Sagan Tosu

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.

Sagan Tosu
サガン鳥栖
Full nameSagan Tosu Football Club
Nickname(s)Sagan
Founded1997 (1997)
StadiumEkimae Real Estate Stadium
Tosu, Saga
Capacity24,130
ChairmanMinoru Takehara
ManagerKenta Kawai
LeagueJ1 League
2023J1 League, 14th of 18
WebsiteClub website

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 J1 League 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.

In 2013, they made it to the semi-finals 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 semi-finals of the Emperor's Cup since Nippon Steel Yawata 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 the J1 League, being ranked on the top of 2014 J1 League 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, for its Juventus Under-16 Japan Tour 2014.[5] On 10 July 2018, the club reached an agreement with former FIFA World Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA 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.

Kit and colours

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
2024 -
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
2024 -
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[6]
2019
F. Torres
Retirement Game Memorial 2[7]
2022
25th Anniversary


Current squad
As of 26 June 2024[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
1 GK  ESP Arnau Riera
2 DF  JPN Kosuke Yamazaki
3 DF  JPN Seiji Kimura (on loan from FC Tokyo)
5 MF  JPN So Kawahara
6 MF  JPN Akito Fukuta
7 MF  JPN Kohei Tezuka
8 MF  JPN Hikaru Nakahara
9 FW  JPN Atsushi Kawata
10 MF  JPN Fuchi Honda
11 FW  BRA Vinícius Araújo
13 FW  JPN Ayumu Yokoyama
14 MF  JPN Naoyuki Fujita (captain)
16 DF  JPN Katsunori Ueebisu
18 MF  JPN Shota Hino
19 MF  JPN Kentaro Moriya
20 DF  KOR Kim Tae-hyeon
21 MF  JPN Yuki Horigome
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 FW  JPN Cayman Togashi
23 MF  JPN Taichi Kikuchi
25 MF  JPN Ryohei Watanabe
27 MF  JPN Yoshiki Narahara
28 DF  JPN Yusuke Maruhashi
29 DF  JPN Taisei Inoue DSP
31 GK  JPN Masahiro Okamoto
32 FW  JPN Keisuke Sakaiya
36 DF  JPN Fumiya Kitajima
41 FW  JPN Ryonosuke Kabayama
42 DF  JPN Wataru Harada
47 FW  JPN Daichi Suzuki Type 2
51 GK  KOR Lee Yun-sung
71 GK  JPN Park Il-gyu (vice-captain)
88 MF  JPN Yoichi Naganuma
99 FW  BRA Marcelo Ryan

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
12 GK  KOR Koh Bong-jo (at Ventforet Kofu)
34 DF  JPN Shiva Tafari Nagasawa (at Mito HollyHock)
— GK  JPN Kei Uchiyama (at Fujieda MYFC)
— DF  JPN Dai Hirase (at Renofa Yamaguchi FC)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF  JPN Ryotaro Takeuchi (at Criacao Shinjuku)
— DF  JPN Koma Osato (at Reilac Shiga FC)
— MF  JPN Shunya Sakai (at Tegevajaro Miyazaki)
— FW  JPN Oji Kawanami (at FC Gifu)

Sagan Tosu U-18
As of 16 April 2024

The main 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 Kota Imoto
2 DF  JPN Shuya Furutachi
3 DF  JPN Kanta Uchimaru
4 DF  JPN Shotaro Oba
5 DF  JPN Teppei Ikematsu
6 MF  JPN Haruki Yamasaki
7 MF  JPN Tentaro Onuki
8 MF  JPN Sena Morimoto
9 MF  JPN Tomomichi Yoza
10 FW  JPN Daichi Suzuki
11 FW  JPN Shion Watanabe
12 GK  JPN Kosei Tanaka
13 DF  JPN Yuto Kakimoto
14 MF  JPN Ryu Sakurada
15 FW  JPN Shion Shinkawa
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF  JPN Yuya Kuroki
17 DF  JPN Hikaru Yamaguchi
18 MF  JPN Tokito Mizumaki
19 MF  JPN Ryoma Koga
20 MF  JPN Aitaro Higashiguchi
21 MF  JPN Konosuke Haraguchi
22 MF  JPN Kento Yamamura Chidi
23 MF  JPN Yuki Suzuki
24 MF  JPN Tokia Ikeda
25 FW  JPN Yuto Tanaka
26 FW  JPN Yuta Shimoda
27 DF  JPN Junnosuke Iwamura
31 MF  JPN Ren Ono
32 FW  JPN Rentaro Harada
40 GK  JPN Teyan Tani

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 7 January 2000. The number 17 indicates his day of death.

