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Ventforet Kofu
ヴァンフォーレ甲府
Ventforet Kofu logo.svg
Full name Ventforet Kofu Football Club
Nickname(s) Ventforet
Short name VFK
Founded 1965; 60 years ago (1965) as Kofu Club
Stadium JIT Recycle Ink Stadium, Kōfu
Stadium
capacity		 17,000
Chairman Kazuyuki Umino
Manager Yoshiyuki Shinoda
League J2 League
2022 J2 League, 18th of 22

Ventforet Kofu (ヴァンフォーレ甲府, Vanfōre Kōfu) is a professional football club from Kōfu, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. They play in the J2 League, which is Japan's second-highest football division. Their home games are held at the JIT Recycle Ink Stadium in Kōfu.

Ventforet Kofu has won one J2 League title and one Emperor's Cup in their history.

What Does "Ventforet" Mean?

The name "Ventforet" comes from two French words: "vent" (meaning wind) and "forêt" (meaning forest). This name is a nod to a famous saying, Fū-rin-ka-zan (風林火山). This phrase was used by Takeda Shingen, a powerful leader from Kōfu during the Sengoku period.

The saying has four parts:

  • As swift as the wind
  • As silent as a forest
  • As fierce as fire
  • As unmoving as a mountain

Club History: From Kofu Club to Ventforet

Early Days as Kofu Club (1965–1994)

The club started in 1965 as Kofu Club. It was formed by former students from Kofu Dai-ichi High School. They wanted to join the top Japanese football league. Unlike many clubs back then, Kofu Club was run by volunteers. Most other clubs were owned by big companies.

Kofu Club joined the new JSL Division 2 in 1972. They played there until 1992. Then, they became a founding member of the first Japan Football League.

Becoming Ventforet Kofu (1995–Present)

In 1995, the club changed its name to Ventforet Kofu. They joined the J.League Division 2 when it started in 1999. The years between 1999 and 2001 were tough. The team had money problems and lost many games. They even lost twenty-five games in a row! Ventforet finished last for three seasons in a row. People even called them the "Excess baggage of J2."

Things got better in 2002. In 2005, Ventforet finished third. They won the promotion play-offs against Kashiwa Reysol. This win moved them up to Japan's top division! However, they were sent back down to J2 in 2007.

At the end of 2010, the team was promoted again. Even with their star striker Mike Havenaar, they were relegated (sent down) again in 2011. But they bounced back quickly! In 2012, Ventforet Kofu became champions of J2. This was their first championship ever! They stayed in J.League 1 until 2017.

Winning the Emperor's Cup (2022)

Ventforet Kofu played in the 2022 Emperor's Cup. They started in the second round. They beat teams from the top division, like Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Sagan Tosu. This was a big deal because they had never made it past the quarter-finals before. They then beat Avispa Fukuoka and Kashima Antlers to reach their first-ever Emperor's Cup Final!

In the final, they faced Sanfrecce Hiroshima, a strong J1 team. Kazushi Mitsuhira scored for Kofu. Sanfrecce tied the game late, and it went to a penalty shootout. Hideomi Yamamoto, who was 42 years old, scored the winning penalty! Ventforet Kofu became Emperor's Cup champions for the first time. They were only the fourth J2 team to win this cup. This win meant they would play in the 2023–24 AFC Champions League, even though they were in the second division!

Playing in the AFC Champions League (2023)

On September 20, 2023, Ventforet Kofu played their first-ever 2023–24 AFC Champions League match. They tied 0–0 against Australian team Melbourne City. This earned them their first point in the competition. On October 4, 2023, they got their first Champions League win! Motoki Hasegawa scored late against Thai champions Buriram United, winning 1–0.

On December 12, 2023, Ventforet Kofu made history. They beat Buriram United again (3–2) and moved on to the Round of 16. This was the first time a team from a nation's second division qualified for the knockout stage! They then played against Korean giants Ulsan Hyundai. Ventforet Kofu was knocked out after losing 5–1 over two games.

