Sagan Tosu

Sagan Tosu
サガン鳥栖
Full name	Sagan Tosu Football Club
Nickname(s)	Sagan
Founded	1997
Stadium	Tosu Stadium; Tosu, Saga
Capacity	24,130
Chairman	Minoru Takehara
Manager	Kenta Kawai
League	J1 League
2023	J1 League, 14th of 18
Website	Club website
Home colours	Away colours

Sagan Tosu (サガン鳥栖, Sagan Tosu) is a Japanese professional football club based in Tosu, Saga Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country.

Name origin

Sagan is a coined word with a couple of meanings behind it. One of its homophones is sandstone (砂岩, sagan) in Japanese. This symbolises many small elements uniting to form one formidable object, for example as a metaphor for a team. Also, Sagan Tosu can be interpreted as "Tosu of Saga (Prefecture)" (佐賀ん鳥栖, Saga-n Tosu) in the area's dialect.

History

In February 1997, Sagan was established as a new club which virtually took over Tosu Futures, which became insolvent in the previous month, and were admitted to participate Japan Football League from 1997 to 1998, as well as J. League Cup in 1997 as a preferential measure, although J. League Associate Membership status was not awarded to Sagan. In 1999 they were admitted to the new J. League Division 2 (J2) as one of the "Original Ten", which were the ten first members of the J2. They remained at the league until their promotion to J1 at the end of the 2011 season. Little by little, Sagan Tosu started to establish itself as one of the top clubs in the country with the new President & Chief Operating Officer Minoru Takehara, who is also part owner of the club.^[1]

In their first season at the J. League Division 1 in 2012, confounding the prediction of many critics about their immediate relegation to J2, they have been maintaining their position between 5th and 11th places all the way through the season, except on Matchweek 2, in which they were ranked 13th. They were ranked third after the 33rd week, having a chance to qualify for the 2013 AFC Champions League if they hadn't lost to Yokohama F. Marinos in the last match of the season. However, they have lost to Yokohama by 0–1, wrapping up the season in 5th place, while Urawa Red Diamonds defeated Nagoya Grampus and were ranked 3rd. They also became the first club in Asia to sign a partnership with Warrior Sports,^[2] who sponsor many overseas clubs, including English side Liverpool FC.

In 2013, they made it to the semifinal of the Emperor's Cup for the first time in the club's history, becoming the first club based in Kyushu to make it to the semifinal of the Emperor's Cup since Nippon Steel Yawata SC had done in the 1981 edition. In 2013, they invited A-League team Sydney FC along with the former Italian international player Alessandro Del Piero, for a Japan Tour for the first time.^[3]

In 2014, the club had been in their most successful season in J. League Division 1, being ranked on the top of 2014 J. League Division 1 on the 1st, 2nd, 13th, and 18th matchweek. However, the club made an announcement on 8 August which announced the termination of contract with the head coach Yoon Jung-Hwan all of a sudden, despite the apparently good season.^[4] During the course of the year, they continued on its international expansion and started a partnership with Italian side Juventus FC, for its Juventus Under-16 Japan Tour 2014.^[5] On July 10, 2018, the club reached an agreement with former World Cup, UCL and Europa League winner, Fernando Torres. The aging star would play 35 games for the side, netting 5 goals before finally hanging up his boots on his star-studded career.

