Hokkaido Regional League

Last season, reigning champions Norbritz Hokkaido held on to their title by just a single point, edging out the delightfully naughty-sounding BlackPecker Hakodate, as the two teams traded identical 3-1 away wins in their two encounters during the season. This was the only loss that Norbritz suffered throughout the entire league season, while BlackPecker suffered a 0-3 defeat at home, in June, to newly-promoted surprise package ACSC Asahikawa. This would cost them a shot at the championship, despite finishing their season with a run of thumping victories, to the tune of 6-1, 8-3 and 4-0. But Norbritz held off their charge and clinched the Hokkaido League crown on the final day of the season thanks a 2-0 triumph over Barefoot Hokkaido. The team relegated at the end of 2005 was the frankly mis-named R Superb Kushiro, who gathered only six points over the course of a far-from superb year.

When it comes to making the push for a place in the JFL via the Nationwide Regional League Championship Tournament, however, they have been found wanting. Hokkaido has one of the weaker of the nine Regional Leagues, which means that the level of regular competition that the club faces is not particularly strong. Thus, despite enjoying superiority over their local rivals , Norbritz have found themselves suddenly and uncomfortably out of their depth when playoff time arrives at the end of the year. Although the team enjoys a certain level of support from their parent organisation, unless there is a major increase in financial support for Norbritz it seems unlikely that they will be able to make their way into the JFL.

Team Name: Norbritz Hokkaido Football Club Team Insignia: Home Town: Ebetsu City, Hokkaido Prefecture Founded: 1985 Current Status: Hokkaido Regional League (since 1989) Team Logo & Mascot: Home Stadium Ebetsu Stadium Team Flag:

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Barefoot Hokkaido

< The outfit currently known as Barefoot Hokkaido are an amateur club based in Sapporo, with teams for all ages and for men, women, boys and girls. Their original name was Yuubari Barefoot and the first team began competitive life in the Yuubari City League in 1999 - which they promptly won, to achieve immediate promotion to the Hokkaido League. The following year Barefoot saw off allcomers to triumph in Division 2, and in both 2001 and 2002 they took Division 1 by storm, losing just a single match in each season to move to the top of the pile in the region at the expense of HokuDen. In 2003 the club changed its name to Barefoot Hokkaido in an attempt to make a broader appeal, as they began considering the notion of achieving JFL status. But league results have tailed off since then, and they no longer find themselves Norbritz's most competitive challenger. In 2005 they slumped to a fourth place finish, sixteen points off the pace

Team Name: BlackPecker Hakodate Team Insignia: Home Town: XXXX, Hokkaido Prefecture Founded: 1978 Current Status: Hokkaido Regional League (since xxxx) Team Logo & Mascot: Home Stadium XXXXX Stadium Team Flag:

< In the far south of the island can be found the second city of Hakodate, whose "Hakodate 1976" team (slogan: "Fly, Nature's Children") won the inaugural Hokkaido League championship in 1978. Repeating their success two years later, the club evolved into the team which is nownow known officially as BlackPecker CURIO1982, but is referred to by fans with the delightfully risque name of BlackPecker Hakodate.

After competing on a local basis for a number of years, BlackPecker won the Hokkaido League Division 2 in 1996 but until recently have never been anything more than Division 1 also-rans.

Team Name: Thank FC Team Insignia: Home Town: XXXX, Hokkaido Prefecture Founded: 1998 Current Status: Hokkaido Regional League (since 2002) Team Logo & Mascot: Home Stadium XXXXX Stadium Team Flag:

< Thank FC, meanwhile, came into existence in Sapporo towards the end of 1998, when several members of the defunct Anfini Sapporo - a side that itself had its roots in the very successful Sapporo Mazda - decided to form a new team of their own, the name chosen as a simple gesture of gratitude to those people who helped them to get their fledgling club off the ground. In 2000 they enrolled in the Sapporo City League and at the end of the season achieved promotion via the play-offs to the Hokkaido League Division 2. Two years later, Thank FC reached Division 1, but despite a long-term aim to gain a place in the JFL they have yet to finish higher than fourth. The club elected in 2004 to move from Sapporo further east to the small city of Kuriyama.

Four other teams will be competing in the Hokkaido League for 2006. Sapporo Football Group won the championship on a couple of occasions in the mid-80s, but have been unable to mount a serious challenge in recent years, while more recent arrivals on the scene are Toyota Motors Hokkaido - League members since 2003 and, like Thank FC, their highest finish so far has been fourth. The two newest clubs to this level, however, are ACSC Asahikawa, promoted from local football in 2005 and also the northernmost club in all of Japan, and Rude Boys, who won the promotion play-offs in October and take their place in the Hokkaido League for the first time.

While it's hard to look any further than Norbritz Hokkaido as far as winners of the League for 2006 are concerned, BlackPecker took them to the wire last season and indeed missed out on what would have been a stunning title win by just a single point. The main area of interest therefore lies in whether or not BlackPecker can maintain their momentum into the new season, and to see if ACSC Asahikawa can continue to acclimatise so well to life at the Regional level.

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