Ventforet Kofu
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Short descriptionScript error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Script error: No such module "Nihongo". is a Japanese professional football club from Kōfu in Yamanashi Prefecture. The team currently competes in the J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football, hosting their home matches in the JIT Recycle Ink Stadium, located in Kōfu.
Ventforet has won a total of 1 J2 League title and 1 Emperor's Cup in their history.
Name origin
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 and was formed as Kofu Club. 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.
Kofu 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.
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 remained in J.League 1 until 2017, consistently staying as a top tier J.League 2 team after relegation
Emperor's Cup win (2022)
Ventforet participated in the 2022 Emperor's Cup, earning a direct second round entry alongside all J1 and J2 League teams. Following a 5–1 win over Okayama-based International Pacific University, they then only faced J1 League opponents the rest of the tournament. They would beat Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Sagan Tosu away from home by 2–1 and 3–1 respectively to advance to the quarter finals, in a stage which they had been on 4 times without ever getting past it. In another match away from home, now against Avispa Fukuoka, the game would be tied up 1–1 and head into extra time, with Yoshiki Torikai scoring in the 97th minute to bring Kofu to their first Emperor's Cup Semi-final, where they would beat Kashima Antlers thanks to Jumma Miyazaki's goal in the 37th minute to reach their first Emperor's Cup Final.
In the final, Kofu were up against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, a J1 team who hadn't won an Emperor's Cup since 1969 (including amateur era). Kazushi Mitsuhira scored in the 26th minute to give Kofu the lead, before Sanfrecce midfielder Takumu Kawamura tied the match in the 84th minute. After a scoreless extra time, the final was decided in a penalty shootout. After Sanfrecce missed their fourth penalty, 42-year-old Hideomi Yamamoto scored Kofu's fifth and final penalty to win the Emperor's Cup champions for the first time. Their win marked the first time that a J2 League team had won the Emperor's Cup since FC Tokyo in 2011, the fourth J2 champion overall, and the first occasion in which the winner was not the second division champions. Thus, they will play the AFC Champions League while playing in their domestic second-tier league.
AFC Champions League debut (2023)
On 20 September 2023, Ventforet played their first AFC Champions League official match against Australian side Melbourne City for the competition's group stage. Playing away at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium with few of their usual starting players, the match ended in a 0–0 draw, earning them their first point and clean sheet in this competition.[1] On 4 October 2023, Ventforet picked up their first Champions League win against Thai champions Buriram United. Motoki Hasegawa scored in stoppage time as Ventforet won 1–0 at home, On 12 December 2023, Ventforet clinched their spots in the Round of 16 after a 2–3 away win against Buriram United. This marks the first time a team qualified for the knockout phase of the AFC Champions League though not playing in their nation's top division. Ventforet than faced against Korean giants, Ulsan Hyundai in the Round of 16, however, they were knocked out from the tournament after suffering a 5–1 on aggregate defeat.
