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This article is about the men's football club based in Japan. For the women's team, see Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima
サンフレッチェ広島
Full nameSanfrecce Hiroshima F.C
Nickname(s)Sanfrecce, Sanfre, Viola
Founded1938; 86 years ago (1938) as Toyo Kogyo SC
Ground Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima
Capacity28,520
OwnerEDION
Mazda
ChairmanShingo Senda
Manager Michael Skibbe
League J1 League
2023J1 League, 3rd of 18
Website Club website
Current season

Sanfrecce Hiroshima ( Japanese: サンフレッチェ広島, romanized: Sanfuretche Hiroshima) is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiroshima. The club competes in the J1 League, top flight of the Japanese football league system. Sanfrecce is one of the most successful clubs in Japan. The club is the joint fourth in most J1 League titles with three, the joint first in most top-flight titles (which includes the defunct Japan Soccer League), with eight, and the club with the most participations in Emperor's Cup finals, with 15.

Sanfreece have won 3 J1 League title, 3 Emperor's Cup, 1 J.League Cup and 4 Japanese Super Cup. Internationally, the club has made two appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup with their most recent appearance being in the 2015 edition.

History

As Mazda team

1965 Inaugural League Champion. Hiroyuki Kuwahara and Yasuyuki Kuwahara are brothers.

The club was a former company team of Toyo Kogyo Soccer Club (東洋工業サッカー部) in 1938 and played in the semi-professional Japan Soccer League.

The club was an original founder ("Original Eight" [a]) of the now-disbanded Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965. They dominated the JSL's early years, winning the title 4 times in a row – a feat that was later equaled by Yomiuri SC/Verdy Kawasaki. The name change was made at Mazda SC (マツダSC) in 1981. When JSL disbanded and became the J.League in 1992, it dropped the company name and became "Sanfrecce Hiroshima". Alongside JEF United Ichihara Chiba and Urawa Red Diamonds they co-founded both leagues ("Original Ten" [b]).

During the 1969 season they participated in the Asian Club Cup, forerunner to today's AFC Champions League; at the time, the tournament was done in a single locale (in that year it was Bangkok, Thailand), and they ended up in third place, the first participation of a Japanese club in the continental tournament. This also cost them the league title to Mitsubishi/Urawa, and although they won another title in 1970, since then the club has been out of the running for the title, with exceptional seasons such as 1994 when they won runner-up.

1960s

The Toyo Industries that became the first JSL champions also completed the first double by taking the Emperor's Cup. They were also the first of three " Invincibles", undefeated champion clubs in Japan (the others were Mitsubishi in 1969 and Yamaha in 1987–88), although only Toyo completed a double.

Matsumoto, Ogi, and Yasuyuki Kuwahara went on to win the 1968 Olympic bronze medal for the national team.

2000s

In 2002, Sanfrecce became the first former stage winner (first stage, 1994) to be relegated to the lower division, J2. But it only spent a year there, finishing second the very next season to regain promotion back to J1. The club finished 16th in the 2007 season and were relegated to J.League Division 2 after they were beaten by Kyoto Sanga in the promotion/relegation play-off. In 2008 they nevertheless won the J2 title at the first attempt, having 84 points (a difference of 25 points with the runner-up clubs) with six matches left.

By virtue of earning fourth place in the 2009 season and Gamba Osaka retaining the Emperor's Cup, Sanfrecce qualified for the Asian Champions League, where they were knocked out in the group phase.

On 24 November 2012, Sanfrecce defeated Cerezo Osaka 4–1 to seal their first ever J.League Division 1 title. [1] [2]

On 7 December 2013, Sanfrecce defeated Kashima Antlers 2–0, securing their second J.League Division 1 title following a thrilling finish to the season which saw first-place Yokohama F. Marinos losing their final league game, handing Sanfrecce the title. With their second consecutive title win, Sanfrecce became the second club to successfully defend their crown since Kashima Antlers in 2009.

2015 proved to be a great year for Sanfrecce, finishing 1st in the 2nd half of the season, then finishing 1st overall, just 2 points above Urawa Red Diamonds, to qualify and represent Japan in that year's FIFA Club World Cup. They would finish 3rd, after winning, 2–1, against Chinese side Guanzhou Evergrande in the 3rd place match.

In 2018, after Sanfrecce progressively trailing towards a J1 title, as it led the standings after Round 5, the club fell down to 2nd-place at the end of the season. The club saw Kawasaki Frontale win the league as Sanfrecce lost four of their last five league matches.

