... the Japanese non-league world has been stunned this week by JFL side FC Ryukyu's appointment of former Japanese national team coach Philippe Troussier as a General Manager. Troussier, who has most recently been in charge of Morocco and previously French giants Marseille, has a contract to spend 100 days working in Okinawa throughout 2008. It's not clear yet who will be the coach who works under him...
... Tochigi SC have continued their preparations for next year by signing striker Masatoshi Matsuda, who had an excellent 2007 at TDK SC. Goalkeeper Hiroyuki Takeda also joins from J2 outfit Mito Hollyhock, as does Hideyuki Arai, a defender from Ryutsu Keizai University... two players have moved from Yokogawa Musashino to Gainare Tottori, in striker Takumi Otawa and midfielder Takashi Harashima...
... Tochigi SC have continued their preparations for next year by signing striker Masatoshi Matsuda, who had an excellent 2007 at TDK SC. Goalkeeper Hiroyuki Takeda also joins from J2 outfit Mito Hollyhock, as does Hideyuki Arai, a defender from Ryutsu Keizai University... two players have moved from Yokogawa Musashino to Gainare Tottori, in striker Takumi Otawa and midfielder Takashi Harashima...
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... Former Hosei University student Yusuke Yada, 24, has moved to J2 side Sagan Tosu after two seasons at Alo's Hokuriku... JFL newcomers Fagiano Okayama have confirmed contracts with fourteen members of what will be their 2008 squad. Defensive trio Naoki Mihara and Takaki Shigemitsu - ex-Tokyo Verdy 1969 - and Tsubasa Oshima - ex-Ventforet Kofu - have all been signed on permanent deals after having spent this season on loan at the Chugoku League winners... Consadole Sapporo defender Hiroshi Kichise has moved to Gainare Tottori on loan for next season... 22-year-old defender Masaya Saito has joined Tochigi SC from Meiji University... Sagawa Printing pair Kenji Yamamoto and Kenichi Ito have both announced their retirement...
The JFL have held their annual Awards ceremony and announced the winners of this year's prizes, including the Player of the Year and Best Eleven line-up. Details as follows:
Player of the Year: Sho Gokyu (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
Rookie of the Year: Keisuke Kimoto (Alo's Hokuriku)
Coach of the Year: Masafumi Nakaguchi (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
Fighting Spirit Award: Toshiaki Hotta (Tochigi SC)
Best Eleven
GK Koichiro Morita (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
DF Takuya Tomiyama (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
DF Takashi Kageyama (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
DF Masayuki Ishii (Honda FC)
DF Ryosuke Horikiri (Honda FC)
MF Nobumitsu Yamane (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
MF Kento Hori (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
MF Shogo Shimada (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
MF Tomoaki Komorida (Rosso Kumamoto)
FW Sho Gokyu (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
FW Yutaka Takahashi (Rosso Kumamoto)
Player of the Year: Sho Gokyu (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
Rookie of the Year: Keisuke Kimoto (Alo's Hokuriku)
Coach of the Year: Masafumi Nakaguchi (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
Fighting Spirit Award: Toshiaki Hotta (Tochigi SC)
Best Eleven
GK Koichiro Morita (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
DF Takuya Tomiyama (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
DF Takashi Kageyama (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
DF Masayuki Ishii (Honda FC)
DF Ryosuke Horikiri (Honda FC)
MF Nobumitsu Yamane (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
MF Kento Hori (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
MF Shogo Shimada (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
MF Tomoaki Komorida (Rosso Kumamoto)
FW Sho Gokyu (Sagawa Kyubin SC)
FW Yutaka Takahashi (Rosso Kumamoto)
... Former Ehime FC midfielder Kazuhisa Hamaoka has left Sagawa Printing... Tochigi SC have offered youngster Ryosuke Takayasu a pro contract. They've also established an amateur side that will participate in the local Prefectural League in 2008... Tottori Bird Stadium, home of Gainare Tottori, has been renamed ToriGin Bird Stadium following the signing of a three-year sponsorship deal with Tottori Bank... meanwhile Gainare have announced the departure from the club of eleven players and two members of their coaching staff... four players have also been released by JFL newcomers Fagiano Okayama, including giant Brazilian striker Jefferson... Alo's Hokuriku have been formally dissolved, as the Toyama side merge with neighbours YKK AP...
