FC Ryukyu

FC Ryukyu
FC琉球
Full name	FC Ryukyu
Founded	2003; 21 years ago
Ground	Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium ; Okinawa, Okinawa
Capacity	25,000
Chairman	Keishiro Kurabayashi
Manager	Kim Jong-song
League	J3 League
2023	J3 League, 17th of 20
Website	Club website
Home colours	Away colours
	Current season

FC Ryukyu (FC琉球, Efu Shī Ryūkyū) is a Japanese professional football club based in Okinawa. The club plays in the J3 League, which is the third tier of football in the country. The team's home stadium is Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

The team derive their name from Ryukyu, the historic name for Okinawa Prefecture. The club once had futsal and handball teams.

History[edit]

The club was founded in 2003. Most of the players who initially joined the club were those who had left Okinawa Kariyushi FC after a rift with their management, which were beholden to the Kariyushi hotel chain. Their first 2003 season saw them win the championship in Okinawa Prefectural Division 3 North. They were allowed to skip to Division 1 the next season, where they again succeeded in finishing top of the table.

In the 2005 season, they belonged to the Kyūshū Regional League (Kyu League). After finishing 2nd and winning the Regional League play-off, they were promoted to the JFL and became the first ever Okinawan football side who played in a national league.

In December 2007, the club appointed former Japan national coach Philippe Troussier as their general manager. Jean-Paul Rabier was appointed as their manager in January 2008.

They applied for J. League Associate Membership in January 2008, but their application was declined at the J. League board meeting held on February 19, 2008.

In December 2008, the resignation of Rabier was announced. Former coach Hiroyuki Shinzato was promoted to be the new manager in January 2009.

In 2014, FC Ryukyu could finally join the J3 League.

In January 2015, FC Ryukyu announced a partnership with Seoul United from the Korean Challengers League. According to the agreement the teams will play a friendly match every year. The first match was scheduled for 1 March 2015.

FC Ryukyu have made steady progress in recent years, finishing in 8th place in J3 in 2016, and improving on that the following year, finishing 6th.

In the 2018 season they secured promotion to J2 with 3 games left after a 1–1 draw at Nagano Parceiro, and in the following game beat Thespakusatsu Gunma to claim the J3 title with two games to spare.

They started their first season in J2 in 2019, in style with 4 straight wins to top the league, but faded as the season progressed eventually finishing in 14th place.

In 2022, after spending four years in the J2 League, the club was relegated back to the J3 League after scoring their lowest points total in the second-tier. The club finished in 21st place with 37 points, only 3 points off the last placed team.

On 26 October 2023, the club announced that they will use FC Ryukyu Okinawa for branding purpose starting 2024 season, although the club's current name will remain used in any competition.^[1] The change initially also included the update of club's emblem. However, the plan eventually revised and Ryukyu decided to keep the current emblem for 2024 season, albeit with modified colorway.^[2]

Home stadium[edit]

The home stadium is the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium (Okinawa Prefectural Sports Park Athletic Stadium), based in Okinawa City.

Until 2014, the Okinawa City Athletic Stadium in Okinawa City was used as the main home stadium, and multiple stadiums were used.

League & cup record[edit]

