Shonan Bellmare facts for kids
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| Full name | Shonan Bellmare | ||
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| Founded | 1968 as Towa Real Estate SC | ||
| Stadium | Lemon Gas Stadium Hiratsuka Hiratsuka, Kanagawa |
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| Stadium capacity |
15,380 | ||
| Chairman | Kiyoshi Makabe | ||
| Manager | Satoshi Yamaguchi | ||
| League | J1 League | ||
| 2022 | J1 League, 12th of 18 | ||
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Shonan Bellmare (湘南ベルマーレ, Shōnan Berumāre) is a professional football club from Japan. They are based in Hiratsuka, which is in the western part of Kanagawa Prefecture. This area is close to Tokyo.
The team plays in the J1 League, which is the top football league in Japan. Their home games are played at Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium. The name Shonan refers to a beautiful coastal area along Sagami Bay. Bellmare is a mix of two Italian words: bello (meaning "beautiful") and mare (meaning "sea"). So, their name means "beautiful sea."
Contents
Club History
Early Years as Towa Real Estate SC (1968–1992)
The club started in 1968 as "Towa Real Estate SC." They were based in Nasu, Tochigi. In 1972, they moved up to the top division of the Japan Soccer League (JSL). Later, the club changed its name to "Fujita Kogyo SC." This happened when a new company, Fujita Industries, took over. The team then moved to Hiratsuka.
Between 1977 and 1981, they won the JSL three times. They also won the Emperor's Cup twice during this time. This was a very successful period for them. However, in 1990, they were moved down to JSL's Division 2. Even though they won Division 2 in 1991–92, they couldn't join the new professional J.League right away.
Joining the J.League (1993)
In 1993, the club changed its name to "Shonan Bellmare." They applied to join the J.League and were accepted as an associate member. They played in the former Japan Football League Division 1 and won the championship. After the city of Hiratsuka helped upgrade their stadium, the J.League officially welcomed the club.
The Golden Era (1994–1997)
The club had to change its name again to Bellmare Hiratsuka. This was because J.League rules at the time required teams to include their hometown in their name. At first, they found it tough in the J.League. But they improved a lot in the second half of the 1994 season.
This success led them to win the 1994–1995 Emperor's Cup. Winning this cup allowed Bellmare to play in the 1996 Asian Cup Winners' Cup. They won this international tournament by beating Al Talaba from Iraq in the final. Famous players like Hidetoshi Nakata, Wagner Lopes, and Hong Myung-bo joined the team. This time is often called the club's "Golden Era."
Challenges and Relegation (1998–1999)
Four Bellmare players, including Nakata, Lopes, and Hong, played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. However, after Nakata left to play in Italy, the team started to struggle. Their main sponsor, Fujita, faced financial problems. This meant they could no longer support the club as much.
Because of this, the club had to let go of some of their highly paid players. In 1999, they finished last in J1 and were moved down to J2.
A New Start in J2 League (2000–2009)
The club began a new chapter. It became a community-owned organization. They also changed their name back to Shonan Bellmare. This was allowed because J.League rules changed. The team's performance was not very strong for a while. They were not close to getting promoted back to J1.
However, on December 5, 2009, Shonan Bellmare earned their way back to J1. They finished third in the 2009 season.
Return to J1 League (2010–Present)
Shonan Bellmare returned to J1 in 2010. But they faced many injuries and were moved back to J2 after only one season. They had a tough time, losing many games in a row.
Since then, the team has often moved between J1 and J2. They get promoted, then sometimes get relegated again. However, in recent years, the team has been getting stronger. In 2014, they had an amazing season in J2. They won 14 games in a row at the start. They ended up winning the J2 league with 101 points. This meant they were automatically promoted to J1.
In 2016, Shonan Bellmare finished 8th in J1. This was the first time they managed to stay in J1 for more than one season. Also, in 2018, they won the J.League Cup. This was a big achievement, their first major trophy since 1994. The club also faced some financial challenges in 2012. But they received help and were able to solve their money problems. In 2018, a new company, RIZAP GROUP, invested a lot of money to help the club grow even more.
