Ventforet Kofu

Ventforet Kofu
Full name Ventforet Kofu
Nickname(s) Ventforet
Founded 1965 (1965)
Ground Yamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium
Kofu
Capacity 17,000
Chairman Kazuyuki Umino
Manager Tatsuma Yoshida
League J2 League
2017 J1 League, 16th (relegated)
Website Club website

Ventforet Kofu (ヴァンフォーレ甲府, Vanfōre Kōfu) is a Japanese football (soccer) club from Kōfu in Yamanashi Prefecture. The team competes in the J2 League. Its home ground is the Kose Sports Stadium.

The word "Ventforet" is a compound formed from two French root words: "vent" (wind) and "forêt" (forest). The name alludes to the famous phrase Fū-rin-ka-zan (風林火山）that Takeda Shingen, a prominent Kōfu-based daimyō in the Sengoku period, emblazoned on his war banners. The phrase contains four similies: as swift as the wind; as silent as a forest; as fierce as fire; as immovable as a mountain.

History

Kofu Club (1965–1994)

The club was founded in 1965 when the old boys' club of Kofu Dai-ichi High School, the Kakujo Club, started to recruit graduates of other high schools with the intention of promotion to the Japan Soccer League.

The club joined the newly formed JSL Division 2 in 1972. They stayed there until the conclusion of the league in 1992 when it became a founding member of the former Japan Football League.

Kofu Club was formed by volunteers, unlike other mainstream football clubs at that time in Japan, whose players were mostly the employees of their sponsoring companies.

Ventforet Kofu (1995–present)

The club was renamed Ventforet Kofu in 1995 and joined J. League Division 2 in 1999 when it was formed. The club survived a difficult period between 1999 and 2001, when it suffered from financial troubles as well as miserable results on the pitch, including a streak of twenty-five consecutive losses. Ventforet finished bottom for three seasons in succession and was dubbed as "Excess baggage of J2".

Ventforet improved in 2002, and in 2005 finished third, gaining promotion to the Japanese first division by winning the promotion/relegation play-offs against Kashiwa Reysol. However, the team was relegated with a week remaining in the 2007 season.

At the end of 2010 season, the team was promoted a second time. Despite having striker Mike Havenaar contend for the Top Scorer award in division one the following year, the club was relegated again at the end of 2011. However, it returned after only one year's absence as champions of division two, Ventforet's first championship in its thirty-six year history. Ventforet has remained in division one of the Japanese League since then.

League history

  • Kanto League: 1967–71 (as Kofu Club)
  • Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1972–91 (as Kofu Club)
  • Division 3 (Old JFL Div. 2): 1992–93 (as Kofu Club)
  • Division 2 (Old JFL): 1994–98 (Kofu Club until 1994, Ventforet Kofu since 1995)
  • Division 2 (J. League Div. 2): 1999–05
  • Division 1 (J. League Div. 1): 2006–07
  • Division 2 (J. League Div. 2): 2008–10
  • Division 1 (J. League Div. 1): 2011
  • Division 2 (J. League Div. 2): 2012
  • Division 1 (J. League Div. 1): 2013–2017
  • Division 2 (J. League Div. 2): 2018–

Honours

2012
1969
1969, 1970

Current squad

As of 30 January 2018.[1]

Ventforet Kofu team in November 2010

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

No. Position Player
1 Japan GK Kohei Kawata
2 Japan DF Masato Yuzawa
3 South Korea DF Byeon Jun-byum
4 Japan DF Hideomi Yamamoto (Captain)
5 Japan MF Ryo Kubota
6 Brazil DF Éder Lima
7 Japan MF Yuki Horigome
8 Japan MF Ryohei Arai
9 Brazil FW Dinei
10 Brazil FW Lins
13 Japan FW Shusuke Ota
14 Japan MF Yusuke Tanaka
16 Japan DF Masaru Matsuhashi
17 Japan FW Hidetaka Kanazono
18 Japan MF Ryohei Michibuchi
19 Japan MF Kazuki Kozuka
No. Position Player
20 Japan MF Toshio Shimakawa
21 Japan MF Sho Araki
22 Japan DF Yuta Koide
23 Japan GK Hiroki Oka
24 Japan MF Yutaka Soneda
25 Japan FW Kota Mori
26 Japan MF Kazuhiro Sato
27 Japan DF Shohei Abe
28 Japan DF Yuki Hashizume
29 Brazil FW Junior Barros
31 Japan GK Kosuke Okanishi
32 Japan DF Keita Irumagawa
33 Japan DF Takuya Akiyama
34 Japan DF Yuta Imazu
35 Japan DF Ryo Takano
40 Japan MF Shōhei Ogura

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player

Record

YearLeaguePldPtWLDPlaceManager
1992 Old JFL Div. 2 18289815th Japan Kazutomo Fukazawa
199318-612-9th
1994 Former JFL 30-921-14thJapan Susumu Katsumata
199530431416-9th Japan Yuji Tsukada
199630331119-11th
199730521911-6th
19983059228-4th
1999 J2 3618527410thJapan Susumu Katsumata
20004018532311thJapan Yuji Tsukada
20014425834212thBrazil Reis
200244581618107thJapan Takeshi Oki
200344691913125th Japan Hideki Matsunaga (Jan 1, 2002 – Dec 31, 2004)
200444581516137th
200544691913123rd Japan Takeshi Oki (Feb 1, 2005 – Dec 31, 2007)
2006 J1 34421215615th
20073427721617th
2008 J2 42591513147th Japan Takayoshi Amma (Feb 1, 2008 – Dec 31, 2009)
200951972810134th
20103670194132ndJapan Kazuo Uchida (Jan 1, 2010 – Dec 31, 2010)
2011 J1 3433961916th Japan Toshiya Miura (Jan 1, 2010 – Aug 7, 2011)
Japan Satoru Sakuma (Aug 8, 2011 – Dec 31, 2011)
2012 J2 4286241441st Japan Hiroshi Jofuku (Jan 1, 2012 – Nov 25, 2014)
2013 J1 34378131315th
2014 34419141113th
2015 34371071713th Japan Yasuhiro Higuchi (Dec 8, 2014 – May 11, 2015)
Japan Satoru Sakuma (May 13, 2015 – end of season)
2016 34317101714th Japan Satoru Sakuma
2017 34327111616th Japan Tatsuma Yoshida

Affiliated clubs

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ventforet.jp/clubs/top_players
  2. ↑ "Kerjasama Persib bersama Venforet Kofu" (in Indonesian).
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