Champions	Runners-up	Promoted	Relegated

League														J. League Cup	Emperor's Cup
Season	Div.	Tier	Teams	Pos.	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts	Attendance/G	J. League Cup	Emperor's Cup
2005	Kyushu Soccer League	4	10	2nd	18	13.5	1	3.5	51	12	-39	42	–	Not eligible	3rd round
2006	JFL	3	18	14th	34	6	11	17	29	57	-28	29	3,189		2nd round
2007			18	17th	34	7	6	21	38	82	-44	27	2,443		Did not qualify
2008			18	16th	34	7	6	21	31	58	-27	27	2,882
2009			18	16th	34	11	5	18	42	57	-15	38	1,348
2010			18	10th	34	14	6	14	51	51	0	48	1,777		2nd round
2011			18	9th	33	14	4	15	47	51	-4	46	1,860		2nd round
2012			17	9th	32	12	7	13	58	62	-4	43	2,164		1st round
2013			18	11th	34	12	10	12	47	51	-4	46	2,069		2nd round
2014	J3	3	12	9th	33	8	10	15	31	50	-19	34	1,398		2nd round
2015			13	9th	36	12	9	15	45	51	-6	45	1,498		2nd round
2016			16	8th	30	12	8	10	46	46	0	44	1,561		2nd round
2017			17	6th	32	13	11	8	44	36	8	50	2,508		1st round
2018			17	1st	32	20	6	6	70	40	30	66	3,146		1st round
2019	J2	2	22	14th	42	13	10	19	57	80	-23	49	4,953		2nd round
2020 †			22	16th	42	14	8	20	58	61	-3	50	1,170		Did not qualify
2021 †			22	9th	42	18	11	13	57	47	10	65	1,618		2nd round
2022			22	21st	42	8	13	21	41	65	-24	37	1,996		2nd round
2023	J3	3	20	17th	38	12	7	19	43	61	-18	43	2,534		2nd round
2024	J3	3	20	TBA	38

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

Honours[edit]

FC Ryukyu Honours
Honour	No.	Years
Okinawa Prefectural League Division 3 North	1	2003
Okinawa Prefectural League Division 1	1	2004
Japanese Regional Promotion Series	1	2005
J3 League	1	2018

Current squad[edit]

As of 15 March 2024.^[3] 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	JPN	Yuji Rokutan (on loan from Yokohama FC)
2	MF	JPN	Takayuki Fukumura
3	DF	JPN	Yuri Mori
4	DF	JPN	Hiroki Fujiharu
5	MF	JPN	Kazuto Takezawa
6	MF	JPN	Kosei Okazawa (on loan from Cerezo Osaka)
7	FW	JPN	Haruto Shirai
8	FW	JPN	Ryota Iwabuchi
9	FW	JPN	Ryunosuke Noda
10	MF	JPN	Yu Tomidokoro
11	FW	JPN	Taisei Ishii
13	MF	JPN	Sho Iwamoto
14	DF	JPN	Junya Suzuki
15	DF	JPN	Ryota Araki
16	DF	JPN	Takayuki Fukumura
17	DF	JPN	Kosuke Masutani
18	MF	JPN	Sho Hiramatsu


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
19	DF	JPN	Takayuki Takayasu
21	GK	KOR	Jeon Ji-wan (on loan from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
22	DF	JPN	Makito Uehara
23	DF	JPN	Shusei Yamauchi
24	MF	JPN	Yuta Sato
26	DF	JPN	Takeshi Yoshimoto
28	MF	JPN	Jitsuki Tsuha
29	DF	KOR	Cho Eun-su
31	GK	KOR	Park Seong-soo
32	MF	JPN	Yusuke Ogawa
35	GK	JPN	John Higashi (on loan from Nagoya Grampus)
39	FW	JPN	Atsuhito Ihara
40	DF	JPN	Daito Yoshinao ^{Type 2}
41	DF	JPN	Keiji Kagiyama
42	GK	JPN	Yuto Kamimura ^{Type 2}
55	MF	JPN	Yushin Koki
89	FW	JPN	Daisuke Takagi

Club officials[edit]

Position	Name
Head coach	Kim Jong-song
Assistant coach	Yasutaka Shimizu Hiroyuki Shirai
Goalkeeping coach	Kim Jong-dal
Analytical coach	Takeshi Hanita
Trainer	Hokuto Hatakeda Hayato Yamakawa Yuta Hanamae
Side manager	Keita Higa
Sports director	Minoru Takehara
Reinforcement staff	Ryota Henzan
Chief doctor	Kotaro Ishizuka
Medical supervisor	Tomoyuki Oshiro

Managerial history[edit]