Club officials
Role[10] Name
Manager Kenta Kawai
Assistant manager Naoya Kikuchi
First-team coach Yuzuru Suwabe
Naoyuki Iwata
Yoshizumi Ogawa
Cho Dong-geon
Goalkeeping coach Takuya Muro
Physical coach Tadashi Noda
Analyst Shota Tamaki
Yutaro Hamada
Chief trainer Toru Kawaguchi
Athletic trainer Atsushi Shiga
Trainer Daisuke Adachi
Masahiro Hirano
Masashi Maeda
Interpreter Alesso Mariani
Lee Kang-haeng
Naoto Muramatsu
Competent Yoshito Tsuichihara
Side affairs Naoki Egawa
Ayaki Goto
Equipment manager Yoshiki Sugimoto
Chief doctor Kyota Nishifuru

Managerial history
ManagerNationalityTenure
StartFinish
Takashi Kuwahara Japan1 February 199331 January 1995
Hiroshi Sowa Japan1 February 199731 January 2000
Kazuhiro Kōso Japan1 February 200031 January 2002
Hiroshi Soejima Japan1 February 200231 January 2003
Yoshinori Sembiki Japan1 February 200331 January 2004
Ikuo Matsumoto Japan1 February 200431 January 2007
Yasuyuki Kishino Japan1 February 200731 January 2010
Ikuo Matsumoto Japan1 February 201031 January 2011
Yun Jeong-hwan South Korea1 February 20117 August 2014
Megumu Yoshida Japan8 August 201431 January 2015
Hitoshi Morishita Japan1 February 201531 January 2016
Massimo Ficcadenti Italy1 February 201618 October 2018
Kim Myung-hwi South Korea19 October 201831 January 2019
Luis Carreras Spain1 February 20194 May 2019
Kim Myung-hwi South Korea4 May 201920 December 2021
Kenta Kawai Japan1 February 2022present

League & cup record
Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
LeagueJ. League CupEmperor's Cup
SeasonDiv.TeamsPos.PW (OTW/PKW)DL (OTL/PKL)FAGDPtsAttendance/G
1997 JFL1611th3012 (1/0)-173854-1638-Not eligible3rd round
1998 168th3011 (3)-164055-1539-3rd round
1999 J2108th3611 (1)220 (2)5264-12373,3851st round3rd round
2000 116th4013 (2)515 (5)4152-11483,7141st round3rd round
2001 1210th448 (2)428 (2)4582-37323,4791st roundRound of 16
2002 129th44914214164-23413,890Not eligible3rd round
2003 1212th44311304089-49203,1721st round
2004 1211th44811253266-34353,6104th round
2005 128th4414102058580527,8554th round
2006 134th48221313644915797,4654th round
2007 138th48219186366-3726,114Round of 16
2008 156th42197165051-1647,261Quarter-finals
2009 185th51251313715120885,939Round of 16
2010 199th3613121142411516,6333rd round
2011 202nd3819127683434697,7312nd round
2012 J1185th3415811483995311,991Group stage2nd round
2013 1812th34137145463-94611,515Group stageSemi-finals
2014 185th3419312413386014,137Group stageRound of 16
2015 1811th34913123754-174013,450Group stageQuarter-finals
2016 1811th341210123637-14612,636Group stageRound of 16
2017 188th34138134144-34714,194Group stage3rd round
2018 1814th341011132934-54115,000Group stageQuarter-finals
2019 1815th34106183253-213615,050Group stageQuarter-finals
2020 † 1813th34715123743-6364,675Group stageDid not qualify
2021 † 207th3816111153358597,276Group stageRound of 16
2022 1811th349151045441429,358Group stageRound of 16
2023 1814th34911144347-43810,230Group stage3rd round
2024 20TBD38TBDTBD
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

References
  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 Archived 2018-07-12 at the Wayback Machine]
  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. Worn at the entrance to the pitch against Vissel Kobe in J1 Section 24.
  7. Worn during the match against Vissel Kobe in J1 Section 24.
  8. "TOP TEAM PLAYERS". Sagan Tosu. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  9. "サガン鳥栖 U-18" (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  10. "TOP TEAM STAFF". sagan-tosu.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 April 2024.
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