In 2022, the club was relieved to experience another good season, under the management of newly appointed German coach Michael Skibbe. Underrated by many because of the previous season, the club fought for the title at every competition it played until the very end. The Violas finished 3rd place at the J1 League, as runners-up to J2 club Ventforet Kofu in the Emperor's Cup final, and as J.League Cup champions. The J.League Cup was won in dramatic fashion against Cerezo Osaka, as the club managed to comeback from a 1–0 loss with two goals scored by mid-season Cypriot signing Pieros Sotiriou. Both goals came very late in the match, being scored at the 96th and 101st minute of the match, during the added time of the second half. For his efforts to make the team competitive at every competition Sanfrecce partook in, Skibbe won J.League Manager of the Year, the club's 4th Manager of the Year title.

Affiliated clubs

On 15 August 2021, Sanfreece Hiroshima sign partnership with German Bundesliga side, 1.FC Köln where both club are building up their international relations and have entered a co-operation with J.League club Sanfrecce for the coming two-and-a-half years. The partnership will centre on Sport and Management. The co-operation sees the Germany side continue its internationalisation strategy, which is an important part of the Matchplan.

In the sporting sector, the co-operation includes coaching courses, training camp and intensive discussions surrounding the youth academy and scouting at both clubs have set themselves the goal that they should be amongst the best clubs in the league at academy level. As for the management side of the partnership, seminars are planned in Hiroshima and Köln, where those in charge of departments from both clubs will come together to work on a strategy going forward.

Club name

The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese word for three, San and the Italian word frecce, which means 'arrows'. This is based on the story of the feudal lord Mōri Motonari who told his three sons that while a single arrow might be easily snapped, three arrows held together would not be broken and urged them to work for the good of the clan and its retainers. [4]

Former names

  • 1938–70: Toyo Kogyo Shukyu Club (東洋工業蹴球部)
    • 1943–46: Football was suspended during the period, due to the Pacific War.
  • 1971–80: Toyo Kogyo Soccer Club (東洋工業サッカー部)
  • 1981–83: Mazda Sports Club Toyo Kogyo Soccer Club (マツダスポーツクラブ東洋工業サッカー部)
  • 1984–85: Mazda Sports Club Soccer Club (マツダスポーツクラブサッカー部)
  • 1986–92: Mazda Soccer Club (マツダサッカークラブ)

Home stadium

Sanfreece Hiroshima former stadium

The club's home town is Hiroshima and the side plays at EDION Stadium Hiroshima and Hiroshima Prefectural Stadium. It holds training sessions at Yoshida Soccer Park in Akitakata, Hiroshima and Hiroshima 1st Ball Park until 2023. It has a capacity of 36,894.

Sanfrecce moved to a new stadium in 2024, which has been named Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima. Construction started 2021. Sanfrecce's first competitive match at the new stadium was against Urawa Red Diamonds on 23 February 2024, which attracted an attendance of 27,545 [5]

Kit and colours

Colours

The main colour of Sanfrecce Hiroshima is purple.

Kit evolution

Players

For a list of all former and current Sanfrecce Hiroshima players with a Wikipedia article, see Category:Sanfrecce Hiroshima players.

Current squad

As of 12 April 2024. [6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Japan  JPN Keisuke Osako
3 DF Japan  JPN Taichi Yamasaki
4 DF Japan  JPN Hayato Araki
5 MF Japan  JPN Hiroya Matsumoto
6 MF Japan  JPN Toshihiro Aoyama
7 MF Japan  JPN Gakuto Notsuda
8 MF Japan  JPN Takumu Kawamura
9 FW Brazil  BRA Douglas Vieira
10 MF Brazil  BRA Marcos Júnior
11 FW Japan  JPN Makoto Mitsuta
13 DF Japan  JPN Naoto Arai
14 MF Japan  JPN Taishi Matsumoto
15 DF Japan  JPN Shuto Nakano
16 DF Japan  JPN Takaaki Shichi
17 MF Brazil  BRA Ezequiel
18 MF Japan  JPN Yoshifumi Kashiwa
19 DF Japan  JPN Sho Sasaki ( captain)
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 FW Cyprus  CYP Pieros Sotiriou
21 GK Japan  JPN Yudai Tanaka
22 GK Japan  JPN Goro Kawanami
24 MF Japan  JPN Shunki Higashi
25 MF Japan  JPN Yusuke Chajima
27 DF Japan  JPN Osamu Henry Iyoha
31 DF Japan  JPN Shota Kofie Type 2
32 MF Japan  JPN Sota Koshimichi
33 DF Japan  JPN Tsukasa Shiotani
34 MF Japan  JPN Kohei Hosoya
35 MF Japan  JPN Yotaro Nakajima
36 FW Japan  JPN Aren Inoue Type 2
39 GK Japan  JPN Haruto Usui (on loan from Matsumoto Yamaga)
40 MF Japan  JPN Motoki Ohara
51 FW Japan  JPN Mutsuki Kato
77 FW Japan  JPN Yuki Ohashi
— GK Japan  JPN Cailen Hill DSP