Manager	Nationality	Tenure
Manager	Nationality	Start	Finish
George Yonashiro	Japan	1 February 2004	31 January 2007
Hideo Yoshizawa	Japan	1 February 2007	31 January 2008
Jean-Paul Rabier	France	1 January 2008	31 December 2008
Hiroyuki Shinzato	Japan	1 February 2009	31 January 2012
Takeo Matsuda	Japan	1 February 2012	31 January 2013
Norihiro Satsukawa	Japan	1 February 2013	31 January 2016
Kim Jong-song	North Korea	1 February 2016	31 January 2019
Yasuhiro Higuchi	Japan	1 February 2019 ^[4]	20 October 2021
Tetsuhiro Kina	Japan	20 October 2021 ^[5]	8 June 2022 ^[6]
Kazuki Kuranuki (caretaker)	Japan	9 June 2022	13 June 2022
Nacho Fernández	Spain	14 June 2022	31 January 2023
Kazuki Kuranuki	Japan	1 February 2023 ^[7]	16 May 2023 ^[8]
Tetsuhiro Kina	Japan	16 May 2023	15 September 2023 ^[9]
Kim Jong-song	North Korea	16 September 2023	Current ^[10]

Team colour and crest[edit]

Their team colour is bengara, a shade of red pigment. It is called red ochre in English and can be generally described as claret. Bengara derives from a Dutch word 'bengala' which in turn derives from Bengal, a historic region located in India and Bangladesh. This name was given because the pigment was traditionally imported from Bengal to Japan. Okinawa has a close association with the bengara colour which is prominently applied to Shuri Castle, one of the most symbolic historical buildings in the area.

In 2008 they adopted a sky-blue trim for their home uniform, as their bengara pigment pattern was considered too and similar to Aston Villa from England (the claret and sky-blue pattern was around long before Troussier and the French staff arrived, so a coincidence in colours is feasible).^{[citation needed]}

Their crest features a pair of Shisas, imaginary talismanic creatures in the area, and the crown of the kings of the former Ryukyu Kingdom.

Kit evolution[edit]

Home kits - 1st
2003	2004	2005	2006 - 2007	2008
2009 - 2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
2020	2021	2022	2023 -

Away kits - 2nd
2006 - 2007	2008	2009 - 2010	2011	2012
2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
2018	2019	2020	2021 -	2022
2023 -

3rd kits - Other
2011 3rd	2020 charity	2021 3rd	2022 3rd	2022 Shuri Castle Reconstruction Support Charity Match Okinawa Legend

References[edit]

^ "新チーム名称・エンブレム決定のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
^ "2024シーズン使用プロパティの一部見直し及びリブランディングプロジェクト再始動について". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
^ "PROFILE | 選手・スタッフ". FC Ryukyu. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
^ "Yasuhiro Higuchi sacked". fcryukyu.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
^ "Tetsuhiro Kina appointed as manager". fcryukyu.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
^ "喜名哲裕監督解任のお知らせ" [Notice of dismissal of Tetsuhiro Kina]. fcryukyu.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
^ "倉貫一毅ヘッドコーチ　監督就任のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. 28 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
^ "倉貫一毅監督　解任のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
^ "News Interim manager appointed". FC琉球公式サイト | FC Ryukyu Official Website. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
^ "金鍾成（キン・ジョンソン）氏　監督就任のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.

External links[edit]

Official website (in Japanese)

[1] "新チーム名称・エンブレム決定のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.

[2] "2024シーズン使用プロパティの一部見直し及びリブランディングプロジェクト再始動について". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.

[3] "PROFILE | 選手・スタッフ". FC Ryukyu. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.

[4] "Yasuhiro Higuchi sacked". fcryukyu.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

[5] "Tetsuhiro Kina appointed as manager". fcryukyu.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.

[6] "喜名哲裕監督解任のお知らせ" [Notice of dismissal of Tetsuhiro Kina]. fcryukyu.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022.

[7] "倉貫一毅ヘッドコーチ　監督就任のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. 28 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.

[8] "倉貫一毅監督　解任のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.

[9] "News Interim manager appointed". FC琉球公式サイト | FC Ryukyu Official Website. Retrieved 2023-05-16.

[10] "金鍾成（キン・ジョンソン）氏　監督就任のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.

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v t e FC Ryukyu
Club	Players History All articles
Stadium	Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium Okinawa City Stadium
Seasons	2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Training ground	Kochinda Soccer Field Gosamaru Athletic Stadium Nanjo Athletic Stadium