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New Wave Kitakyushu adopted their magnificent name in 2001, when they cast off the Mitsubishi company-team structure to become a community based club. As Mitsubishi Chemicals Kurosaki, the team, was a founding member of the Kyushu League, in 1973, and won the championship seven times over the years. However, in the 1990s and early 2000s, New Wave have often found themselves crowded out by better-organised and more aggressively financed clubs, such as Rosso Kumamoto and FC Ryukyu. Like these two predecessors, New Wave Kitakyushu set their sights on a spot in the JFL, and have hinted that they would like to pursue a J.League spot as well, eventually. Some might wonder if that is feasable, considering that the city of Kitakyushu is sandwiched between Oita and Fukuoka (just 20 km from the latter city), which already have J.League clubs of their own.
In Japan, though, history often is a more important factor than geography in determining attitudes, even today. Kitakyushu has always been more closely tied to Yamaguchi prefecture -- just across the straits of Shimonoseki -- than to the rest of Fukuoka prefecture in which the city is based. Considering the tremendous support for football in other parts of Kyushu, it is by no means improbable that New Wave could establish its own separate identity and support base in the J.League. While this could further complicate the financial picture for northern Kyushu-based clubs trying to achieve success in the professional ranks, from another perspective this could stimulate even fiercer loyalty and competitive rivalry among the four clubs of northern Kyushu (Avispa, Trinita, Sagan Tosu and New Wave)
Before this issue could be considered, however, New Wave first had to make it into the JFL. The club strengthened its squad considerably in 2006, with the addition of J.League veterans such as former Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Albirex Niigata midfielder Hiroyoshi Kuwabara, Verdy Kawasaki and Gamba Osaka veteran Shingi Ono, and Jun Mizukoshi, whose journeyman career included a stint in the Netherlands second division as well as at Albirex and Ventforet Kofu. After Rosso Kumamoto and FC Ryukyu made the jump to the JFL, in 2005 and 2006, respectively, the task became considerably easier for New Wave. They won the Kyushu League title in 2007, and then advanced in the Nationwide Regional Champions Tournament, entering the JFL for the first time in 2008.
| Team Name: |  | Home Stadium:Honjo Stadium
Seats 10,000 |
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| Team Name: New Wave Kitakyushu Home Town: Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture
Founded: 1973
Current Status: JFL (since 2008)
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National Team
Overseas Players
