J2 History: 2003

By 2003, it was fairly clear that the J2 division was on firm ground, with finances and public support improving across the country. There were still some problems at the weaker teams, with Sagan Tosu in particular finding it difficult to remain financially afloat. However, it also became clear that football was developing strong popularity in outlying areas of Japan, with grassroots support building as fan support for the local club began to mount as a reflection of regional pride. Albirex Niigata drew amazing crowds that gave the club a larger average gate than any J1 team. The race for promotion was not quite as suspenseful as in previous years, but when Albirex needed a win in their final league match to clinch a spot in J1, fans packed "Big Swan" stadium to the rafters for a capacity-crowd send-off to the to-flight division.
Although there were still a few straggling clubs at the bottom of the table, league officials had enough confidence in the health of local J2 organisations that at the end of the 2003 season, it introduced a plan to expand the J.League. This was the first seed of what would soon come to be known as "the Hundred Year Plan" -- a broad-based effort to develop football as one of Japan's top leisure activities, while building a professional that will one day include teams in nearly every major city in the country. The plan remained an informal "idea" through the end of 2003, but by the start of the following year, the J.League began to implement it step by step.

J2 League Table, 2002
. Team Pts GP W D L GF GA GDif
1 Albirex Niigata 88 44 27 7 10 80 40 +40
2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 86 44 25 11 8 65 35 +30
3 Kawasaki Frontale 85 44 24 13 7 88 47 +41
4 Avispa Fukuoka 71 44 21 8 15 67 62 +5
5 Ventforet Kofu 69 44 19 12 13 58 46 +12
6 Omiya Ardija 61 44 18 7 19 52 61 -9
7 Mito Hollyhock 56 44 15 11 18 37 41 -4
8 Montedio Yamagata 55 44 15 10 19 52 60 -8
9 Consadole Sapporo 52 44 13 13 18 57 56 +1
10 Shonan Bellmare 44 44 11 11 22 33 53 -20
11 Yokohama FC 42 44 10 12 22 49 88 -39
12 Sagan Tosu 20 44 3 11 30 40 89 -49

PROMOTED:
Albirex Niigata
Sanfrecce Hiroshima

RELEGATED:
Vegalta Sendai
Kyoto Purple Sanga