JFL History: 1994

From 1994, The JFL assumed the status of second division to the J.League. The league consisted of 16 teams, and it was decided that the team or teams that won the JFL championship would be promoted to the J.League -- initially at a pace of two teams a year, and later just one team a year. To replace the teams promoted to the J.League, teams in the regional league played a tournament to decide which teams would be promoted to the JFL. This format would persist until 1998, when the entire league structure of J.League and JFL was revised.

Teams continued to follow the trend of renaming themselves after their home base, rather than retaining their corporate sponsor's names. It is interesting to note that the teams which moved in this direction earliest also turned out to be the most successful in the JFL, and in being promoted to the J.League. In 1994, Cerezo Osaka and Kashiwa Reysol were promoted to the J.League, while Brummel Sendai and Fukushima FC joined the JFL.

JFL League Table
Rank Team Destination in 1994 Season
1 Cerezo Osaka
Cerezo Osaka
J.League
2 Kashiwa Reysol
Kashiwa Reysol
J.League
3 Fujiki Brooks Fukuoka Brooks .
4 PJM Futures Tosu Futures .
5 Kyoto Purple Sanga . . .
6 Otsuka Pharmaceutical Vortis Tokushima .
7 Tokyo Gas . . .
8 Kawasaki Steel Vissel Kobe .
9 Honda Motors . . .
10 Fujitsu . . .
11 Toshiba . . .
12 NTT Kanto . . .
13 NEC Yamagata . . .
14 Kofu Club . . .
15 Cosmo Oil . . .
16 Seino Transport . . .