Sony Sendai FC (ソニー仙台FC, Sonī Sendai Efu Shī) was a former Japanese football club based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. They last played in the Japan Football League, Japanese fourth tier of football league until 2024. They were withdrawn by their company.
| Full name | Sony Sendai Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1968 | ||
| Dissolved | 31 December 2024 | ||
| Stadium | Yurtec Stadium Sendai Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture | ||
| Capacity | 19,694 | ||
| Owner | Sony | ||
| Manager | Jun Suzuki | ||
| League | Disbanded | ||
| 2024 | JFL, 12th of 16 | ||
| Website | www | ||
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History
editThe club was founded by the workers of Sony's Sendai factory in 1968. They kept a low profile playing mainly in the Miyagi Prefecture League for a long time. However, it changed suddenly in 1993 when they embarked on a challenging task to reach the former Japan Football League within 5 years. They became league champions for 4 consecutive seasons starting from 1994, first in the Prefecture League and the others in the Tōhoku Regional League. They achieved their goal and were promoted to the JFL by winning the 1997 Regional League play-off.
When the J. League Division 2 was formed in 1999, the club decided not to turn professional. They joined the newly organised Japan Football League instead and have been an established JFL side since then.
As a result of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Sony Sendai, with permission from the JFL, did not contest the first half of the 2011 season. They expectedly earned last place on points, but due to Machida Zelvia and Matsumoto Yamaga being promoted to Division 2 and JEF Reserves withdrawing from the competition, they were spared relegation.
In 2015, Sony Sendai won the second stage and earned its first JFL title by defeating first stage champions Vanraure Hachinohe on penalties after a tied two-leg final on aggregate.
On 27 September 2024, Sony announced the dissolution of the team, effective at the end of the 2024 JFL season, after fifty-six years of existence. [1]
The Sony Group cited restructuring (downsizing) of its recording media business, which was based at the Tagajyo site of Sony Storage Media Manufacturing, its direct operating entity, as the reason for the cease of operations.[2]
On 3 October 2024, the JFL Board of Directors unanimously approved Sony Sendai's withdrawal from the JFL, officially deciding that the club will leave the JFL at the end of this year.[3]
League and cup record
edit| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| League | Emperor's Cup |
Shakaijin Cup | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Division | Tier | Teams | Pos. | P | W (OTW) | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
| 1998 | Former JFL | 2 | 16 | 13th | 30 | 7 (1) | 1 | 22 | 42 | 71 | -29 | 23 | 2nd round | - |
| 1999 | JFL | 3 | 9 | 5th | 24 | 7 (2) | 1 | 14 | 29 | 42 | -13 | 26 | 3rd round | Runner-up |
| 2000 | 12 | 5th | 22 | 11 (2) | 0 | 9 | 51 | 37 | 14 | 37 | 1st round | Not eligible | ||
| 2001 | 16 | 14th | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 28 | 46 | -18 | 32 | 1st round | |||
| 2002 | 18 | 4th | 17 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 25 | 16 | 9 | 30 | 1st round | |||
| 2003 | 16 | 9th | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 46 | 44 | 2 | 45 | 1st round | |||
| 2004 | 16 | 6th | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 50 | 42 | 8 | 47 | 3rd round | |||
| 2005 | 16 | 7th | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 48 | 37 | 11 | 50 | - | |||
| 2006 | 18 | 9th | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 48 | 65 | -17 | 37 | 1st round | |||
| 2007 | 18 | 11th | 34 | 13 | 5 | 16 | 46 | 59 | -13 | 44 | 2nd round | |||
| 2008 | 18 | 9th | 34 | 15 | 4 | 15 | 53 | 42 | 11 | 49 | 3rd round | |||
| 2009 | 18 | 3rd | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 49 | 30 | 19 | 59 | 2nd round | |||
| 2010 | 18 | 14th | 34 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 34 | 42 | -8 | 42 | 3rd round | |||
| 2011 | 18 | 18th | 17 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 24 | -10 | 16 | 2nd round | |||
| 2012 | 17 | 12th | 32 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 27 | 29 | -2 | 39 | 2nd round | |||
| 2013 | 18 | 9th | 34 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 33 | 34 | -1 | 50 | 2nd round | |||
| 2014 | 4 | 14 | 5th | 26 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 45 | 29 | 16 | 46 | 3rd round | ||
| 2015 | 16 | 1st | 30 | 21 | 8 | 1 | 48 | 21 | 27 | 71 | - | |||
| 2016 | 16 | 6th | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 56 | 27 | 29 | 57 | 1st round | |||
| 2017 | 16 | 3rd | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 64 | 36 | 28 | 59 | 1st round | |||
| 2018 | 16 | 4th | 30 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 67 | 43 | 24 | 52 | 2nd round | |||
| 2019 | 16 | 2nd | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 60 | 34 | 26 | 55 | - | |||
| 2020 | 16 | 3rd | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 25 | 22 | 3 | 26 | 2nd round | |||
| 2021 | 16 | 6th | 32 | 14 | 6 | 12 | 52 | 39 | 13 | 48 | 2nd round | |||
| 2022 | 16 | 14th | 30 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 23 | 39 | -16 | 28 | - | |||
| 2023 | 15 | 4th | 28 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 46 | 40 | 4 | 43 | 2nd round | |||
| 2024 | 16 | 12th | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 34 | 40 | -6 | 37 | 2nd round | |||
- Key
- P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals difference; Pts = Points gained
Honours
edit| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| National Regional League Finals | 1 | 1997 |
| Japan Football League | 1 | 2015 |
| Tohoku Adult Soccer League | 3 | 1995, 1996, 1997 |
Current squad
editAs of 1 April 2024.[4] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Jun Suzuki
|
| Assistant head coach | Shinji Honda Kenta Ogihara
|
| Goalkeeper coach | Susumu Kaneko
|
| Trainer | Taku Shikama Naoya Hiraizumi
|
Managerial history
edit| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Finish | ||
| Kazuaki Nagasawa | Japan |
1 February 1999 | 31 January 2001 |
| Noboru Yoshida | Japan |
1 February 2001 | 31 January 2004 |
| Eiji Satō | Japan |
1 February 2004 | 31 January 2008 |
| Hidenori Tabata | Japan |
1 February 2008 | 31 January 2012 |
| Masato Ishikawa | Japan |
1 February 2012 | 31 January 2018 |
| Shinji Honda | Japan |
1 February 2018 | 31 July 2019 |
| Gen Nakamura | Japan |
1 August 2019 | 31 January 2022 |
| Jun Suzuki | Japan |
1 February 2022 | 31 December 2024 |
Kit evolution
edit| FP 1st | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
          2002 - 2007 |
     2008 - 2016 |
    2013 - 2016 |
     2017 - 2020 |
    2021 - 2023 |
     2024 | ||||
| FP 2nd | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
     2002 - 2007 |
     2008 - 2016 |
     2013 - 2016 |
     2017 - 2020 |
    2021 - 2023 |
     2024 | ||||
References
edit- ^ "JFL退会および活動終了について。" [About the JFL License and the end of activities.]. www.sonysedaifc.co.jp. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "ソニー仙台がJFL退会 15年には優勝". 共同通信社. 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
- ^ ソニー仙台FC、JFLからの退会と来季の編成について - JFLオフィシャルサイト 2024年10月3日
- ^ "ソニー仙台FC". www.sonysendaifc.jp. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
External links
edit- (in Japanese) Official Website
- (in Japanese) Facebook's page