Vegalta Sendai facts for kids
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| Full name | Vegalta Sendai | ||
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| Founded | 1988 | ||
| Ground | Yurtec Stadium Sendai Izumi-ku, Sendai |
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| Capacity | 19,694 | ||
| Chairman | Hideki Itabashi | ||
| Manager | Yoshiro Moriyama | ||
| League | J2 League | ||
| 2022 | J2 League, 7th of 22 | ||
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Vegalta Sendai (ベガルタ仙台, Begaruta Sendai) is a professional football club from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. They play in the J2 League, which is Japan's second-highest professional football league.
Contents
Club History: From Power to Stars
Vegalta Sendai started in 1988 as the Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. Soccer Club. They joined the J-League in 1999. Before that, they were known as Brummell Sendai and played in the JFL.
The name "Vegalta" is special. It comes from the famous Tanabata festival in Sendai. The names of two stars from the Tanabata story, Vega and Altair, were combined to create "Vegalta".
Rising Through the Ranks
The team first moved up to Japan's top football league in 2002. However, they went back down to the second league the very next year. They worked hard and were promoted to the top league again for the 2010 season.
In 2011, even after a big earthquake and tsunami hit the region, Vegalta Sendai showed amazing strength. They finished 4th in the top division, which was their best result at that time.
The 2012 season was even more exciting! Vegalta Sendai was at the top of the league for most of the season. They finished in 2nd place, which is their highest position ever.
In 2018, Vegalta Sendai reached the final of the Emperor's Cup, a major football tournament. They played against Urawa Reds but lost 1-0.
After playing in the J1 League for twelve years, Vegalta Sendai moved back to the J2 League in 2022. This happened after they were relegated from J1 at the end of 2021. In the 2022 J2 League, they finished 7th and did not make it to the promotion play-offs. Ryang Yong-gi, a very important player for Sendai, retired at the end of the 2023 season.
For the 2024 season, Yoshiro Moriyama became the new manager. He is known for helping young players grow and develop.
Home Grounds: Where Vegalta Plays
Vegalta Sendai's main home stadium is Yurtec Stadium Sendai in Izumi-ku, Sendai. Sometimes, they also play home games at the nearby Miyagi Stadium.
Yurtec Stadium Sendai is considered one of the best stadiums in Japan. It's known for being comfortable and easy to get to. The Italian national football team even used it as their training base during the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Miyagi Stadium is also famous. It has hosted matches for the Japan national team and the Argentine national team during the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Fans and Friendly Rivalries
Like most football clubs, Vegalta Sendai fans love to sing and dance during matches. They have their own special songs, including "Take Me Home, Country Roads". They also play songs by bands like Toy Dolls, Blitzkrieg Bop, KISS, and Twisted Sister.
Since Sendai is the hometown of Hirohiko Araki, who created the famous manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, fans sometimes wave flags with characters from his manga!
Michinoku Derby: A Local Showdown
Vegalta Sendai has a traditional rivalry with Montedio Yamagata from Yamagata Prefecture. This rivalry started way back in 1991 when they played in the Tohoku Football League. This match is known as the Michinoku Derby.
Tohoku Derby: Regional Pride
The Tohoku Derby includes all the teams from the Tohoku region. The most important match in this derby is usually between Vegalta Sendai and Montedio Yamagata. Other teams that are part of this derby include Blaublitz Akita, Iwate Grulla Morioka, and Iwaki FC.