League & cup record

Champions	Runners-up	Third place	Promoted	Relegated

League													J. League Cup	Emperor's Cup
Season	Div.	Teams	Pos.	P	W (OTW/PKW)	D	L (OTL/PKL)	F	A	GD	Pts	Attendance/G	J. League Cup	Emperor's Cup
1997	JFL	16	11th	30	12 (1/0)	-	17	38	54	-16	38	-	Not eligible	3rd round
1998	JFL	16	8th	30	11 (3)	-	16	40	55	-15	39	-	Not eligible	3rd round
1999	J2	10	8th	36	11 (1)	2	20 (2)	52	64	-12	37	3,385	1st round	3rd round
2000		11	6th	40	13 (2)	5	15 (5)	41	52	-11	48	3,714	1st round	3rd round
2001		12	10th	44	8 (2)	4	28 (2)	45	82	-37	32	3,479	1st round	Round of 16
2002		12	9th	44	9	14	21	41	64	-23	41	3,890	Not eligible	3rd round
2003		12	12th	44	3	11	30	40	89	-49	20	3,172		1st round
2004		12	11th	44	8	11	25	32	66	-34	35	3,610		4th round
2005		12	8th	44	14	10	20	58	58	0	52	7,855		4th round
2006		13	4th	48	22	13	13	64	49	15	79	7,465		4th round
2007		13	8th	48	21	9	18	63	66	-3	72	6,114		Round of 16
2008		15	6th	42	19	7	16	50	51	-1	64	7,261		Quarter-finals
2009		18	5th	51	25	13	13	71	51	20	88	5,939		Round of 16
2010		19	9th	36	13	12	11	42	41	1	51	6,633		3rd round
2011		20	2nd	38	19	12	7	68	34	34	69	7,731		2nd round
2012	J1	18	5th	34	15	8	11	48	39	9	53	11,991	Group stage	2nd round
2013		18	12th	34	13	7	14	54	63	-9	46	11,515	Group stage	Semi-finals
2014		18	5th	34	19	3	12	41	33	8	60	14,137	Group stage	Round of 16
2015		18	11th	34	9	13	12	37	54	-17	40	13,450	Group stage	Quarter-finals
2016		18	11th	34	12	10	12	36	37	-1	46	12,636	Group stage	Round of 16
2017		18	8th	34	13	8	13	41	44	-3	47	14,194	Group stage	3rd round
2018		18	14th	34	10	11	13	29	34	-5	41	15,000	Group stage	Quarter-finals
2019		18	15th	34	10	6	18	32	53	-21	36	15,050	Group stage	Quarter-finals
2020 †		18	13th	34	7	15	12	37	43	-6	36	4,675	Group stage	Did not qualify
2021 †		20	7th	38	16	11	11	53	35	8	59	7,276	Group stage	Round of 16
2022		18	11th	34	9	15	10	45	44	1	42	9,358	Group stage	Round of 16
2023		18	TBD	34									Group stage	3rd round

Key

Pos. = Position in league; P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals difference; Pts = Points gained
Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
OTW / PKW = Overtime wins / Penalty kicks wins 1997 & 1998 seasons - 1999, 2000, 2001 & 2002 Overtime wins only
OTL / PKL = Overtime losses / Penalty kicks losses 1997 and 1998 seasons - 1999, 2000 & 2001 Overtime losses only
† 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances were reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
Source: J.League Data Site

Current squad

As of 10 August 2023.^[6]^[7]^[8]

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
2	DF	JPN	Kosuke Yamazaki
3	DF	KEN	Teddy Akumu
4	MF	JPN	Toshio Shimakawa
5	MF	JPN	So Kawahara
6	MF	JPN	Akito Fukuta
7	MF	JPN	Kohei Tezuka
8	MF	JPN	Fuchi Honda
9	FW	JPN	Atsushi Kawata
10	MF	JPN	Yuji Ono
12	GK	KOR	Koh Bong-jo
14	MF	JPN	Naoyuki Fujita (captain)
18	MF	JPN	Jun Nishikawa (on loan from Cerezo Osaka)
19	MF	JPN	Kentaro Moriya
20	DF	KOR	Hwang Seok-ho
21	GK	KOR	Ueom Ye-hoon
22	FW	JPN	Cayman Togashi
23	MF	JPN	Taichi Kikuchi
24	MF	JPN	Yoichi Naganuma
25	FW	JPN	Yuta Fujihara


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
27	MF	JPN	Yoshiki Narahara
28	FW	JPN	Ouji Kawanami
29	FW	JPN	Yuto Iwasaki
31	GK	JPN	Masahiro Okamoto
32	FW	JPN	Ayumu Yokoyama
34	DF	JPN	Shiva Nagasawa ^DSP
35	GK	JPN	Kei Uchiyama
37	MF	JPN	Shunya Sakai
38	MF	JPN	Shota Hino ^DSP
39	DF	JPN	Koma Osato
41	FW	JPN	Ryonosuke Kabayama
42	DF	JPN	Wataru Harada
44	MF	JPN	Yuki Horigome
45	MF	JPN	Sotaro Hayashi ^{Type 2}
46	FW	JPN	Keisuke Sakaiya ^{Type 2}
47	FW	JPN	Daichi Suzuki ^{Type 2}
49	DF	JPN	Kiriya Sakamoto (on loan from Montedio Yamagata)
71	GK	JPN	Park Il-gyu (vice-captain)