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF Japan  JPN Jelani Reshaun Sumiyoshi (at Shimizu S-Pulse)
— MF Japan  JPN Kodai Dohi (at Tochigi SC)
— MF Japan  JPN Taishi Semba (at Fagiano Okayama)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW Japan  JPN Ryo Tanada (at Iwaki FC)
— FW Japan  JPN Shun Ayukawa (at Oita Trinita)

Sanfrecce Hiroshima U-18

As of 16 April 2024.

The main U-18 team of Sanfrecce Hiroshima currently plays in the Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League, the top-flight league for U-18 clubs in the country. Only the registered players for the competition will be displayed. [7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Japan  JPN Shunsuke Sawada
2 DF Japan  JPN Yutaro Aoi
3 DF Japan  JPN Fuga Kotani
4 DF Japan  JPN Shota Kofie
5 MF Japan  JPN Hiroto Ukai
6 MF Japan  JPN Hinata Hashimoto
7 MF Japan  JPN Ayuki Masutani
8 MF Japan  JPN Akashi Inoue
9 FW Japan  JPN Aren Inoue
10 MF Japan  JPN Yotaro Nakajima
11 FW Japan  JPN Arashi Daijomen
12 FW Japan  JPN Soma Hiroshige
13 FW Japan  JPN Moki Sota
14 MF Japan  JPN Shimon Kobayashi
15 DF Japan  JPN Shunta Hayashi
16 GK Japan  JPN Hikaru Ogawa
17 FW Japan  JPN Haruto Doikawa
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF Japan  JPN Kenshin Yamazato
19 DF Japan  JPN Tsukasa Kodama
20 DF Japan  JPN Kota Nozaki
21 GK Japan  JPN Kaito Noro
22 DF Japan  JPN Taiga Umeda
23 MF Japan  JPN Seimei Naganuma
24 MF Japan  JPN Minato Hara
25 FW Japan  JPN Leedo Mori
26 MF Japan  JPN Satsuki Kawkami
27 FW Japan  JPN Ryojiro Nobushige
28 MF Japan  JPN Rento Noguchi
29 DF Japan  JPN Hiroto Ota
30 FW Japan  JPN Rio Kikuyama
31 GK Japan  JPN Manato Yamada
32 FW Japan  JPN Taiga Makino
33 MF Japan  JPN Ryoya Asanuma
34 DF Japan  JPN Shu Koyanagi

Club official

For the 2024 season.

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

Honours

As Toyo Kogyo SC and Mazda SC (amateur era) as well as Sanfrecce Hiroshima (professional era)

League

Cups

Winners (1): 2022

Personnel awards

Domestic

International

Continental record

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2010 AFC Champions League Group H China Shandong Luneng 0–1 3–2 3rd
South Korea Pohang Steelers 4–3 1–2
Australia Adelaide United 1–0 2–3
2013 AFC Champions League Group G Uzbekistan Bunyodkor 0–2 0–0 4th
China Beijing Guoan 0–0 1–2
South Korea Pohang Steelers 0–1 1–1
2014 AFC Champions League Group F China Beijing Guoan 1–1 2–2 2nd
Australia Central Coast Mariners 1–0 1–2
South Korea FC Seoul 2–1 2–2
Round of 16 Australia Western Sydney Wanderers 3–1 0–2 3–3 ( a)
2016 AFC Champions League Group F China Shandong Luneng 1–2 0–1 3rd
South Korea FC Seoul 2–1 1–4
Thailand Buriram United 3–0 2–0
2019 AFC Champions League Play-off round Thailand Chiangrai United 0–0 ( a.e.t.)
(4–3 p)
Group F China Guangzhou Evergrande 1–0 0–2 1st
Australia Melbourne Victory 2–1 3–1
South Korea Daegu FC 2–0 1–0
Round of 16 Japan Kashima Antlers 3–2 0–1 3–3 ( a)

