Japanese Non-league Football News

There were a number of JFL sides in action in friendly games on Tuesday... Rosso Kumamoto beat Gainare Tottori - formerly SC Tottori - 3-2 in a 3 x 45 mins clash, with the Rosso goals coming from Mitsuhiro Seki, Kiyoshi Saito and new signing Yosuke Kobayashi. On target for Tottori were Kohei Masumoto and another Kobayashi, Takanori... Shikoku League outfit Nangoku Kochi were beaten 5-0 by YKK AP, for whom Yohei Tanaka, Kohei Onishi, Tomohisa Ishiguro, Michiharu Otagiri and Takuya Kikuchi were on the scoresheet... and Ryutsu Keizai University pulled off an encouraging 2-2 draw against Mito Hollyhock... meanwhile, Yokogawa Musashino have added two new players to their squad in the form of Yuki Osawa, a 23-year-old defender from Aichi Gakuin, and Naoya Sakurai, 18, a midfield player from Tokyo's Kurume Zen High School...



Fresh from his move from Yokogawa Musashino to Rosso Kumamoto, Yosuke Kobayashi

Lots more Regional League news... Hokkaido League team Tokachi Fairsky - promoted to Regional level twelve months ago under the less-than-promising moniker of Rude Boys - have changed their name again, this time to Tokachifairsky Genesis... on Sunday, Hokushinetsu challengers Matsumoto Yamaga Club won a 3 x 30 mins friendly against Ueda High School 8-0... meanwhile, Matsumoto have announced the signings from Kinki University of former Gamba Osaka youth team striker Masato Katayama and Keiichi Kanazawa, ex-Sanfrecce Hiroshima youth...



New Wave Kitakyushu’s motley crew meet the press

Part 2 ... midfielder Kazuhiro Mori, released by Rosso Kumamoto, has joined Banditonce Kobe of the Kansai League... Banditonce's rivals FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu beat relegated Takada FC 3-0 in a friendly at the weekend... FC Mi-o have signed teenage midfielder Takahiro Urashima from Kitaotsu High School...

Part 3... likely Kanto League title candidates FC Machida Zelvia warmed up for the 2007 season with a 3-1 win over Toshiba Fuchu SC on Sunday, in a 3 x 30 mins friendly... this follows on from a 2-1 defeat of Kanagawa Teachers the week before (2 x 45 mins 1 x 40 mins)... relegated out of the JFL and preparing for life back in the Kyushu League, Honda Lock lost 4-1 in a friendly against J2 side Thespa Kusatsu on Saturday...



Honda Lock put together an attack against Thespa Kusatsu

Part 4... across Kyushu, New Wave Kitakyushu have confirmed their 2007 squad, which features six players on what they describe as pro contracts. Most notable among the other members of the playing staff is giant 19-year-old Brazilian defender Douglas, newly arrived from Montedio Yamagata... title holders V Varen Nagasaki have boosted their squad with the arrival of keeper Hisashi Deguchi from Fuji University...

In what amounts to the very last piece of action of the 2006 Japanese Regional League season, Alex SC held on to their place in the Shikoku League with a 1-0 defeat of Kagawa's Minami Club in the second leg of their Play-off on Sunday. This produced an aggregate score of 2-2, meaning that both teams stay in their respective leagues for the 2007 campaign; indeed, following Sanwa Club's win over Hisaeda FC in the other Play-off, the Shikoku League line-up for the forthcoming season will be the same as it was last year.

Sun 11 Feb: Alex SC 1-0 Minami Club