2023–24 AFC Champions League - Group H

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

League and Cup Performance

Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
League J.League
Cup		 Emperor's
Cup		 AFC Champions League
Year Division Tier Pos. P W D L F A GD Pts Attendance/G
1992 former JFL
Div. 2		 3 5th 18 9 1 8 26 29 -3 28 Not eligible Not eligible
1993 9th 18 6 - 12 15 37 -22 -
1994 former
JFL		 2 14th 30 9 - 21 36 74 -38 - 2nd round
1995 9th 30 14 - 16 54 54 0 43
1996 11th 30 11 - 19 50 56 -6 33 2nd round
1997 6th 30 19 - 11 59 41 18 52 3rd round
1998 4th 30 22 - 8 74 40 34 59 4th round
1999 J2 2 10th 36 5 4 27 32 85 -53 18 1,469 1st round 2nd round
2000 11th 40 5 3 32 31 84 -53 18 1,850 1st round 4th round
2001 12th 44 8 2 34 38 98 -60 25 3,130 1st round 3rd round
2002 7th 44 16 10 18 51 55 -4 58 4,914 Not eligible 3rd round
2003 5th 44 19 12 13 58 46 12 69 5,796 3rd round
2004 7th 44 15 13 16 51 46 5 58 6,370 4th round
2005 3rd 44 19 12 13 78 64 14 69 6,931 4th round
2006 J1 1 15th 34 12 6 15 42 64 -22 42 12,211 Group Stage Quarter Finals
2007 17th 34 7 6 21 33 65 -32 27 13,734 Quarter Finals 5th round
2008 J2 2 7th 42 15 14 13 56 47 9 59 10,354 Not eligible 4th round
2009 4th 51 28 13 10 76 46 30 97 11,059 4th round
2010 2nd 36 19 13 4 71 40 31 70 12,431 3rd round
2011 J1 1 16th 34 9 19 6 42 63 -21 33 12,106 1st round 3rd round
2012 J2 2 1st 42 24 4 14 63 35 28 86 10,407 2nd round
2013 J1 1 15th 34 8 13 13 30 41 -11 37 12,614 Group Stage Quarter Finals
2014 13th 34 9 11 14 27 31 -4 41 12,171 Group Stage Round of 16
2015 13th 34 10 17 7 26 43 -17 37 11,612 Group Stage 4th round
2016 14th 34 7 17 10 32 58 -26 31 10,833 Group Stage 2nd round
2017 16th 34 7 16 11 23 39 -16 32 10,829 Group Stage 2nd round
2018 J2 2 9th 42 16 15 11 56 46 10 59 7,384 Quarter Finals Quarter Finals
2019 5th 42 20 11 11 64 40 24 71 8,273 Not eligible Quarter Finals
2020 † 4th 42 16 17 9 50 41 9 65 2,485 Did not qualify
2021 † 3rd 42 23 11 8 65 38 27 80 4,325 2nd round
2022 18th 42 11 15 16 47 54 -7 48 4,930 Winner
2023 8th 42 18 10 14 60 50 10 64 7,485 Round of 16 Round of 16
2024 14th 38 12 9 17 54 57 -3 45 8,274 Quarter final 2nd round
2025 TBA 38 TBD TBD
Key
* Pos. = Position in league; P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goal scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points gained
  • † 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
  • Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
  • Source: J.League Data Site

Club Achievements (Honours)

Ventforet Kofu honours
Honour No. Years
Kantō Soccer League 2 1969, 1970
J2 League 1 2012
Emperor's Cup 1 2022

Where Ventforet Kofu Has Played (League History)

  • Kanto League: 1967–71 (as Kofu Club)
  • Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1972–91 (as Kofu Club)
  • Division 3 (former JFL Div. 2): 1992–93 (as Kofu Club)
  • Division 2 (former JFL): 1994–98 (Kofu Club until 1994, Ventforet Kofu since 1995)
  • Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 1999–05
  • Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 2006–07
  • Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2008–10
  • Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 2011
  • Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2012
  • Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 2013–2017
  • Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2018–