2023–24 AFC Champions League - Group H
Template:2023–24 AFC Champions League group tables
League and cup record
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| League | J.League Cup |
Emperor's Cup |
AFC Champions League | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Division | Tier | Pos. | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Attendance/G | |||
| 1992 | former JFL Div. 2 |
3 | 5th | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 26 | 29 | -3 | 28 | Not eligible | Not eligible | ||
| 1993 | 9th | 18 | 6 | - | 12 | 15 | 37 | -22 | - | ||||||
| 1994 | former JFL |
2 | 14th | 30 | 9 | - | 21 | 36 | 74 | -38 | - | 2nd round | |||
| 1995 | 9th | 30 | 14 | - | 16 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 43 | ||||||
| 1996 | 11th | 30 | 11 | - | 19 | 50 | 56 | -6 | 33 | 2nd round | |||||
| 1997 | 6th | 30 | 19 | - | 11 | 59 | 41 | 18 | 52 | 3rd round | |||||
| 1998 | 4th | 30 | 22 | - | 8 | 74 | 40 | 34 | 59 | 4th round | |||||
| 1999 | J2 | 2 | 10th | 36 | 5 | 4 | 27 | 32 | 85 | -53 | 18 | 1,469 | 1st round | 2nd round | |
| 2000 | 11th | 40 | 5 | 3 | 32 | 31 | 84 | -53 | 18 | 1,850 | 1st round | 4th round | |||
| 2001 | 12th | 44 | 8 | 2 | 34 | 38 | 98 | -60 | 25 | 3,130 | 1st round | 3rd round | |||
| 2002 | 7th | 44 | 16 | 10 | 18 | 51 | 55 | -4 | 58 | 4,914 | Not eligible | 3rd round | |||
| 2003 | 5th | 44 | 19 | 12 | 13 | 58 | 46 | 12 | 69 | 5,796 | 3rd round | ||||
| 2004 | 7th | 44 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 51 | 46 | 5 | 58 | 6,370 | 4th round | ||||
| 2005 | 3rd | 44 | 19 | 12 | 13 | 78 | 64 | 14 | 69 | 6,931 | 4th round | ||||
| 2006 | J1 | 1 | 15th | 34 | 12 | 6 | 15 | 42 | 64 | -22 | 42 | 12,211 | Group Stage | Quarter Finals | |
| 2007 | 17th | 34 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 33 | 65 | -32 | 27 | 13,734 | Quarter Finals | 5th round | |||
| 2008 | J2 | 2 | 7th | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 56 | 47 | 9 | 59 | 10,354 | Not eligible | 4th round | |
| 2009 | 4th | 51 | 28 | 13 | 10 | 76 | 46 | 30 | 97 | 11,059 | 4th round | ||||
| 2010 | 2nd | 36 | 19 | 13 | 4 | 71 | 40 | 31 | 70 | 12,431 | 3rd round | ||||
| 2011 | J1 | 1 | 16th | 34 | 9 | 19 | 6 | 42 | 63 | -21 | 33 | 12,106 | 1st round | 3rd round | |
| 2012 | J2 | 2 | 1st | 42 | 24 | 4 | 14 | 63 | 35 | 28 | 86 | 10,407 | 2nd round | ||
| 2013 | J1 | 1 | 15th | 34 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 30 | 41 | -11 | 37 | 12,614 | Group Stage | Quarter Finals | |
| 2014 | 13th | 34 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 27 | 31 | -4 | 41 | 12,171 | Group Stage | Round of 16 | |||
| 2015 | 13th | 34 | 10 | 17 | 7 | 26 | 43 | -17 | 37 | 11,612 | Group Stage | 4th round | |||
| 2016 | 14th | 34 | 7 | 17 | 10 | 32 | 58 | -26 | 31 | 10,833 | Group Stage | 2nd round | |||
| 2017 | 16th | 34 | 7 | 16 | 11 | 23 | 39 | -16 | 32 | 10,829 | Group Stage | 2nd round | |||
| 2018 | J2 | 2 | 9th | 42 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 56 | 46 | 10 | 59 | 7,384 | Quarter Finals | Quarter Finals | |
| 2019 | 5th | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 64 | 40 | 24 | 71 | 8,273 | Not eligible | Quarter Finals | |||
| 2020 † | 4th | 42 | 16 | 17 | 9 | 50 | 41 | 9 | 65 | 2,485 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2021 † | 3rd | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 65 | 38 | 27 | 80 | 4,325 | 2nd round | ||||
| 2022 | 18th | 42 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 47 | 54 | -7 | 48 | 4,930 | Winner | ||||
| 2023 | 8th | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 60 | 50 | 10 | 64 | 7,485 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | |||
| 2024 | 14th | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 54 | 57 | -3 | 45 | 8,274 | Quarter final | 2nd round | |||
| 2025 | TBA | 38 | 2nd round | TBD | |||||||||||
- Key
Honours
| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Kantō Soccer League | 2 | 1969, 1970 |
| J2 League | 1 | 2012 |
| Emperor's Cup | 1 | 2022 |
League history
- Kanto League: 1967–71 (as Kofu Club)
- Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1972–91 (as Kofu Club)
- Division 3 (former JFL Div. 2): 1992–93 (as Kofu Club)
- Division 2 (former 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–
Current squad
- As of 27 April 2025.Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[2]
<templatestyles src="Template:Football squad player/styles.css" /> Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Out on loan
<templatestyles src="Template:Football squad player/styles.css" /> Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
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Club officials
Club staff for 2025 season [3]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Template:Flagicon Shinji Otsuka |
| Coaches | Template:Flagicon Katsutomo Oshiba Template:Flagicon Yuji Yokoyama Template:Flagicon Nazri Nasir |
| Goalkeeper coach | Template:Flagicon Yuji Nakagawa |
| Physical coach | Template:Flagicon José Fernando |
| Analysis coach | Template:Flagicon Yoshiki Hara Template:Flagicon Kanta Yonekura |
| Chief trainer | Template:Flagicon Hiroaki Maeda |
| Trainers | Template:Flagicon Masaya Tanaka Template:Flagicon Yuto Mogi Template:Flagicon Naoaki Higashi |
| Physiotherapist | Template:Flagicon Takayuki Ando |
| Athletic trainer | Template:Flagicon Shigeru Asahina |
| Competent | Template:Flagicon Yoshiki Tsuruta |
| Deputy officer | Template:Flagicon Tetsuro Ajisawa |
| Interpreter | Template:Flagicon Bruno Iwasaki |
Managerial history
| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Finish | ||
