Team Data: Albirex Niigata
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 | Albi-kun
The Albirex mascot, like the team's name, is derived from the image of a white swan. The constellation Cygnus (the swan), a very visible feature of the northern sky, has certain historical connections to people in the Hokuriku region. The team chose a name based on this constellation: the swan, or "White King" of the northern sky (White = "Albi" and king = "rex" in latin). In 2002, Albi-kun received a partner, in the form of his "wife", Swan-chan.
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The roots of Albirex Niigata are very deep. The club can trace its history to 1955, with the formation of the Niigata Eleven Soccer Club, which took part in many local and national competitions, such as the Emperor's Cup, over the years. In 1986, with the formation of the Northern Jo-etsu Regional League, the club became one of the top regional powers, taking the regional championship title on many occasions between 1986 and 1994. Niigata is located on the northern Japan Sea coast -- far from most of Japan's other major cities and in a rather isolated area. However, this has been an advantage to the team in some ways, since it does not have any local baseball franchise or other sports teams to compete for fan support. As a result, Niigata has become one of the most well-supported teams in the league. Even when the team was still a member of the J2, it was already outdrawing many J1 clubs in terms of average attendance per match. Since winning promotion to the J1, the numbers have soared, and since the turn of the century, only the Urawa Reds can match Albirex in terms of attendances.
In 1994, following the creation of the J.League and the reorganisation of regional leagues, Niigata Eleven Soccer Club changed its name to Albireo Niigata Football Club. The name was taken from "Albi" (white) + "Reo" (king), which is an appropriate name for a team from one of the snowiest parts of the country. Albireo is also the name of the white snow goose that serves as the team mascot. In 1998, after being selected as one of the founding members of the J2, the team changed its name to "Albirex", which rolls off the tongue a bit more easily than "Albireo".
By 2001, the strong local backing and relatively large crowds provided the team with enough money to begin picking up experienced players from the low end of the rosters of J1 clubs, and to attract some top-quality Brazilians as well. Albirex put on a strong run for promotion in both 2001 and 2002, but both times they faded in the final stretch, and ended up falling just short of a promotion spot. Nevertheless, the team's strong performances and the added impact of a brand-new stadium ("Big Swan" Stadium, built for the 2002 World Cup) earned the team enough cash to strengthen their roster even further. By 2003, this steady process of adding talented veterans improved the team to the point where they were able to capture the J2 championship, as well as a promotion spot, in 2003.
Since then, Albirex has maintained a spor firmly in the center of the J1 heirarchy, never falling low enough to be at significant risk of relegation, yet never performing well enough to claim any silverware. Tremendous fan support and steady finances have allowed the team to develop into a consistent and competitive team, but player selection has never been particularly well-organized. Throughout the first decade of this century the team has made a habit of picking up older journeymen players who have proven themselves on other teams, and thus can be relied upon to make a steady contribution, but who do not really have much potential for "growth". While the mighty swans have occasionally managed to edge into the top third of the table, they rarely are able to sustain the momentum for an entire season. There are several possible reasons for this mediocrity, but none is entirely satisfying as an explanation, especially when one considers how much money the team has at its disposal.
For one thing, Albirex's youth program has not been very effective at producing top, J1-quality players. Niigata may have the money to buy themselves a J1-quality roster, but prior to 2005 or 06, the Mighty Swans did not have a single player who came up through their own youth system and earned a regular starting position. More recently a few youngsters who joined Albirex out of high school, such as Kazuhisa Kawahara and Atom Tanaka, have begun to work their way into the lineup. But as of 2009 only two players on the roster -- neither of whom has ever started a match -- were products of the Albirex Youth system. It is clear that the team needs to either improve their youth program, or at least develop some better scouting channels if they ever hope to move to the next level.
On the other hand, the Mighty Swans do have a few relationships that are rather unique for a J.League team. Thanks to a bit of good timing and a few contacts in Singapore, in 2003 Albirex was invited to field a team in the Singapore League. The creation of Albirex Niigata Singapore has not only allowed young players to get regular experience in competitive matches; it also won Albirex a fan following in Singapore. However, it is interesting to note that most of the Albirex Singapore alumni who are still in the J.League play for teams OTHER than Albirex. The only notable exception is the aforementioned Atom Tanaka, who spent several months in Singapore after being signed by Albirex out of high school.
The first season in the J1 was a very impressive one for the Mighty Swans, not only in terms of their tremendous attendances (Albirex surpassed Urawa Reds to record the highest average home attendance of any club for the 2004 season), but also for their strong performance. Though the team finished 14th in the first stage, they got off to a very impressive start in the second stage, and were in second place midway through the stage. Then disaster struck . . . in more ways than one.
The Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake, in early October, devastated the region that Albirex calls home, and in addition to the emotional stress that this earthquake caused, it also forced the team to postpone one match, and play a second "home" match at a location hundreds of miles from Niigata. The stress and emotional turmoil took a toll on the team's performances, and they dropped the next four matches in a row, to finish the season in seventh place.
But in many ways, the Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake was an event which solidified the team's grassroots support permanently. Years from now, this tragedy is likely to be seen as a key event in the team's development. Albirex was already drawing crowds of close to 40,000 on a regular basis. But the enthusiasm and support for the team was still restricted to a fairly small, though fanatically loyal fan base. The Niigata-Chuetsu Earthquake changed all that. In the immediate aftermath, team members travelled throughout the area, speaking to adoring crowds of schoolchildren as well as their previously disinterested parents and grandparents, providing entertainment and solace to displaced families, and carrying a message of hope and endurance through the hardship.
By the end of the season, Albirex Niigata had been transformed from "just" a sports team, into a symbol of logal Niigata pride. The players, meanwhile, had grown in the eyes of locals into truly heroic characters, many of them recognised by people in the region as readily as any movie star. The bond between the team and its local supporters is stronger than blood, and it runs both ways. Albirex players were at the forefront of volunteer efforts to help displaced people, following the quake, and they dedicated their efforts time and again to the people affected by the quake. The local citizens have done their best to repay the favour, with their support and attendance, giving Albirex a cash flow from gate receipts that most other clubs would envy.
So far, though, the team has not yet managed to use this support very effectively. In addition to the aforementioned weaknesses in the youth system, Albirex has a management and coaching team that seems to exude mediocrity. Several key decisions have squandered portions of the Niigata bankroll -- in particular the signing of several veterans from Nagoya Grampus in 2004 and 2005 who never really justified the expense. In the wake of that mistake the club seems to have adopted an overly cautious stance, and is rarely mentioned as a potential suitor when a quality player starts looking for a new club. Perhaps this reflects a conscious decision to try to develop talent from within, and if that is the case, it may eventually start to pay off, three to five years down the line. For the time being, though, we suspect that the Mighty Swans will remain firmly ensconced in the middle of the J1 table.
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