Kanto Regional League

The Kanto Soccer League was not established until 1967, making it one of the latest starters among regional leagues. However, it should be noted that a number of other football organizations, corporate and school-based, had existed in the area prior to the formation of the Kanto League, and it was created mainly to contain the "overflow"of Kanto-area clubs who had not been included in the creation of the Japan Soccer League (JSL) when it was formed in 1965. The Kanto League covers eight prefectures -- Tokyo, Chiba, Ibaraki, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi, Kanagawa and Yamanashi -- and it is divided into a Division One and Division Two. The second division was added in 2003.

The original eight teams in the Kanto League included several which have since gone on to become J.League clubs, such as Fujitsu (the forerunner of Kawasaki Frontale), Tokyo Gas (the direct precursor of FC Tokyo) and Kofu Club (a prior incarnation of Ventforet Kofu). They were soon joined by Yomiuri Club (Tokyo Verdy) and Furukawa Electric (JEF United). Thus, the league has played a part in the past history of a great many J.League teams. These teams quickly "graduated" to the JSL, however
League was dominated by medium-sized company teams, many of which are still part of the league today. For example, Toho Titanium and the Honda group team Sayama Luminozo have been members of the Kanto league (on and off) for three decades.
The current structure of the league is two divisions of eight teams each, with the top two teams in Division Two advancing and the bottom two teams in Division One relegated, each season. There is a tournament at the end of the year among the winners of the eight Prefectural leagues, with the winner usually advancing to Division Two at the expense of the bottom team in the Kanto League.

2006 TEAMS

Machida Zelvia

Machida Zelvia was formed in 1989, though it can trace its roots back to 1977 when a club was formed under the name of Machida FC. In 1989, the club had reached the top of the amateur pyramid in western Tokyo and in preparation for the next step, it reformed as as Machida Zelvia. Originally the team wanted to call itself "Zelkova". after the Zelkova (Keyaki) tree which is the official symbol of Machida city. However, the name Zelkova had already been registered as a trademark, so the current name was adopted, and team officials explained that it had been derived by adding "Zelkova" to the name of a species of grass -- "Salvia" -- often used for football pitches . Zelkova + Salvia = Zelvia. Simple arithmetic, right?

OK, probably the truth of the matter is that when the team found out that the word was already trademarked, they just decided to choose something that was as similar as possible to "Zelkova", and which looks nice in katakana, chose "Zelvia", and then made up the explanation afterward (in much the same way that Rosso Kumamoto became "Roasso"). But the scientific name for grass certainly lends a nice touch to the team's logo (which represents a map of the city of Machida, four stars, and strips of grassy turf. You might say that Machida Zelvia represents the ultimate in "Grass Roots team development".

Regardless of the true derivation of the name, Zelvia spent a number of years struggling in the Tokyo prefectural leagues until 1997 when a group of leaders in the city decided to try to establish a team to compete for eventual J.League membership. By 2002 the team had attracted some financial support from All Nippon Airways, which has its corporate headquarters in the city, and from a number of other local businesses. The final step from an organizational standpoint was taken at the end of 2003, when a separate corporation known as Athletic Club Machida Co., Ltd. was established and took over management of the team from the 2004 season

One might think that it would be hard to establish a club based in Tokyo -- which already has two J.League teams -- and attract enough support to achieve J.League status. However, Machida is not a part of Tokyo City proper; its relation to "downtown" Tokyo is more akin to Watford's relationship to London, or White Plains' relationship to New York City. Machida has a fairly strong local identity, and if the team can climb to a level where J.League admission is a more immediate possibility (basically, by making it into the JFL), we suspect that the fan support will develop even more rapidly.

Zelvia certainly seems to be on track towards this goal. Under its new independent status the team has progressed rapidly since the 2004 season. Zelvia won the Kanto League Division 2 in 2006, advancing to the top division, then followed up its performance by winning the Kanto League's Division One just a year later. Although Zelvia fell short in the Nationwide Regional League Champioinship Tournament, and will remain in the Kanto League in 2008, the Grass Roots of Tokyo are definitely a team to watch closely, in the coming years.

Team Name:
Machida Zelvia

Team Insignia:

Home Town:
Machida City, Tokyo Prefecture

Founded:
1989

Current Status:
Kanto Regional League Div 1 (since 2006)

Team Logo:

Home Stadium

Machida Notsuda Stadium

Team Flag:

Hitachi Tochigi Uva

Hitachi Tochigi Soccer Club is one of the oldest clubs in the country, having been founded in 1947. For nearly 60 years it operated strictly as a corporate (employee-based) team of Hitachi Appliances, and spent most of that time in the Tochigi Prefectural league. However, in 2003, after a lapse of 21 years, it climbed back into the Kanto League Division Two. This set off a flurry of local interest and organizational re-thinking which culminated in the creation of a separate corporation -- Hitachi Tochigi Uva Sports Club Co., Ltd. -- in 2006. The name "Uva" is taken from the Italian word for grape, which alludes to the many vineyards found in the hilly area of northern Tochigi where the club is based.

