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Thespakusatsu Gunma
ザスパクサツ群馬
Thespakusatsu Gunma logo.svg
Nickname(s) Thespa (ザスパ, Zasupa)
Founded 1995; 29 years ago (1995)
Stadium Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma
Maebashi, Gunma
Stadium
capacity
15,253 people
Owner Kusatsu Onsen Football Club
Chairman Tomohiko Nara
Manager Tsuyoshi Otsuki
League J2 League
2022 J2 League, 20th of 22

Thespakusatsu Gunma (ザスパクサツ群馬, zasupa kusatsu Gunma) is a professional football (soccer) club based in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture in Japan. The club plays in the J2 League, the second division of professional football in Japan.

History

The club was founded in 1995 in Kusatsu, one of the most well-known spa resorts in Japan, in 1995 as Liaison Kusatsu Football Club. The players were the students of specialized training college Higashi Nihon Soccer Academy. When the school was closed in 1999 due to financial difficulties, the players decided to stay in Kusatsu and keep the club alive. In 2002, the club was incorporated as K.K. Kusatsu Onsen Football Club with a future promotion to J. League in mind and adopted new team name Thespa Kusatsu (ザスパ草津, zasupa kusatsu), meaning "The Spa, Kusatsu".

Because of J. League restrictions on stadiums, they play at Shoda Shoyu Stadium Gunma (Shikishima Athletics Stadium) in nearby Maebashi, the prefectural capital since the club was promoted to J. League Division 2 from 2005 season.

From 1 February 2013, the club has adopted the new name as "Thespakusatsu Gunma", to give out the impression of the club as representative of entire Gunma Prefecture, while still leaving the name of "Kusatsu" in it, as well as the logo of the club as is.

Record as J. League member

Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
Season Div. Teams Pos. P W D L F A GD Pts Attendance/G Emperor's
Cup
2005 J2 12 12th 44 5 8 31 26 82 -56 23 3,959 4th round
2006 13 12th 48 9 15 24 54 86 -32 42 3,736 4th round
2007 13 11th 48 7 21 20 42 71 -29 42 3,808 4th round
2008 15 9th 42 13 14 15 45 52 -7 53 4,215 3rd round
2009 18 10th 51 18 11 22 64 76 -12 65 4,330 3rd round
2010 19 12th 36 14 6 16 36 48 -12 48 4,424 2nd round
2011 20 9th 38 16 9 13 51 51 0 57 3,211 2nd round
2012 22 17th 42 12 11 19 31 15 -14 47 3,341 2nd round
2013 22 20th 42 9 13 20 43 61 -18 40 3,571 2nd round
2014 22 18th 42 14 7 21 45 54 -9 49 3,689 4th round
2015 22 18th 42 13 9 20 34 56 -22 48 4,099 1st round
2016 22 17th 42 11 12 19 52 66 -14 45 4,744 2nd round
2017 22 22nd 42 5 5 32 32 32 88 -56 3,832 3rd round
2018 J3 17 5th 32 15 7 10 37 35 2 52 3,346 2nd round
2019 18 2nd 34 18 9 7 59 34 25 63 3,594 2nd round
2020 J2 22 20th 42 15 4 23 40 62 -22 49 1,709 Did not qualify
2021 22 18th 42 9 14 19 35 56 -21 41 2,082 4th round
2022 22 20th 42 11 9 22 36 57 -21 42 3,076 Round of 16
2023 22 TBA 42
Key
* Pos. = Position in league; P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals difference; Pts = Points gained
  • Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
  • 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
  • Source: J. League Data Site

Current squad

As of 10 August 2022.

No. Position Player
1 Japan GK Keiki Shimizu
2 Japan DF Hayate Shirowa
3 Japan DF Hiroto Hatao
4 Japan MF Yuki Kawakami
5 Japan DF Yuta Fujii
6 Japan MF Tatsuya Uchida
7 Japan FW Junya Kato
8 Japan MF Yuzo Iwakami
9 Japan FW Shuto Kitagawa
10 Japan MF Toshiya Tanaka
11 Japan FW Shumpei Fukahori
14 Japan MF Tomoyuki Shiraishi
15 Japan MF Koki Kazama
16 Japan MF Kazune Kubota
17 Japan MF Atsuki Yamanaka
19 Japan DF Kazuma Okamoto
21 Japan GK Masatoshi Kushibiki
No. Position Player
22 Japan DF Yuriya Takahashi
23 Japan FW Shu Hiramatsu
25 Japan DF Masaya Kojima
27 Japan MF Koji Okumura
28 Japan FW Motoki Nagakura
32 Japan DF Kodai Watanabe (captain)
33 Japan DF Hajime Hosogai
37 Japan GK Genta Ito (on loan from Vissel Kobe)
38 Japan MF Taiki Amagasa
39 Japan FW Akito Takagi
40 Japan FW Kunitomo Suzuki (on loan from Matsumoto Yamaga)
41 Japan MF Yuto Nakayama
42 Japan DF Yuya Takagi (on loan from Yokohama FC)
44 Japan GK Koji Yamada .
47 Japan FW Riyo Kawamoto
49 Japan MF Yu Tabei
50 Japan DF So Hirao

Out on loan

No. Position Player
24 Japan DF Yuya Mitsunaga (on loan at VONDS Ichihara)
Japan DF Hayato Abe (on loan at FC TIAMO Hirakata)
Japan MF Keita Toyama (on loan at FC TIAMO Hirakata)
Japan FW Kohei Shin (on loan at Ehime FC)
Japan FW Ryuichi Ichiki (on loan at Okinawa SV)

Coaching staff

Position Name
Manager Japan Tsuyoshi Otsuki
Assistant manager Japan Akira Mutou
First Team coach Japan Ken Hada
Japan Ryo Kobayashi
Goalkeeper coach Japan Hidetoyo Watanabe
Fitness coach Japan Yutaka Aoki
Japan Ryo Murakami
Japan Yutaka Yamamoto
Physical coach Japan Seijiro Ida
General Manager Japan Takumi Hara
Japan Riku Takahashi
Japan Ryota Osawa

Managerial history

Manager Nationality Tenure
Start Finish
Ratko Stevović  Montenegro 1995 1997
Naoki Kimura  Japan 1998 1999
Ratko Stevović  Montenegro 2000 2001
Ryōsuke Okuno  Japan 1 February 2002 31 January 2004
Satoshi Tezuka  Japan 1 January 2005 31 December 2005
Shigeharu Ueki  Japan 1 February 2006 31 January 2009
Tōru Sano  Japan 1 February 2009 31 January 2010
Hiroshi Soejima  Japan 1 February 2010 31 January 2013
Tadahiro Akiba  Japan 1 February 2013 31 January 2015
Hiroki Hattori  Japan 1 January 2015 31 December 2016
Hitoshi Morishita  Japan 1 February 2017 31 January 2018
Keiichirō Nuno  Japan 1 February 2018 31 January 2020
Ryōsuke Okuno  Japan 1 February 2020 4 July 2021
Kiyokazu Kudō  Japan 5 July 2021 31 January 2022
Tsuyoshi Otsuki  Japan 1 February 2022 Current

Kit evolution

Home kits - 1st
2003 - 2004
2005
2006 - 2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022 -
Away kits - 2nd
2003 - 2004
2005
2006 - 2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022 -

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Thespakusatsu Gunma para niños

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Thespakusatsu Gunma Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.