Club Achievements
Vegalta Sendai has won several honors throughout its history:
- Tohoku Soccer League
- 1994 (as Tohoku Electric Power)
- Japanese Regional Football League Competition
- 1994 (as Tohoku Electric Power)
- J.League Division 2
- 2009
Player Awards
Many players from Vegalta Sendai have won individual awards for their great performances:
- J. League Best Eleven
Wilson: 2012
- Valuable Player Award
Takuto Hayashi, Makoto Kakuda, Jiro Kamata: 2011- Takuto Hayashi, Taikai Uemoto, Makoto Kakuda, Jiro Kamata, Naoki Sugai,
Ryang Yong-gi, Shingo Akamine: 2012 
Simão Mate: 2019
- Individual Fair-Play award
- Yuichi Nemoto: 2003
- Ryang Yong-gi: 2011
- J.League Monthly MVP
- Shingo Akamine: 2014 (May)
- Simão Mate: 2019 (June)
- Ryoma Kida: 2022 (May)
- Monthly Best Manager
- Susumu Watanabe: 2019 (June)
- Masato Harasaki: 2022 (May)
- Monthly Best Goal
- Ryang Yong-gi: 2015
- Crislan: 2017
- J.League Cup Award
- Takuma Nishimura: 2017
- TAG Heuer YOUNG GUNS Award
- Takuma Nishimura: 2017
- Ko Itakura: 2018
- J.League Cup Top Scorer
- Crislan: 2017
- J2 League Top Scorer
- Meritorious Player Award
- Norio Omura: 2009
- Atsushi Yanagisawa: 2015
- Hisato Satō: 2021
- Makoto Kakuda, Naoki Ishihara, Yoshiki Takahashi: 2022
- Shingo Tomita, Shingo Akamine: 2023
Team Players
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
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Famous Players and Coaches
Many talented players and coaches have been part of Vegalta Sendai:
- Edmar (1995–1997)
Pierre Littbarski (1996–1997)- Frank Ordenewitz (1996)
Branko Elsner (1997)- Teruo Iwamoto (2001–2003)
- Hajime Moriyasu (2002–2003)
- Zdenko Verdenik (2003–2004)
- Ryang Yong-gi (2004–2019, 2022–2023)
Goce Sedloski (2004)- Joel Santana (2006)
- Thiago Neves (2006)
- Humberlito Borges (2006)
- Makoto Teguramori (2008–2013, 2021)
- Atsushi Yanagisawa (2011–2014)
Graham Arnold (2014)
Danny Vukovic (2014)
Michael McGlinchey (2014)- Daniel Schmidt (2014–2019)
- Takuma Nishimura (2015–2018, 2020–2021)
- Ko Itakura (2018)
- Simão Mate Junior (2019–2021)
International Players and Managers
Some players and managers from Vegalta Sendai have also played or coached for their national teams in big tournaments.
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- EAFF E-1 Football Championship
- 2015
- Yuji Rokutan (2015–2016)
- 2022
- Takuma Nishimura (2015–2018, 2020–2021)
- Hajime Moriyasu
※Winner
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- AFC U-23 Asian Cup
- 2016
- Makoto Teguramori
※Winner
- 2020
- Graham Arnold
※3rd place
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- Toulon Tournament (U-22)
- 2019
- Keiya Shiihashi (2016–2020)
※Runner up,Best XI
Club Staff
Here are the main staff members for Vegalta Sendai for the 2024 season:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Yoshiro Moriyama |
| First-team coach | Koichiro Katafuchi Akira Konno Yōsuke Nishi |
| Goalkeeper coach | Motoki Ueda |
| Physical coach | Makoto Muraoka |
| Analyst & coach | Takuma Deguchi |
| Chief trainer | Yakuya Matsuda |
| Trainer | Tomoki Takeda Taisuke Ikoma |
| Physiotherapist | Masaaki Taira |
| Interpreter | Rodrigo Simões |
| Competent | Shinya Naganuma |
| Deputy officer | Yutaro Miura Hiroki Ito |
Club Managers Through the Years
Here is a list of the managers who have led Vegalta Sendai:
| Manager | Nationality | Time as Manager | |
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| Start date | Finish date | ||
| Takekazu Suzuki |  Japan |
1 July 1990 | 31 December 1995 |
| Choei Sato | Japan |
1 January 1996 | 31 December 1996 |
| Branko Elsner | Slovenia |
1 February 1997 | 31 December 1997 |
| Toshiya Miura | Japan |
1 January 1998 | 31 January 1998 |
| Takekazu Suzuki | Japan |
1 February 1998 | 24 July 1999 |
| Hidehiko Shimizu | Japan |
27 July 1999 | 14 September 2003 |
| Hajime Ishii | Japan |
15 September 2003 | 20 September 2003 |
| Zdenko Verdenik | Slovenia |
21 September 2003 | 31 December 2004 |
| Satoshi Tsunami | Japan |
1 January 2005 | 30 November 2005 |
| Joel Santana | Brazil |
1 December 2005 | 31 December 2006 |
| Tatsuya Mochizuki | Japan |
1 January 2007 | 31 December 2007 |
| Makoto Teguramori | Japan |
1 February 2008 | 14 November 2013 |
| Graham Arnold | Australia |
14 November 2013 | 9 April 2014 |
| Susumu Watanabe | Japan |
10 April 2014 | 31 January 2020 |
| Takashi Kiyama | Japan |
1 February 2020 | 31 January 2021 |
| Makoto Teguramori | Japan |
1 February 2021 | 22 November 2021 |
| Masato Harasaki | Japan |
23 November 2021 | 5 September 2022 |
| Akira Ito | Japan |
6 September 2022 | 12 July 2023 |
| Takafumi Hori | Japan |
13 July 2023 | 13 November 2023 |
| Yoshiro Moriyama | Japan |
1 January 2024 | Current |
Mascots and Cheerleaders
Meet the Mascots
- VEGATTA (The Brother)
- Vegatta is a very popular mascot! He has won the "J League mascot general election" many times.