Club Rivalries
Shonan Bellmare has rivalries with other teams from their area. These include Yokohama F. Marinos, Yokohama FC, and Kawasaki Frontale. These rivalries come from the history of the different provinces in Japan. Shonan was part of Sagami Province, while Yokohama and Kawasaki were part of Musashi Province. This creates a fun competition between the teams.
Affiliated Clubs
Shonan Bellmare has partnerships with several football clubs around the world. These partnerships help them share knowledge and develop players. Here are some of their affiliated clubs:
Davao Aguilas
ASIOP
Boeung Ket
Sudeva Delhi
Nongbua Pitchaya
Wuhan Three Towns
FC Chanthabouly
Kelantan Darul Naim
Inter Milan- SS Lazio
Borussia Dortmund
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Current Squad
As of 9 July 2025.
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Players on Loan
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Club Officials
These are some of the important people who help run the Shonan Bellmare club:
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Satoshi Yamaguchi |
| Assistant manager | Yoshihiro Natsuka Masahiro Koga Yoshihiro Yatsukawa |
| Coach assistant | Taiga Soeda |
| Goalkeeper coach | Takeaki Yuhara |
| Analyst | Masayuki Hirakawa |
| Physical coach | Kazutaka Takahashi |
| Conditioning coach | Yuta Iguchi |
| Chief team doctor | Eiichi Suzuki |
| Team doctor | Hirofumi Katsutani Makoto Takahashi |
| Medical group chief trainer | Hisayoshi Kojima |
| Athletic trainer | Nobuhide Kurihara Takahiro Yoshikawa |
| Physiotherapist | Shusuke Shimada Shigeyuki Shimizu |
| Interpreter |  Kim Fan-ju Tiago Higa |
| Competent | Keita Mikami |
| Side affairs | Hiroto Araki Takahito Hiraga Hiroto Tanaka |
Club Honours
Shonan Bellmare has won many titles throughout its history, under different names: Towa / Fujita (until 1992), Bellmare Hiratsuka (1993–1999), and Shonan Bellmare (2000–present).
| Competition | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Kanto Soccer League | 1 | 1971 |
| All Japan Senior Football Championship | 1 | 1971 |
| JSL Cup | 1 | 1973 |
| Emperor's Cup | 3 | 1977, 1979, 1994 |
| Japan Soccer League Division 1 | 3 | 1977, 1979, 1981 |
| Japanese Super Cup | 2 | 1978, 1982 |
| Japan Soccer League Division 2 | 1 | 1991–92 |
| Japan Football League Division 1 | 1 | 1993 |
| Asian Cup Winners' Cup | 1 | 1995 |
| J2 League | 2 | 2014, 2017 |
| BTV Cup | 1 | 2016 |
| J.League Cup | 1 | 2018 |
League History
This shows which leagues Shonan Bellmare has played in over the years:
- Kanto Football League: 1970–71
- Division 1 (Japan Soccer League Div. 1): 1972–89 (as Towa Real Estate Development and Fujita Industries)
- Division 2 (Japan Soccer League Div. 2): 1990–91 (as Fujita Industries)
- Division 2 (Japan Football League (former) Div. 1): 1992–93 (as Fujita Industries)
- Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 1994–99 (as Bellmare Hiratsuka)
- Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2000–09 (as Shonan Bellmare)
- Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 2010
- Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2011–12
- Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 2013
- Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2014
- Division 1 (J1 League): 2015–16
- Division 2 (J2 League): 2017
- Division 1 (J1 League): 2018–
As of 2017, the club has spent 28 seasons in the top tier, 18 seasons in the second tier, and 2 seasons in regional leagues.
See also
In Spanish: Shonan Bellmare para niños
- Shonan Bellmare Futsal Club