The J-League has today confirmed that both Rosso Kumamoto and FC Gifu have gained promotion to J2 for the 2008 season. With Toyama’s YKK AP and Alo’s Hokuriku merging to become Kataller Toyama, the JFL roster of eighteen teams will be maintained by the automatic promotion not only of Fagiano Okayama and New Wave Kitakyushu – following on from their top-two finishes in the weekend Play-offs – but also third place FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu. Arte Takasaki, who finished bottom of the JFL, keep their place in the top flight of the Japanese non-league game.
In a desperately close Final Group of this year's Regional League Championship Winners' Play-off tournament, favourites Fagiano Okayama recovered from the disappointment of a penalty shoot-out defeat on Saturday to win their Sunday game and take top spot. This means that the Chugoku League champions will be automatically promoted to the JFL for 2008, where they will be joined by Kyushu's New Wave Kitakyushu.
The Fukuoka outfit bounced back from a slow start to claim a sensational 2-0 win on Sunday over then-leaders Banditonce Kobe. In what was an incredibly close tournament, this enabled them to squeeze out Kobe's Kansai neighbours FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu into third place.
While Banditonce will have to go back to their Regional League for next season, FC Mi-o's fate remains unclear until the J-League confirm whether or not Rosso Kumamoto and FC Gifu will definitely be promoted to J2. The most likely outcome looks to be that Mi-o will be required to play off against Arte Takasaki for the right to play in the JFL in 2008, but it is the J-League itself which is required to make a final decision.
Final Group in Kumagaya
Fri 30 Nov: Fagiano Okayama 1-1 New Wave Kitakyushu (PK 4-3)
Fri 30 Nov: Banditonce Kobe 1-1 FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu (PK 5-3)
Sat 01 Dec: Fagiano Okayama 0-0 Banditonce Kobe (PK 2-4)
Sat 01 Dec: New Wave Kitakyushu 0-1 FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu
Sun 02 Dec: Fagiano Okayama 1-0 FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu
Sun 02 Dec: New Wave Kitakyushu 2-0 Banditonce Kobe
1. Fagiano Okayama 6 (+1)
2. New Wave Kitakyushu 4 (+1)
3. FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu 4 (-)
4. Banditonce Kobe 4 (-2)
The Fukuoka outfit bounced back from a slow start to claim a sensational 2-0 win on Sunday over then-leaders Banditonce Kobe. In what was an incredibly close tournament, this enabled them to squeeze out Kobe's Kansai neighbours FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu into third place.
While Banditonce will have to go back to their Regional League for next season, FC Mi-o's fate remains unclear until the J-League confirm whether or not Rosso Kumamoto and FC Gifu will definitely be promoted to J2. The most likely outcome looks to be that Mi-o will be required to play off against Arte Takasaki for the right to play in the JFL in 2008, but it is the J-League itself which is required to make a final decision.
Final Group in Kumagaya
Fri 30 Nov: Fagiano Okayama 1-1 New Wave Kitakyushu (PK 4-3)
Fri 30 Nov: Banditonce Kobe 1-1 FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu (PK 5-3)
Sat 01 Dec: Fagiano Okayama 0-0 Banditonce Kobe (PK 2-4)
Sat 01 Dec: New Wave Kitakyushu 0-1 FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu
Sun 02 Dec: Fagiano Okayama 1-0 FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu
Sun 02 Dec: New Wave Kitakyushu 2-0 Banditonce Kobe
1. Fagiano Okayama 6 (+1)
2. New Wave Kitakyushu 4 (+1)
3. FC Mi-o Biwako Kusatsu 4 (-)
4. Banditonce Kobe 4 (-2)
The 2007 JFL season reached its conclusion on Sunday with a full series of nine fixtures. Champions Sagawa Kyubin SC and second place Rosso Kumamoto both rounded off their campaigns in fine style, with Sagawa's Sho Gokyu appropriately netting their final goal - his thirtieth of the season - in a 3-1 defeat of Mitsubishi Mizushima.
Likewise, Rosso's own top scorer Yutaka Takahashi was on good form, scoring four times after the interval as the J-League-bound side trounced Sagawa Printing. Hoping to join Rosso in J2 next season, FC Gifu will be hoping that the J-League approve their financial arrangements as the team ended 2007 in third, following a comfortable win over Arte Takasaki.
In their final-ever matches prior to merging in the close season, Toyama pair Alo's Hokuriku and YKK AP experienced contrasting fortunes. Alo's managed a 3-3 draw with JEF Reserves after having trailed 2-0 inside ten minutes, with star striker Hideyuki Ishida grabbing a hat-trick, but YKK slumped to a defeat at home to Ryutsu Keizai University.
