Renofa Yamaguchi FC

Renofa Yamaguchi FC
レノファ山口FC

Full name	Renofa Yamaguchi Football Club
Nickname(s)	Renofa
Founded	1949; 76 years ago (1949) (as Yamaguchi Teachers)
Stadium	Ishin Me-Life Stadium
Capacity	20,000
Managing Organisation	Renofa Yamaguchi Co,.Ltd.
Chairman	Fumihiko Koyama
Manager	Ryo Shigaki
League	J2 League
2024	J2 League, 11th of 20
Website	renofa.com
Home colours Away colours

Renofa Yamaguchi FC (レノファ山口FC, Renofa Yamaguchi Efu Shī) is a Japanese professional football club based in Yamaguchi, the capital of Yamaguchi Prefecture. They currently play in the J2 League, the second tier of professional football in Japan's football league system.

History

The original football team consisted of a group of teaching staff who were based within Yamaguchi prefecture, a team called Yamaguchi Prefecture Teachers Football Club (山口県サッカー教員団, Yamaguchi-ken sakkā kyōin dan), often abbreviated to Yamaguchi Teachers or Yamaguchi KFC (compare Tochigi S.C. and Gainare Tottori, who started as teachers' clubs and are now members of the J.League).

In February 2006, the Yamaguchi Football Association eyed the placement of a team from Yamaguchi in the J.League. Setting its heart of operations at Yamaguchi Teachers, a new football club was established.^[1] At the same time, a public appeal was made to name the new club, with Renofa Yamaguchi F.C. being decided in March of the same year. The word renofa is a wasei-eigo, a combination of three English words: renovation, fight, and fine.^[2][3]

Without a specified home ground, the team played Chūgoku league matches across a number of different venues within the prefecture, including Yamaguchi Ishin Park Stadium, Yamaguchi Kirara Expo Memorial Park, Onoda Football Park, Shunan City Athletic Stadium, and Yamaguchi Football Park. Now however, home games are played at Yamaguchi Ishin Park Stadium.

Though structured with a hometown manager and local players, sponsored by local business and enterprises, and local action plans within the local community, Renofa Yamaguchi F.C. is aiming for a national future in the J.League.^[4]

In the days of Yamaguchi Teachers, the team frequently finished mid to low table in the Chūgoku league. However, since the establishing of the new club in 2006, the team has consistently improved their final league position. This culminated in the 2008 season where they achieved their first league win. In the All Japan Regional Football Promotion League Series of that year the team finished fourth in the final round, missing the opportunity for promotion to the Japan Football League. The 2009 season saw them win their first Emperor's Cup match, beating Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima F.C. in a penalty shoot out.^[5]

Since the team's formation it had operated as a private organisation, however when the Nonprofit organization Yamaguchi Athletics Club was established on 24 May 2011, managing control of the team changed hands putting the new NPO in charge.^[6]

After the club finished on 4th-place in 2014 Japan Football League and passed the necessary licensing, J.League officially admitted Renofa Yamaguchi to participate in J3 League, starting from the 2015 season.^[7] Their J.League debut came in 2015 season. On 23 November 2015, Renofa earned their first and successful promotion from the JFL after winning the J3 League. The club was promoted for the J2 League ahead of the 2016 season. The club was guaranteed promotion after a 2–2 draw against Gainare Tottori in the closing rounds of the season, as Renofa were working towards J2 licensing before the season ended, for the promotion to be actually earned.

On 26 September 2023, Renofa Yamaguchi announcement officially granted J1 License.^[8]

The club will play their 8th consecutive season at the J2 League on 2023.

Changes in club name

• Yamaguchi Prefecture Teachers Football Club (山口県サッカー教員団, Yamaguchi-ken sakkā kyōin dan) (Yamaguchi Teachers, Yamaguchi KFC) (1949–2005)
• Renofa Yamaguchi FC (レノファ山口FC, Renofa Yamaguchi Efu Shī) (2006–)

Team results and managers

(Note that prior to the 1991 season a team would earn two points for a win)
(From 1997 to 2006 when a match ended in a draw, a penalty shoot-out would occur. The winning team were awarded 2 points, and the losing team 1 point)

