro Del Piero came with them.
The 2014 season was their most successful in the J1 League. They were at the top of the league table several times. But on August 8, the club suddenly ended their coach's contract. That same year, they expanded their international connections. They started a partnership with the Italian club Juventus. In 2018, a very famous player, Fernando Torres, joined the team. He had won the FIFA World Cup and other big European titles. Torres played 35 games for Sagan Tosu and scored 5 goals before he retired.
On October 19, 2024, Sagan Tosu was officially moved down to the J2 League. This happened after they lost to Kyoto Sanga 2-0. They will return to the second division after 13 years in J1.
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
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Sagan Tosu U-18 Team
The Sagan Tosu Under-18 (U-18) team plays in the Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League. This is the top league for U-18 clubs in Japan. Here are the players registered for this competition.
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Retired Jersey Number
- 17
Sakata Michitaka – This number was retired to honor Sakata Michitaka. He was a professor who helped start Tosu Futures and later Sagan Tosu. He passed away on January 7, 2000. The number 17 marks the day he died.
Club Officials
Here are the main people working for Sagan Tosu for the 2024 season.
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Kosuke Kitani |
| Head coach | Naoya Kikuchi |
| Coaches | Yuzuru Suwabe Naoyuki Iwata Yoshizumi Ogawa Cho Dong-geon |
| Goalkeeping coach | Takuya Muro |
| Physical coach | Tadashi Noda |
| Analyst | Shota Tamaki Yutaro Hamada |
| Chief trainer | Toru Kawaguchi |
| Athletic trainer | Atsushi Shiga |
| Trainer | Daisuke Adachi Masahiro Hirano Masashi Maeda |
| Interpreter |  Alesso Mariani Lee Kang-haeng Naoto Muramatsu Ryuki Yamamoto |
| Competent | Yoshito Tsuichihara |
| Deputy officer | Naoki Egawa Ayaki Goto |
| Equipment manager | Yoshiki Sugimoto |
| Chief doctor | Kyota Nishifuru |
Manager History
This table shows the managers who have led the Sagan Tosu team over the years.
| Manager | Nationality | Time as Manager | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | ||
| Takashi Kuwahara |  Japan |
1 February 1993 | 31 January 1995 |
| Hiroshi Sowa | Japan |
1 February 1997 | 31 January 2000 |
| Kazuhiro Kōso | Japan |
1 February 2000 | 31 January 2002 |
| Hiroshi Soejima | Japan |
1 February 2002 | 31 January 2003 |
| Yoshinori Sembiki | Japan |
1 February 2003 | 31 January 2004 |
| Ikuo Matsumoto | Japan |
1 February 2004 | 31 January 2007 |
| Yasuyuki Kishino | Japan |
1 February 2007 | 31 January 2010 |
| Ikuo Matsumoto | Japan |
1 February 2010 | 31 January 2011 |
| Yun Jeong-hwan |  South Korea |
1 February 2011 | 7 August 2014 |
| Megumu Yoshida | Japan |
8 August 2014 | 31 January 2015 |
| Hitoshi Morishita | Japan |
1 February 2015 | 31 January 2016 |
| Massimo Ficcadenti |  Italy |
1 February 2016 | 18 October 2018 |
| Kim Myung-hwi | South Korea |
19 October 2018 | 31 January 2019 |
| Luis Carreras |  Spain |
1 February 2019 | 4 May 2019 |
| Kim Myung-hwi | South Korea |
4 May 2019 | 20 December 2021 |
| Kenta Kawai | Japan |
1 February 2022 | 8 August 2024 |
| Kosuke Kitani | Japan |
9 August 2024 | present |
See also
In Spanish: Sagan Tosu para niños