2006 champions Honda FC are evidently trying to develop a new team but nevertheless rounded off an inconsistent year impressively, defeating TDK SC and their miserly defence 4-1. Tochigi SC will be glad to see the back of 2007 but were at least able to conclude it with a win over lowly FC Kariya. Elsewhere in mid-table, Sony Sendai overcame Gainare Tottori but Yokogawa Musashino surprisingly lost at home to FC Ryukyu.
Sun 02 Dec: Alo's Hokuriku 3-3 JEF Reserves
Sun 02 Dec: Arte Takasaki 0-2 FC Gifu
Sun 02 Dec: Honda 4-1 TDK SC
Sun 02 Dec: Rosso Kumamoto 6-3 Sagawa Printing
Sun 02 Dec: Sagawa Kyubin SC 3-1 Mitsubishi Mizushima
Sun 02 Dec: Sony Sendai 1-0 Gainare Tottori
Sun 02 Dec: Tochigi SC 2-1 FC Kariya
Sun 02 Dec: YKK AP 0-1 Ryutsu Keizai University
Sun 02 Dec: Yokogawa Musashino 1-2 FC Ryukyu
1. Sagawa Kyubin SC 83 (+50)
2. Rosso Kumamoto 30 (+31)
3. FC Gifu 60 (+14)
4. Alo's Hokuriku 59 (+15)
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
5. Honda FC 58 (+19)
6. YKK AP 55 (+7)
7. Yokogawa Musashino 54 (+6)
8. Tochigi SC 52 (+14)
9. JEF Reserves 52 (+5)
10. Ryutsu Keizai University 50 (+9)
11. Sony Sendai 44 (-13)
12. Sagawa Printing 43 (-12)
13. TDK SC 42 (+2)
14. Gainare Tottori 39 (-9)
15. Mitsubishi Mizushima 35 (-17)
16. FC Kariya 28 (-23)
17. FC Ryukyu 27 (-44)
18. Arte Takasaki 7 (-54)
Likewise, Rosso's own top scorer Yutaka Takahashi was on good form, scoring four times after the interval as the J-League-bound side trounced Sagawa Printing. Hoping to join Rosso in J2 next season, FC Gifu will be hoping that the J-League approve their financial arrangements as the team ended 2007 in third, following a comfortable win over Arte Takasaki.
In their final-ever matches prior to merging in the close season, Toyama pair Alo's Hokuriku and YKK AP experienced contrasting fortunes. Alo's managed a 3-3 draw with JEF Reserves after having trailed 2-0 inside ten minutes, with star striker Hideyuki Ishida grabbing a hat-trick, but YKK slumped to a defeat at home to Ryutsu Keizai University.
2006 champions Honda FC are evidently trying to develop a new team but nevertheless rounded off an inconsistent year impressively, defeating TDK SC and their miserly defence 4-1. Tochigi SC will be glad to see the back of 2007 but were at least able to conclude it with a win over lowly FC Kariya. Elsewhere in mid-table, Sony Sendai overcame Gainare Tottori but Yokogawa Musashino surprisingly lost at home to FC Ryukyu.
Sun 02 Dec: Alo's Hokuriku 3-3 JEF Reserves
Sun 02 Dec: Arte Takasaki 0-2 FC Gifu
Sun 02 Dec: Honda 4-1 TDK SC
Sun 02 Dec: Rosso Kumamoto 6-3 Sagawa Printing
Sun 02 Dec: Sagawa Kyubin SC 3-1 Mitsubishi Mizushima
Sun 02 Dec: Sony Sendai 1-0 Gainare Tottori
Sun 02 Dec: Tochigi SC 2-1 FC Kariya
Sun 02 Dec: YKK AP 0-1 Ryutsu Keizai University
Sun 02 Dec: Yokogawa Musashino 1-2 FC Ryukyu
1. Sagawa Kyubin SC 83 (+50)
2. Rosso Kumamoto 30 (+31)
3. FC Gifu 60 (+14)
4. Alo's Hokuriku 59 (+15)
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
5. Honda FC 58 (+19)
6. YKK AP 55 (+7)
7. Yokogawa Musashino 54 (+6)
8. Tochigi SC 52 (+14)
9. JEF Reserves 52 (+5)
10. Ryutsu Keizai University 50 (+9)
11. Sony Sendai 44 (-13)
12. Sagawa Printing 43 (-12)
13. TDK SC 42 (+2)
14. Gainare Tottori 39 (-9)
15. Mitsubishi Mizushima 35 (-17)
16. FC Kariya 28 (-23)
17. FC Ryukyu 27 (-44)
18. Arte Takasaki 7 (-54)
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