| Susumu Katsumata | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 January 1994 | 31 January 1995 |
| Yūji Tsukada | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 1995 | 31 January 1999 |
| Susumu Katsumata | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 1999 | 31 January 2000 |
| Yūji Tsukada | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2000 | 31 January 2001 |
| Luis dos Reis | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2001 | 31 January 2002 |
| Takeshi Ōki | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2002 | 31 January 2003 |
| Hideki Matsunaga | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2003 | 31 January 2005 |
| Takeshi Ōki | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2005 | 31 January 2008 |
| Takayoshi Amma | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2008 | 31 January 2010 |
| Kazuo Uchida | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2010 | 31 January 2011 |
| Toshiya Miura | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2011 | 7 August 2011 |
| Satoru Sakuma | Script error: No such module "flag". | 8 August 2011 | 31 December 2011 |
| Hiroshi Jōfuku | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2012 | 31 January 2015 |
| Yasuhiro Higuchi | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2015 | 13 May 2015 |
| Satoru Sakuma | Script error: No such module "flag". | 13 May 2015 | 31 December 2016 |
| Tatsuma Yoshida | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2017 | 30 April 2018 |
| Nobuhiro Ueno | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 May 2018 | 31 January 2019 |
| Akira Itō | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2019 | 31 January 2022 |
| Tatsuma Yoshida | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2022 | 31 January 2023 |
| Yoshiyuki Shinoda | Script error: No such module "flag". | 1 February 2023 | 1 July 2024 |
| Shinji Otsuka | Script error: No such module "flag". | 2 July 2024 | Current |
Kit evolution
| Home kits - 1st | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 - 2000 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2001 - 2002 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2003 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2004 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2005 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2006 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2007 - 2008 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2009 - 2010 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2011-2012 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2013 - 2014 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2015 - 2016 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2017 - 2018 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2019 - 2020 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2021 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2022 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2023 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2024 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2025 - Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | ||
| Away kits - 2nd | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 - 2000 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2001 - 2002 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2003 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2004 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2005 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2006 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2007 - 2008 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2009 - 2010 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2011 - 2012 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2013 - 2014 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2015 - 2016 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2017 - 2018 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2019 - 2020 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2021 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2022 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2023 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2024 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2025 - Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
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| Third kits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 Summer Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2016 Summer Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2017 Summer Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2018 Summer Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2019 Summer Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2020 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Summer |
2021 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Summer |
2022 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Limited |
Special for Champions League Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".HomeScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
Special for Champions League Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".AwayScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". |
2024 Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".SUMMER Vivid × Vital |
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References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
Template:Ventforet Kofu Template:J.League Script error: No such module "Navbox with collapsible groups".
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