Current Team Squad

No. Position Player
1 Japan GK Kohei Kawata
3 South Korea DF Taiga Son
4 Japan DF Hideomi Yamamoto
6 Japan MF Iwana Kobayashi (vice-captain)
7 Japan MF Sho Araki (vice-captain)
8 Japan MF Kosuke Taketomi
9 Japan FW Kazushi Mitsuhira
10 Japan MF Yoshiki Torikai
11 Brazil FW Macula
13 Japan FW Yukito Murakami
14 Japan MF Riku Nakayama
15 Japan FW Riku Iijima
16 Japan MF Koya Hayashida
18 Japan MF Naoto Misawa
19 Japan FW Jumma Miyazaki
21 Brazil MF Renato Augusto
23 Japan DF Masahiro Sekiguchi (captain)
No. Position Player
24 Japan DF Takahiro Iida (on loan from Kyoto Sanga)
26 Japan MF Kazuhiro Sato
29 Japan DF Kaito Kamiya
30 Japan FW Kotatsu Kumakura DSP
31 Japan GK Kakeru Miyashita Type 2
32 South Korea GK Koh Bong-jo (on loan from Sagan Tosu)
33 Japan GK Kodai Yamauchi
34 Japan MF Takuto Kimura (on loan from Yokohama F. Marinos)
35 Japan DF Taiju Ichinose DSP
40 Brazil DF Eduardo Mancha
41 Japan MF Miki Inoue
44 Japan FW Yamato Naito
51 Brazil MF Adaílton
88 Japan GK Tsubasa Shibuya
99 Nigeria FW Peter Utaka

Players on Loan

No. Position Player
20 Japan MF Hikaru Endo (at Tegevajaro Miyazaki)
22 Japan DF Riku Nozawa (at FC Gifu)
No. Position Player
28 Japan FW Hayata Mizuno (at Iwate Grulla Morioka)

Club Staff and Coaches

Position Name
Manager Japan Yoshiyuki Shinoda
Assistant managers Japan Shinji Otsuka
Japan Katsutomo Oshiba
Japan Yuji Yokoyama
Goalkeeper coach Japan Yuji Nakagawa
Physical coach Brazil José Fernando
Analysis coach Japan Yoshiki Hara
Japan Kanta Yonekura
Chief trainer Japan Hiroaki Maeda
Trainer Japan Masaya Tanaka
Japan Taku Hirai
Physiotherapist Japan Taiki Saito
Athletic trainer Japan Shigeru Asahina
Competent Japan Yoshiki Tsuruta
Side affairs Japan Tetsuro Ajisawa
Interpreter Japan Bruno Iwasaki

Who Has Managed the Team? (Managerial History)

Manager Nationality Tenure
Start Finish
Susumu Katsumata  Japan 1 January 1994 31 January 1995
Yūji Tsukada  Japan 1 February 1995 31 January 1999
Susumu Katsumata  Japan 1 February 1999 31 January 2000
Yūji Tsukada  Japan 1 February 2000 31 January 2001
Luis dos Reis  Brazil 1 February 2001 31 January 2002
Takeshi Ōki  Japan 1 February 2002 31 January 2003
Hideki Matsunaga  Japan 1 February 2003 31 January 2005
Takeshi Ōki  Japan 1 February 2005 31 January 2008
Takayoshi Amma  Japan 1 February 2008 31 January 2010
Kazuo Uchida  Japan 1 February 2010 31 January 2011
Toshiya Miura  Japan 1 February 2011 7 August 2011
Satoru Sakuma  Japan 8 August 2011 31 December 2011
Hiroshi Jōfuku  Japan 1 February 2012 31 January 2015
Yasuhiro Higuchi  Japan 1 February 2015 13 May 2015
Satoru Sakuma  Japan 13 May 2015 31 December 2016
Tatsuma Yoshida  Japan 1 February 2017 30 April 2018
Nobuhiro Ueno  Japan 1 May 2018 31 January 2019
Akira Itō  Japan 1 February 2019 31 January 2022
Tatsuma Yoshida  Japan 1 February 2022 31 January 2023
Yoshiyuki Shinoda  Japan 1 February 2023 Current

Team Uniforms Over the Years (Kit Evolution)

Home kits - 1st
1999 - 2000
2001 - 2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007 - 2008
2009 - 2010
2011-2012
2013 - 2014
2015 - 2016
2017 - 2018
2019 - 2020
2021
2022
2023
2024 -
Away kits - 2nd
1999 - 2000
2001 - 2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007 - 2008
2009 - 2010
2011 - 2012
2013 - 2014
2015 - 2016
2017 - 2018
2019 - 2020
2021
2022
2023
2024 -
Third kits
2015 Summer
2016 Summer
2017 Summer
2018 Summer
2019 Summer
2020
Summer
2021
Summer
2022
Limited
Special for Champions League
Home
Special for Champions League
Away
2024
SUMMER
Vivid × Vital

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ventforet Kofu para niños

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