Managers

Manager Nationality Tenure Club Assistant coach
Yoshiki Yamazaki   Japan 1938–42, 1947–50 Toyo Kogyo —
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 Germany Eckhard Krautzun (August – September 1983)
Kazuo Imanishi   Japan 1984–87 Netherlands Hans Ooft (1984–87)
Netherlands Dido Havenaar (1986–87)
Hans Ooft   Netherlands 1987–88 Netherlands Dido Havenaar (1987–88)
Kazuo Imanishi   Japan 1988–92 England Bill Foulkes (1988–91)
Stuart Baxter   Scotland 1 July 1992 – 31 January 1995 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sweden Jan Jönsson (1993–94)
Wim Jansen   Netherlands 1 February 1996 – 31 January 1997 —
Eddie Thomson   Scotland 1 February 1997 – 31 January 2001 Scotland Tom Sermanni (1997–98)
Valeri Nepomniachi   Russia 1 February 2001 – 17 December 2001 —
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 Serbia Ranko Popović (2006–07)
Hajime Moriyasu   Japan 1 January 2012 – 4 July 2017 —
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 Japan Shinya Sakoi (2022–present)

Record as J.League member

Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
Season Div. Teams Pos. Attendance/G J.League
Cup		 Emperor's
Cup		 AFC CL FIFA CWC
1992 – – – – Group stage 2nd round Did not qualify Did not qualify
1993 J1 10 5th 16,644 Group stage Semi-finals
1994 12 2nd 17,191 1st round Quarter-finals
1995 14 10th 11,689 – Runners up
1996 16 14th 8,469 Group stage Runners up
1997 17 12th 6,533 Group stage Round of 16
1998 18 10th 8,339 Group stage Quarter-finals
1999 16 8th 9,377 2nd round Runners up
2000 16 11th 8,865 2nd round Round of 16
2001 16 9th 9,916 Quarter-finals Round of 16
2002 16 15th 10,941 Group stage Semi-finals
2003 J2 12 2nd 9,000 – Round of 16
2004 J1 16 12th 14,800 Group stage 4th round
2005 18 7th 12,527 Group stage Round of 16
2006 18 10th 11,180 Group stage Round of 16
2007 18 16th 11,423 Quarter-finals Runners up
2008 J2 15 1st 10,840 – Quarter-finals
2009 J1 18 4th 15,723 Group stage 3rd round
2010 18 7th 14,562 Runners up 3rd round Group stage
2011 18 7th 13,203 1st round 3rd round –
2012 18 1st 17,721 Group stage 2nd round 5th place
2013 18 1st 16,209 Quarter-finals Runners up Group stage Not eligible
2014 18 8th 14,997 Runners up Round of 16 Round of 16
2015 18 1st 16,382 Group stage Quarter-finals – 3rd Place
2016 18 6th 15,464 Quarter-finals Quarter-finals Group stage Not eligible
2017 18 15th 14,042 Play-off stage Round of 16 –
2018 18 2nd 14,346 Group stage Round of 16
2019 18 6th 13,886 Quarter-finals Round of 16 Round of 16
2020 † 18 8th 4,545 Group stage Did not qualify -
2021 † 20 11th 5,920 Group stage 2nd round
2022 18 3rd 10,493 Winners Runners-up
2023 18 3rd 16,128 Group stage 3rd round
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

Total (as of 2022): 51 seasons in the top tier and 7 seasons in the second tier.

Notes

  1. ^ The Original Eight of the Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965 were Mitsubishi, Furukawa, Hitachi, Yanmar, Toyo Industries, Yahata Steel, Toyota Industries and Nagoya Mutual Bank.
  2. ^ The Original Ten of the J.League in 1992 were Kashima Antlers, Urawa Red Diamonds, JEF United Ichihara, Verdy Kawasaki, Yokohama Marinos, Yokohama Flügels, Shimizu S-Pulse, Nagoya Grampus Eight, Gamba Osaka and Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

References

  1. ^ "SOCCER/ Hiroshima capture first J-League title – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun". Ajw.asahi.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  2. ^ "Hiroshima capture first J-League title | Football | Reuters". Football.uk.reuters.com. Retrieved 30 November 2012.[ dead link]
  3. ^ Chaudhuri, Arunava (15 September 2021). "1.FC Köln & Sanfrecce Hiroshima announce new partnership!". Arunava about Football. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  4. ^ Club Profile: Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Archived 13 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Attendance at Urawa game". soccer-db.net. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  6. ^ "トップチーム選手" (in Japanese). Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Archived from the original on 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  7. ^ "ユース選手". Archived from the original on 7 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.

External links

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