Japanese Non-league Football News

V Varen Nagasaki confirmed their status as Kyushu League champions for 2006 thanks to a 3-1 win at rivals New Wave Kitakyushu on Saturday evening. Ex-Shonan Bellmare midfielder Yuuya Sano scored twice in the second half to help see off New Wave in front of a disappointed home crowd of 1500, who have in the past week seen their side slip behind in the race to claim a place in the Regional League Championship Winners' Play-off at the end of the season. Indeed, with only two matches now remaining, it now needs a miracle to take them past Nippon Steel Oita, who made almost certain of runners-up spot with a 3-1 win at Volca Kagoshima. At the other end of the table, Kaiho Bank SC crashed to Nanakuma Tombies in the relegation battle - but a good win for Osumi NIFS United over Okinawa Kariyushi means that Nanakuma nevertheless stay rooted in the bottom two.




A New Wave flag on sale at the V Varen match, yours for 500 yen

Sat 05 Aug: New Wave Kitakyushu 1-3 V Varen Nagasaki

Sun 06 Aug: Nanakuma Tombies 3-0 Kaiho Bank SC
Sun 06 Aug: Osumi NIFS United 5-1 Okinawa Kariyushi
Sun 06 Aug: Volca Kagoshima 1-3 Nippon Steel Oita

1 V Varen Nagasaki 40 (+28)
2 Nippon Steel Oita 36 (+27)
3 New Wave Kitakyushu 30 (+15)
4 Volca Kagoshima 27 (+15)
5 Okinawa Kariyushi 24 (+1)
6 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki 12 (-10)
7 Osumi NIFS United 11 (-14)
8 Nanakuma Tombies 8 (-35)
9 Kaiho Bank SC 4 (-27)



Volca Kagoshima go for goal against Nippon Steel