Although the team is now managed by a separate corporation, it is important to note that in its current form, the club would not qualify for J.League associate status. Among the requirements of J.League admission is a strict ban on the use of corporate names. Also, despite the fact that the club is managed by a separate corporation, Hitachi Tochigi Uva Sports Club is still tied to the parent and cannot meet the requirement of "relying on football-related operations for the majority of its revenues". One could interpret this situation in two possible ways: either Hitachi was just too dumb to read the rules for J.League admission (highly unlikely), or this is just a tentative first step, and the parent company wants to make sure that its offspring will be able to make a competitive bid for professional status before it decides to cut the ties completely.

In the same year that the managing corporation was formed, Uva finished atop the table in Division Two, and earned promotion to the Kanto League*fs top division. In theory, at least, the team is on track towards an ultimate goal of J.League promotion, though it will be important to watch the name of the corporation closely for hints on how serious its ambitions are. There is already a Tochigi-based team (Tochigi FC) in the JFL, and that club seems to have the inside track on becoming the area's first J.League representative. If Uva should drop the "Hitachi" name, however, this would probably be a signal that the team is preparing to begin even more aggressive efforts to earn promotion.

Team Name:
Hitachi Tochigi Uva

Team Logo:

Home Town:
Tochigi, Tochigi Prefecture

Founded:
1947

Current Status:
Kanto Regional League Div 1 (since 2006)

Home Stadium

Tochigi Green Stadium

Toho Titanium

Toho Titanium is a fairly large steel and specialty metals manufacturer located in Chigasaki City, Kanagawa prefecture. The company first formed a football team in 1955, but after a few years of activity, it was abandoned. However, following the Tokyo Olympics and the creation of the Japan Soccer League, in 1966, the club was re-formed and began playing in the Kanagawa Prefectural League. By 1973 it earned promotion to the Kanto Soccer League for the first time and it continued to bounce up and down between the Kanto League and the top Kanagawa Prefectural League for the next ten years.

In 1982, Toho Titanium won its first Kanto League title, and advanced into the Japan Soccer League Division 2. Though it was relegated the following season, Toho Titanium finished atop the Kanto League again in 1985, and began an eighth-year stint in the JSL, which continued until the formation of the JFL. In 1993, however, Toho Titanium opted to remain an amateur club, turning down and perhaps as a result of the more intense competition among teams hoping to join the J.League, it finished dead last in the newly-created JFL that year, falling back into the Kanto League for the 1994 season. This setback sent the club into a tailspin and it sank back to the Prefectural level for several years before recovering and beginning a new stint in the Kanto League in 2001.

Since then Toho Titanium has been a permanent fixture in the exact center of the Kanto League's top division, never repeating its championship performances of the early 80s, yet still competitive enough to fend off any risk of relegation. That will probably be its fate in the current season, as well, since the club has enough manpower and experience to hold off the likes of Yaita, Saitama SC and the Ryutsu Keizai U. taxi squad, but lacks either the talent or the ambition to challenge the top clubs in the Kanto League.

Team Name:
Toho Titanium Soccer Club

Home Town:
Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture

Founded:
1955

Current Status:
Kanto Regional League Div. 1 (since 2001)

Team Logo:

Home Stadium

Chigasaki Stadium

Honda Luminozo Sayama

Honda Luminozo Sayama FC was formed in 1967 as the company team of Honda Motors*f assembly plant in Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture. Although the team was not particularly competitive in the early years of its existence, bouncing around in the Saitama Prefectural League for almost 25 years, it made the jump up to the Kanto League in 1991 and immediately established itself as a perennial power in the Region. Luminozo has captured the Kanto League title on six occasions since 1991, including back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005. The emergence of two teams with possible J.League ambitions -- Tochigi Uwa and Machida Zelvia -- pushed Luminozo down to third place in 2007, one of its lowest finishes in recent years. However, it remains one of the top contenders and will pose the main obstacle to Uwa and Zelvia's J.League ambitions for the time being

Like other company teams in the Honda Group, Honda Luminozo Sayama has stated repeatedly that it envisions a long-term future as a company-based team. However, that does not imply that the club is either uncompetitive or lacking in ambition. On the contrary, Luminozo has a strong base founded on company employees, and a fair amount of experience. With rivals like Zelvia and Uwa, we think Luminozo will have difficulty adding another Kanto League trophy to its cabinet in 2008, but they remain a dark horse candidate who could upset the plans of the two J.League hopefuls.

Team Name:
Honda Luminozo Sayama

Home Town:
Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture

Founded:
1967

Current Status:
Kanto Regional League Div. 1 (since 1991)

Team Logo: