Sanfrecce Hiroshima facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sanfrecce Hiroshima
サンフレッチェ広島

Full name	Sanfrecce Hiroshima Football Club
Nickname(s)	Sanfrecce, Sanfre, Viola
Founded	1938 April 24; 87 years ago (24-04-1938) as Toyo Kogyo SC
Ground	Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima
Ground Capacity	28,520
Owner	EDION Mazda
Chairman	Shingo Senda
Manager	Michael Skibbe
League	J1 League
2022	J1 League, 3rd of 18
Home colours Away colours

Sanfrecce Hiroshima is a professional football club from Hiroshima, Japan. They play in the J1 League, which is the top football league in Japan. Sanfrecce is known as one of Japan's most successful clubs. They have won the J1 League three times. They also hold the record for the most appearances in the Emperor's Cup finals, with 15 times.

The club has won many titles, including three J1 League championships, three Emperor's Cup titles, one J.League Cup, and four Japanese Super Cups. Sanfrecce has also played in the FIFA Club World Cup twice, most recently in 2015.

Club History

Early Years (1938–1991)

The club started in 1938 as the Toyo Kogyo Soccer Club. It was a team for the Mazda company. They played in the semi-professional Japan Soccer League (JSL).

Sanfrecce was one of the first eight teams in the JSL when it began in 1965. They were very strong in the early years. They won the league title four times in a row! In 1981, the club changed its name to Mazda SC.

In 1969, they played in the Asian Club Championship. This was an early version of today's AFC Champions League. They finished in third place, which was a big achievement for a Japanese club. The team also won the Emperor's Cup in 1965, 1967, and 1969. They were one of the first "Invincible" teams in Japan. This means they won the league without losing a single game. Two players from the club, Ogi Matsumoto and Yasuyuki Kuwahara, even won a bronze medal with the Japan national team at the 1968 Olympics.

Becoming Sanfrecce (1992–Present)

In 1992, the Japan Soccer League changed into the J.League. The club then became Sanfrecce Hiroshima. They were one of the first ten teams in the new J.League.

In 2002, Sanfrecce was moved down to the J2 League, the second division. But they quickly bounced back! They finished second in 2003 and returned to the J1 League. In 2007, they were relegated again. However, in 2008, they won the J2 League title easily. This brought them back to the top league.

Winning League Titles

On November 24, 2012, Sanfrecce won their first ever J1 League title. They beat Cerezo Osaka 4–1. This win also meant they could play in the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup. Their coach, Hajime Moriyasu, won 'Manager of the Year'. Their star player, Hisato Satō, won 'Most Valuable Player' and 'Top Scorer' with 22 goals. Several Sanfrecce players were also chosen for the 'Best Eleven' team of the season. In the FIFA Club World Cup, they finished in fifth place.

Sanfrecce started the 2013 season by winning the 2013 Japanese Super Cup. They beat Kashiwa Reysol 1–0. On December 7, 2013, they won their second J1 League title in a row! They beat Kashima Antlers 2–0. This was a very exciting finish to the season. They became only the second club to win back-to-back titles since Kashima Antlers in 2009.

In 2014, Sanfrecce won the 2014 Japanese Super Cup again. They beat Yokohama F. Marinos 2–0. They also reached the Round of 16 in the 2014 AFC Champions League for the first time.

The 2015 season was another amazing year for Sanfrecce. They won their third J1 League title! They finished just two points ahead of Urawa Red Diamonds. This win allowed them to represent Japan in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup. They played well, beating Auckland City and TP Mazembe. They lost to River Plate in the semi-finals. But they won their third-place match against Guangzhou Evergrande, finishing third in the world!

Recent Seasons

In 2018, Sanfrecce had a strong season. They led the league for a long time but finished in second place. Kawasaki Frontale ended up winning the league.

In 2022, the club had another great season under their new German coach, Michael Skibbe. They finished third in the J1 League. They were runners-up in the Emperor's Cup final. Most excitingly, they won the J.League Cup! They had a dramatic comeback against Cerezo Osaka, scoring two late goals to win. Coach Skibbe won the 'Manager of the Year' award for his efforts.

In 2024, Sanfrecce played in the new 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two tournament. They did very well in the group stage, winning five games and drawing one. They also won their Round of 16 match. However, in the quarter-finals, they faced a problem. They accidentally played a player who was supposed to be suspended. Because of this, they were given a 3–0 loss for that game and were knocked out of the competition. Despite this, in the 2024 season, Sanfrecce finished as runners-up. This means they qualified for the top Asian club competition, the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite.

Club Name Meaning

The name "Sanfrecce Hiroshima" is a mix of Japanese and Italian words. San means 'three' in Japanese. Frecce means 'arrows' in Italian. This name comes from an old Japanese story. A feudal lord named Mōri Motonari told his three sons that one arrow is easy to break. But three arrows held together are strong and cannot be broken. He wanted them to work together.

Former Club Names

• 1938–1970: Toyo Kogyo Shukyu Club
• 1971–1980: Toyo Kogyo Soccer Club
• 1981–1983: Mazda Sports Club Toyo Kogyo Soccer Club
• 1984–1985: Mazda Sports Club Soccer Club
• 1986–1992: Mazda Soccer Club

Home Stadium

Sanfrecce Hiroshima's current stadium

Sanfrecce Hiroshima's former stadium

Sanfrecce Hiroshima plays their home games in Hiroshima. Their current stadium is called Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima. It opened in 2024. Before that, they played at EDION Stadium Hiroshima. The new stadium can hold 28,520 fans. Sanfrecce's first game at the new stadium was on February 23, 2024, against Urawa Red Diamonds. Over 27,000 fans came to watch!

Kit and Colours

Club Colours

The main colour of Sanfrecce Hiroshima is purple.

Kit Evolution

Home Kits – 1st
1992–1995	1996–1999	2000–2002	2003–2004	2005–2006
2007–2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
2024	2025

Away Kits – 2nd
1992–1995	1996–1999	2000–2002	2003–2004	2005–2006
2007–2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
2024	2025

Special Kits – 3rd
2011 3rd	2012 3rd	2018 8.11 Peace Memorial	2019 3rd	2019 8.3 Peace Memorial
2021 LIMITED Carp Collaboration

Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Keisuke Osako 3 DF Taichi Yamasaki 4 DF Hayato Araki 6 MF Hayao Kawabe 9 FW Ryo Germain 10 MF Marcos Júnior 13 DF Naoto Arai 14 MF Satoshi Tanaka 15 DF Shuto Nakano 17 FW Kosuke Kinoshita 18 MF Daiki Suga 19 DF Sho Sasaki (captain) 21 GK Yudai Tanaka 24 MF Shunki Higashi 25 MF Yusuke Chajima

No. Position Player 26 GK Jeong Min-ki (on loan from Suwon FC) 30 MF Tolgay Arslan 32 MF Sota Koshimichi 33 DF Tsukasa Shiotani 35 MF Yotaro Nakajima 36 FW Aren Inoue 38 GK Cailen Hill 39 FW Sōta Nakamura 41 FW Naoki Maeda 44 MF Taishi Semba 51 FW Mutsuki Kato 98 FW Valère Germain GK Hikaru Ogawa Type 2 MF Shimon Kobayashi Type 2 FW Moki Sota Type 2

Players on Loan

No. Position Player 11 FW Makoto Mitsuta (at Gamba Osaka) 20 MF Shion Inoue (at Júbilo Iwata) 27 DF Osamu Henry Iyoha (at RB Omiya Ardija) 40 MF Motoki Ohara (at Albirex Niigata) DF Kohei Hosoya (at Ehime FC)

No. Position Player DF Shota Kofie (at Iwaki FC) DF Takaaki Shichi (at Avispa Fukuoka) FW Shun Ayukawa (at Oita Trinita) FW Ryo Tanada (at Gainare Tottori)

Club Officials

Position	Name
Manager	Michael Skibbe
Assistant manager	Serhat Umar Kenji Arima
First-team coach	Shinya Sakoi Masaru Misuno Yoshifumi Matsuo
Goalkeeping coach	Shinkichi Kikuchi Takuto Hayashi
Physical coach	Minekazu Isobe

Club Honours

Here are the major trophies Sanfrecce Hiroshima has won:

Player Awards

Many Sanfrecce Hiroshima players and coaches have won special awards:

• J.League Player of the Year
  • Hisato Satō (2012)
  • Toshihiro Aoyama (2015)
• J.League Top Scorer
  • Hisato Satō (2012)
• J.League Best Eleven (Best team of the season)
  • Takuya Takagi (1994)
  • Hisato Satō (2005, 2012)
  • Tomoaki Makino (2010)
  • Hiroki Mizumoto (2012)
  • Shusaku Nishikawa (2012, 2013)
  • Toshihiro Aoyama (2012, 2013, 2015)
  • Yojiro Takahagi (2012)
  • Tsukasa Shiotani (2014, 2015)
  • Douglas (2015)
  • Keisuke Osako (2024)
  • Sho Sasaki (2024)
• J.League Rookie of the Year (Best new player)
  • Kazuyuki Morisaki (2000)
  • Takuma Asano (2015)
• J.League Manager of the Year (Best coach)
  • Hajime Moriyasu (2012, 2013, 2015)
  • Michael Skibbe (2022, 2024)
• J.League Cup New Hero Award
  • Yojiro Takahagi (2010)

International Awards

• FIFA Club World Cup Top Scorer
  • Hisato Satō (2012)
• FIFA Puskás Award nominee (Award for the most beautiful goal)
  • Hisato Satō (2014)

Continental Football Record

Sanfrecce Hiroshima has played in several Asian club competitions. Here's how they've done:

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2010	AFC Champions League	Group H	Shandong Luneng	0–1	3–2	3rd out of 4
			Pohang Steelers	4–3	1–2
			Adelaide United	1–0	2–3
2013	AFC Champions League	Group G	Bunyodkor	0–2	0–0	4th out of 4
			Beijing Guoan	0–0	1–2
			Pohang Steelers	0–1	1–1
2014	AFC Champions League	Group F	Beijing Guoan	1–1	2–2	2nd out of 4
			Central Coast Mariners	1–0	1–2
			FC Seoul	2–1	2–2
		Round of 16	Western Sydney Wanderers	3–1	0–2	3–3 (a)
2016	AFC Champions League	Group F	Shandong Luneng	1–2	0–1	3rd out of 4
			FC Seoul	2–1	1–4
			Buriram United	3–0	2–0
2019	AFC Champions League	Play-off round	Chiangrai United	0–0 (aet) (4–3 p)
		Group F	Guangzhou Evergrande	1–0	0–2	1st out of 4
			Melbourne Victory	2–1	3–1
			Daegu FC	2–0	1–0
		Round of 16	Kashima Antlers	3–2	0–1	3–3 (a)
2024–25	AFC Champions League Two	Group E	Kaya–Iloilo	3–0	1–1	1st out of 4
			Eastern	4–1	3–2
			Sydney FC	2–1	1–0
		Round of 16	Nam Định	4–0	3–0	7–0
		Quarter-finals	Lion City Sailors	0–3 FF	1–1	1–4
2025–26	AFC Champions League Elite	League stage

Managerial History

Manager	Nationality	Tenure	Club	Assistant coach
Yoshiki Yamazaki	Japan	1938–42, 1947–50	Toyo Kogyo	N/A
Minoru Obata	Japan	1951–63
Yukio Shimomura	Japan	1964–71
Kenzo Ohashi	Japan	1972–75
Ikuo Matsumoto	Japan	1976
Aritatsu Ogi	Japan	1977–80
Teruo Nimura	Japan	1981–83	MAZDA Sports	Eckhard Krautzun (August – September 1983)
Kazuo Imanishi	Japan	1984–87		Hans Ooft (1984–87) Dido Havenaar (1986–87)
Hans Ooft	Netherlands	1987–88		Dido Havenaar (1987–88)
Kazuo Imanishi	Japan	1988–92		Bill Foulkes (1988–91)
Stuart Baxter	Scotland	1 July 1992 – 31 January 1995	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Jan Jönsson (1993–94)
Wim Jansen	Netherlands	1 February 1996 – 31 January 1997		N/A
Eddie Thomson	Scotland	1 February 1997 – 31 January 2001		Tom Sermanni (1997–98)
Valeri Nepomniachi	Russia	1 February 2001 – 17 December 2001		N/A
Gadzhi Gadzhiev	Russia	1 February 2002 – 15 July 2002
Takahiro Kimura	Japan	16 July 2002 – 30 November 2002
Takeshi Ono	Japan	1 December 2002 – 1 April 2006
Kazuyori Mochizuki (interim)	Japan	2 April 2006 – 9 June 2006
Mihailo Petrović	Serbia	10 June 2006 – 31 December 2011		Ranko Popović (2006–07)
Hajime Moriyasu	Japan	1 January 2012 – 4 July 2017		N/A
Jan Jönsson	Sweden	10 July 2017 – 7 December 2017
Hiroshi Jofuku	Japan	7 December 2017 – 25 October 2021
Kentaro Sawada	Japan	26 October 2021 – 31 January 2022
Michael Skibbe	Germany	1 Feb 2022 – present		Shinya Sakoi (2022–present)

League Records

This table shows Sanfrecce Hiroshima's performance in the J.League over the years:

Key

• Pos. = Position in league
• Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
• † 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
• Source: J.League Data Site

League History Summary

Sanfrecce Hiroshima has spent most of its history in the top football division in Japan.

• Top Division (Japan Soccer League Div. 1 / J1 League): 1965–1983, 1986–1988, 1991–2002, 2004–2007, 2009–present
• Second Division (Japan Soccer League Div. 2 / J2 League): 1984–1985, 1988–1990, 2003, 2008

In total, the club has played 51 seasons in the top league and 7 seasons in the second league.

See also

In Spanish: Sanfrecce Hiroshima para niños