Out on loan

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
13	DF	JPN	Shinya Nakano (on loan at Gamba Osaka)
26	DF	JPN	Dai Hirase (on loan at Renofa Yamaguchi FC)
—	DF	JPN	Ryotaro Takeuchi (on loan at Criacao Shinjuku)
—	DF	JPN	Taiga Son (on loan at Zweigen Kanazawa)
—	MF	JPN	Ryunosuke Sagara (on loan at Vegalta Sendai)


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	JPN	Tomoya Koyamatsu (on loan at Kashiwa Reysol)
—	FW	JPN	Shunta Araki (on loan at Machida Zelvia)
—	FW	JPN	Ryo Wada (on loan at Reliac Shiga)
—	FW	JPN	Yukihito Kajiya (on loan at Blaublitz Akita)

Sagan Tosu U-18

As of 5 May 2023.

The U-18 team of Sagan Tosu currently plays in the Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League, the top-flight league for U-18 clubs in the country. Only the registered players for the competition will be displayed.^[9]

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	JPN	Asahi Koike
2	FW	JPN	Ryojiro Akasaki
3	DF	JPN	Sota Tashiro
4	DF	JPN	Junya Matsukawa
5	DF	JPN	Fumiya Kitajima
6	DF	JPN	Sotaro Hayashi
7	MF	JPN	Ryusei Sakita
8	FW	JPN	Haruki Yamasaki
9	FW	JPN	Kazuma Komiya
10	MF	JPN	Keisuke Sakaiya
11	FW	JPN	Kosei Masuzaki
12	GK	JPN	Kota Imoto
13	MF	JPN	Rion Tokumura
14	FW	JPN	Tomomichi Yosa
15	DF	JPN	Shotaro Oba


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
16	MF	JPN	Daichi Suzuki
17	DF	JPN	Kanta Uchimaru
21	DF	JPN	Yuto Kakimoto
23	FW	JPN	Shion Watanabe
25	FW	JPN	Kento Yamamura Chiidi
26	MF	JPN	Aitaro Higashiguchi
27	DF	JPN	Hikaru Yamaguchi
28	MF	JPN	Ryoma Koga
29	MF	JPN	Junnosuke Iwamura
32	DF	JPN	Tokia Ikeda
33	GK	JPN	Shion Ishida
34	DF	JPN	Yuto Tanaka
36	MF	JPN	Tokito Mizumaki
37	DF	JPN	Yuya Kuroki
38	DF	JPN	Yuki Suzuki

Retired number

17 Sakata Michitaka – A former professor of Saga University and the person which backed up in both the establishment of Tosu Futures and the team's revival as Sagan Tosu. He died due to kidney cancer on January 7, 2000. The number 17 indicates his day of death.

Club staff

For the 2023 season.^[10]

Role	Name
Manager	Kenta Kawai
Assistant manager	Naoya Kikuchi
First team coach	Yuzuru Suwabe Naoyuki Iwata Yoshizumi Ogawa
Goalkeeping Coach	Takuya Muro
Physical Coach	Tadashi Noda
Analyst	Shota Tamaki
Chief trainer	Toru Kawaguchi
Trainer	Daisuke Adachi Masahiro Hirano Masashi Maeda
Athletic trainer	Atsushi Shiga
Interpreter	Ichiro Takeuchi Lee Kang-haeng
Competent	Yoshito Tsuichihara
Side affairs	Naoki Egawa
Equipment manager	Ryota Kyofuji

Managerial history

Manager	Nationality	Tenure
Manager	Nationality	Start	Finish
Takashi Kuwahara	Japan	1 February 1993	31 January 1995
Hiroshi Sowa	Japan	1 February 1997	31 January 2000
Kazuhiro Kōso	Japan	1 February 2000	31 January 2002
Hiroshi Soejima	Japan	1 February 2002	31 January 2003
Yoshinori Sembiki	Japan	1 February 2003	31 January 2004
Ikuo Matsumoto	Japan	1 February 2004	31 January 2007
Yasuyuki Kishino	Japan	1 February 2007	31 January 2010
Ikuo Matsumoto	Japan	1 February 2010	31 January 2011
Yun Jeong-hwan	South Korea	1 February 2011	7 August 2014
Megumu Yoshida	Japan	8 August 2014	31 January 2015
Hitoshi Morishita	Japan	1 February 2015	31 January 2016
Massimo Ficcadenti	Italy	1 February 2016	18 October 2018
Kim Myung-hwi	South Korea	19 October 2018	31 January 2019
Luis Carreras	Spain	1 February 2019	4 May 2019
Kim Myung-hwi	South Korea	4 May 2019	20 December 2021
Kenta Kawai	Japan	1 February 2022	present