- He is an eagle, which is a symbol of victory in Greek stories. The eagle is also linked to the Aquila constellation, where the star Hikoboshi (Altair) is found. This star is part of the story behind the club's name.
- Vegatta has his own social media (BLOG, Twitter) where he shares daily updates. Fans love his playful personality!
- LTAANA (The Sister)
- Ltaana's name comes from the "Sendai Tanabata" festival, which inspired the team's name. "Luta" comes from Vega (Orihime) and Altair (Hikoboshi), and "Tana" comes from Tanabata.
- Her birthday is August 7th, the date of the Tanabata festival.
- When Vegalta wins a match, she shares her excitement on her Twitter page!
The Vegalta Cheerleaders
The Vegalta Cheerleaders are a group that supports Vegalta Sendai. They also take part in many local events. They have been cheering for the team since 2003, making them the longest-running cheerleading group for a professional sports team in Sendai. They work to support people in the area who are doing their best.
Memorable Matches
Two of Vegalta Sendai's games have been chosen as "games I want to see again" on the J League's official YouTube channel. One of these was also picked as one of the "10 Best Matches" by J Chronicle Best and the "Best Match" of the J30 Best Awards.
J Chronicle Best
This project celebrated the J.League's 20th anniversary in 2013. It chose the "Best Eleven" (best team), "Best Goal," and "Best Match" from the league's first 20 years. The two games mentioned below are often called legendary games in the media.
J30 BEST AWARDS
This award ceremony was held in 2023 to celebrate the J.League's 30th anniversary. It recognized the "MVP," "Best Eleven," "Best Goal," "Best Match," and "Best Scene" from the past 30 years.
A reporter for a famous Japanese football magazine, "Soccer Digest," also picked these two games as "the best 3 selected J.League matches." Yoshiaki Ota from Sendai, who scored a tying goal against Kawasaki, said, "I think it was a goal that everyone worked together, including the thoughts of my teammates."
- The names of the teams and stadiums are as they were at the time of the match.
| Game | Date/Stadium | Overview | Match data | |
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| ① | 2001 J League Division 2 Round 44
Kyoto Purple Sanga FC 0-1 Vegalta Sendai |
November 18, 2001
Takebishi Stadium Kyoto |
This was the exciting match where Vegalta Sendai earned their first promotion to the J1 League. It was a direct competition between Kyoto (leader) and Sendai (3rd place) in the final game of the season. This win made them the first club from the Tohoku region to reach J1. | Official record: https://data.j-league.or.jp/SFMS02/?match_card_id=6203 |
| ② | 2011 J League Division 1 Round 7
Kawasaki Frontale 1-2 Vegalta Sendai |
April 23, 2011
Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium |
This was the first game after the league was paused because of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Vegalta Sendai, whose club was badly affected, came from behind to win. It was their first victory at Todoroki Stadium. | Official record: https://data.j-league.or.jp/SFMS02/?match_card_id=13296 |
Playing in Asia
Vegalta Sendai played in the AFC Champions League (ACL) for the first time in 2013. This tournament involved many challenges, like long trips, a busy schedule with the J.League, and different climates. However, they played well, not losing in the cold weather of Nanjing or the hot weather of Thailand. They even had a chance to move forward in the tournament until the very last game.
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
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| 2013 | AFC Champions League | Group E |  Buriram United |
1–1 | 1–1 | 4th |
 Jiangsu Sainty |
1–2 | 0–0 | ||||
 FC Seoul |
1–0 | 2–1 |
Vegalta House: Helping the Community
The "Shichigashuku Town's Empty House Revitalization Project: Let's Build a Vegalta House" started in July 2021. This project received support from 143 people through crowdfunding and involved 78 local workers. It's a social project that helps the community. It aligns with Goal 11 ("Sustainable cities and communities") and Goal 17 ("Partnership for the goals") of the SDGs.
Images for kids
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The official logo of Vegalta Sendai
See also
In Spanish: Vegalta Sendai para niños