League & cup record

Champions

Runners-up

Third place

Promoted

Relegated

Season	League	Pos.	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts	J. League Cup	Emperor's Cup	Notes
Yamaguchi Teachers
1976											Not eligible	1st round
1980	Chūgoku League	6th	14	4	3	7	27	30	−3	11
1981		7th	14	3	4	7	29	31	−2	10
1982		2nd	14	8	3	3	34	21	13	19		1st round
1983		2nd	14	8	3	3	35	23	12	19
1984		4th	14	8	5	1	38	27	11	17
1985		5th	14	6	1	7	30	29	1	13
1986		3rd	14	7	3	4	34	24	10	17
1987		3rd	12	6	2	4	18	16	2	14
1988		3rd	16	7	3	6	34	26	8	17
1989		2nd	12	7	3	2	28	15	13	17
1990		4th	16	7	3	6	32	25	7	17
1991		4th	14	7	1	6	31	28	3	22
1992		6th	14	4	1	9	19	28	−9	13
1993		3rd	14	6	4	4	23	18	5	22
1994		6th	14	4	5	5	27	23	4	17
1995		8th	14	2	5	7	26	30	−4	11
1996		6th	14	3	6	5	17	35	−18	15
1997		8th	14	1	3	10	14	31	−17	7			1 match won, 2 matches lost on penalties. Relegated to Yamaguchi Prefecture League.
1998	Yamaguchi Prefecture League
1999												1st round	Promoted to Chūgoku League.
2000	Chūgoku League	5th	14	6	1	7	20	34	−14	20			1 match won on penalties.
2001		7th	12	3	2	7	17	30	−13	12		1st round	1 match won, 1 match lost on penalties.
2002		4th	10	3	2	5	17	31	−14	12			1 match won, 1 match lost on penalties. Winners of the Chūgoku League fair play award.
2003		8th	14	1	5	8	8	22	−14	11		1st round	3 matches won, 2 matches lost on penalties. Winners of the Chūgoku League fair play award. Relegated to Yamaguchi Prefecture League.
2004	Yamaguchi Prefecture League	1st	10	8	0	2				24		1st round	Promoted to Chūgoku League.
2005	Chūgoku League	7th	12	1	4	7	11	23	−12	9			2 matches won, 2 matches lost on penalties.
Renofa Yamaguchi FC
2006	Chūgoku League	4th	14	7	3	4	25	28	−3	25	Not eligible
2007		3rd	17	6	4	7	33	46	−13	22		1st round
2008		1st	16	11	5	0	45	15	30	38			Finalist in the Promotional Series
2009		2nd	18	13	1	4	53	21	32	40		2nd round
2010		1st	18	14	1	3	51	17	34	43		2nd round
2011		2nd	18	13	2	3	54	17	37	41		2nd round
2012		4th	18	9	5	4	47	22	25	32
2013		1st	18	13	3	2	53	13	40	42		1st round	Promoted to JFL
2014	JFL	4th	26	16	3	7	51	27	24	51			Promoted to J3
2015	J3	1st	36	25	3	8	96	36	60	78		1st round	Promoted to J2
2016	J2	12th	42	14	11	17	55	63	-8	53		3rd round
2017		20th	42	11	5	26	48	69	-21	38		2nd round
2018		8th	42	16	13	13	63	64	-1	61		3rd round
2019		15th	42	13	8	21	54	70	-16	47		3rd round
2020		22nd	42	9	6	27	43	74	-31	33		Did not qualify
2021		15th	42	10	13	19	37	51	-14	43		1st round
2022		16th	42	13	11	18	51	54	-3	50		3rd round
2023		20th	42	10	14	18	37	67	-30	44		2nd round
2024		11th	38	15	8	15	43	44	-1	53	1st round	TBC
2025		TBD	38								TBD	TBD

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
• Source: J.League Data Site

Honours

Renofa Yamaguchi honours

Honour	No.	Years
Yamaguchi Prefectural Championship	7	1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010
Yamaguchi Prefectural League	1	2004
Chūgoku League	3	2008, 2010, 2013
Noue Cup	1	2008
Shakaijin Cup	1	2013
J3 League	1	2015

Players

Current squad

As of 2 August 2024^[9]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  KOR Choi Hyung-chan 2 DF  JPN Hidenori Takahashi 3 DF  BRA Renan 6 DF  KOR Kim Byeom-yong 8 MF  JPN Kensuke Sato 9 FW  JPN Yamato Wakatsuki 10 MF  JPN Joji Ikegami 11 MF  JPN Toshiya Tanaka 13 DF  JPN Takeru Itakura 14 DF  JPN Keigo Numata 15 DF  JPN Takayuki Mae 16 MF  JPN Masakazu Yoshioka 17 MF  JPN Hiroto Ishikawa 18 MF  JPN Yuki Aida 19 FW  JPN Shunsuke Yamamoto 20 FW  JPN Kota Kawano