Kit evolution

Home kits - 1st
1999 - 2000	2001 - 2002	2003 - 2004	2005	2006 - 2007
2008 - 2010	2011 - 2012	2013	2014	2015
2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
2021	2022	2023 -

Away kits - 2nd
1999 - 2000	2001 - 2002	2003 - 2004	2005	2006 - 2007
2008 - 2010	2011 - 2012	2013	2014	2015
2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
2021	2022	2023 -

Alternative kits - 3rd
2015 Hawk Festival Memorial	2016 Ladies Day	2016 Hawk Festival Memorial	2017 Hawk Festival Memorial	2018 Hawk Festival Memorial
2019 Hawk Festival Memorial	2019 F. Torres Retirement Game Memorial 1^[11]	2019 F. Torres Retirement Game Memorial 2^[12]	2022 25th Anniversary

References

↑ [サガン、竹原氏が社長就任　「Ｊ１昇格と健全な経営」 http://www1.saga-s.co.jp/news/saga.0.1913106.article.html]
↑ [Warrior Football – Sagan Tosu http://www.warriorfootball.com/teams/sagan-tosu]
↑ [Sagan Tosu outlast Sydney FC in J-League friendly https://www.sbnation.com/2013/7/24/4551614/sydney-sagan-tosu-j-league]
↑ "尹晶煥監督　契約解除のお知らせ" [Annulment of the contract with Head Coach Yoon Jung-Hwan]. Sagan Tosu. 2014-08-08. Archived from the original on 2014-08-07. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
↑ [The Bianconeri Allievi fly to Japan ]
↑ "2023サガン鳥栖選手一覧". Sagan Tosu. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
↑ "TOP TEAM PLAYERS". Sagan Tosu. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
↑ "サガン鳥栖日程". jleague.jp (in Japanese). Japan Professional Football League. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
↑ "サガン鳥栖 U-18" (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 May 2023.
↑ "2023サガン鳥栖監督、コーチ、スタッフ一覧". sagan-tosu.net (in Japanese). 11 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
↑ Worn at the entrance to the pitch against Vissel Kobe in J1 Section 24.
↑ Worn during the match against Vissel Kobe in J1 Section 24.

External links

(in Japanese) Official Site

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] [サガン、竹原氏が社長就任　「Ｊ１昇格と健全な経営」 http://www1.saga-s.co.jp/news/saga.0.1913106.article.html]

[2] [Warrior Football – Sagan Tosu http://www.warriorfootball.com/teams/sagan-tosu]

[3] [Sagan Tosu outlast Sydney FC in J-League friendly https://www.sbnation.com/2013/7/24/4551614/sydney-sagan-tosu-j-league]

[4] "尹晶煥監督　契約解除のお知らせ" [Annulment of the contract with Head Coach Yoon Jung-Hwan]. Sagan Tosu. 2014-08-08. Archived from the original on 2014-08-07. Retrieved 2014-08-08.

[5] [The Bianconeri Allievi fly to Japan ]

[6] "2023サガン鳥栖選手一覧". Sagan Tosu. Retrieved 11 January 2023.

[7] "TOP TEAM PLAYERS". Sagan Tosu. Retrieved 14 June 2022.

[8] "サガン鳥栖日程". jleague.jp (in Japanese). Japan Professional Football League. Retrieved 25 February 2022.

[9] "サガン鳥栖 U-18" (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 May 2023.

[10] "2023サガン鳥栖監督、コーチ、スタッフ一覧". sagan-tosu.net (in Japanese). 11 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.

[11] Worn at the entrance to the pitch against Vissel Kobe in J1 Section 24.

[12] Worn during the match against Vissel Kobe in J1 Section 24.

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Sagan Tosu
Club	Players History (Tosu Futures) All articles
Stadium	Ekimae Real Estate Stadium Saga Stadium
Seasons	1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Former stadia	Ogori Athletic Stadium Karatsu Athletic Stadium
Training ground	Hokubu ground Tosu Athletic Stadium