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 GK  JPN Kentaro Seki 22 GK  JPN Koshiro Itohara 26 GK  JPN Junto Taguchi 28 MF  JPN Seigo Kobayashi 30 MF  JPN Yohei Okuyama (on loan from Machida Zelvia) 33 MF  JPN Koji Yamase 37 MF  JPN Kohei Tanabe 38 FW  JPN Toua Suenaga 40 DF  JPN Dai Hirase (on loan from Sagan Tosu) 41 DF  JPN Ryusei Shimodo 43 DF  JPN Shun Isotani ^DSP 48 DF  JPN Kaili Shimbo 49 DF  JPN Yuya Mineda ^DSP 51 FW  JPN Noriyoshi Sakai (on loan from Nagoya Grampus) 55 FW  JPN Taiyo Igarashi (on loan from Kawasaki Frontale) 68 FW  JPN Kazuya Noyori 94 FW  BRA Sílvio

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 27 MF  JPN Hiro Mizuguchi (at Atletico Suzuka) 50 DF  JPN Naiki Imai (at Kochi United)

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  JPN Genki Yamada (at Kataller Toyama)

Club officials

Position	Staff
Manager	Ryo Shigaki
Assistant manager	Genki Nakayama
First-team coach	Hideo Yoshizawa
Goalkeeper coach	Kenji Yamada
Assistant fitness coach	Tsutomu Okabayashi Atsushi Noto
Fitness coach	Tomoyuki Sato
Physical coach	Junichi Matsumoto
Technical coach	Yuhei Anbe
Doctor	Toru Moriwaki
Physiotherapist	Takashi Sasaki
Competent	Kenta Nakatsuka
Side affairs	Taiyo Kodama Rui Nagao
Interpreter	Leandro Yusuke Saito Nanon Sringamchoi

Managerial history

League matches only.

Manager	Nationality	Tenure		Managerial Record
		From	To	P	W	D	L	W%
Takashi Yamamoto	Japan	1990	31 January 2006
Takashi Miyanari	Japan	1 February 2006	31 January 2010
Takashi Kawamura	Japan	1 February 2012	31 January 2013
Genki Nakayama	Japan	1 February 2013	31 January 2014
Nobuhiro Ueno	Japan	1 February 2014	23 May 2017	119	57	21	41	047.90
Shinji Sarusawa	Japan	24 May 2017	5 June 2017	2	0	0	2	000.00
Carlos Mayor	Argentina	6 June 2017	31 December 2017	25	9	1	15	036.00
Masahiro Shimoda	Japan	1 February 2018	31 January 2021	130	40	27	63	030.77
Susumu Watanabe	Japan	1 February 2021	28 September 2021	31	8	8	15	025.81
Yoshihiro Natsuka	Japan	29 September 2021	9 May 2023	67	18	21	28	026.87
Genki Nakayama	Japan	10 May 2023	7 June 2023	4	0	1	3	000.00
Juan Esnáider	Argentina	8 June 2023	13 November 2023	23	6	7	10	026.09
Ryo Shigaki	Japan	1 December 2023	present	0	0	0	0	!—

Key

• Source: J.League Data Site

Kit evolution

Home Kits - 1st
2006 - 2007	2008 - 2011	2012	2013	2014
2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
2020	2021	2022	2023	2024 -

Away Kits - 2nd
2006 - 2007	2008 - 2011	2012	2013	2014
2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
2020	2021	2022	2023	2024 -

References

1. Chugoku Shimbun. "出場チーム 第９０回天皇杯全日本サッカー選手権大会 (Participating teams – The 90th Emperor Cup All Japan Championship Series) (in Japanese)". Japan Football Association. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
2. "チーム概要 (Team Outline) (in Japanese)". Renofa Yamaguchi F.C. Archived from the original on 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
3. Chugoku Shimbun. "出場チーム 第９１回天皇杯全日本サッカー選手権大会 (Participating teams – The 91st Emperor Cup All Japan Championship Series) (in Japanese)". Japan Football Association. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
4. "チーム概要 (Team Outline) (in Japanese)". Renofa Yamaguchi F.C. Archived from the original on 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2012-07-30.
5. "Match No. 9 第８９回天皇杯全日本サッカー選手権大会 (Match 9 – The 89th Emperor Cup All Japan Championship Series) (in Japanese)". Japan Football Association. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
6. "ＮＰＯ法人「山口アスレチック・クラブ」誕生 プロスポーツチーム空白県からの脱却を (The Birth of the NPO "Yamaguchi Athletics Club" – Growing out of a Prefecture with no Pro-Sports Team) (in Japanese)". Sunday Yamaguchi. Archived from the original on 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
7. Ｊ３入会承認！ [Approval of J3 membership!] (in Japanese). Renofa Yamaguchi. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
8. "[レノファ山口FC OfficialSite] 2024シーズン J1クラブライセンスの交付について". レノファ山口FC岐 OfficialSite (in Japanese). 26 September 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
9. "PLAYER2024". RENOFA YAMAGUCHI FC. Retrieved 1 February 2024.

External links

• Official Site (in Japanese)
• Chūgoku League Official Site (in Japanese)