2021 Japan Football League

Japan Football League
Season2021
Dates14 March – 5 December
ChampionsIwaki FC
PromotedIwaki FC
RelegatedFC Kariya
Matches played272
Goals scored694 (2.55 per match)
← 2020
2022 →

The 2021 Japan Football League (Japanese: 第23回日本フットボールリーグ[第23回 JFL 2021], Hepburn: Dai Nijūsankai Nihon Futtobōru Rīgu [Dai Nijūsankai JFL 2021]) was the eighth season of the nationwide fourth tier of Japanese football, and the 23rd season since the establishment of Japan Football League.

Clubs

For the first time since 2012, 17 clubs have taken part in the JFL season. Last year no relegations were in place in J3, the league had the intent of seeing two more teams joining from the start, but only Tegevajaro Miyazaki got promoted with one game to play and joined J3 for the 2021 season.[1][2] That’s because Verspah Oita, who won the JFL for the first time in their history,[3] were not promoted as they did not hold a J3 license, while Sony Sendai and Honda FC, who finished 3rd and 4th respectively, also didn’t hold a J3 license.

FC Tiamo Hirakata and FC Kariya won promotion to the JFL by qualifying in the top two spots of the 44th Regional Pro Series.[2] For the Hirataka-based side it was the first time in JFL, but Kariya are back after a twelve-year long hiatus.

There are six teams eligible for promotion with J3 licenses; these are highlighted in green in the following table.

Club Name Home town Stadium Capacity Position Notes
Honda FC Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Honda Miyakoda Soccer Stadium 2,506 JFL (4th)
Honda Lock Miyazaki, Miyazaki Hinata Athletic Stadium 20,000 JFL (12th)
Iwaki FC Iwaki, Fukushima Iwaki Green Field 5,600 JFL (7th) 100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders
FC Kariya Kariya, Aichi Wave Stadium Kariya 4,002 RPS 2nd Winners of TASL and runners-up in 44th RPS
Kochi United SC Kōchi, Kōchi Kōchi Haruno Athletic Stadium 25,000 JFL (14th)
Maruyasu Okazaki Okazaki, Aichi Okazaki Ryūhoku Stadium 5,000 JFL (16th)
Matsue City FC Matsue, Shimane Matsue Municipal Athletic Stadium 24,000 JFL (10th)
MIO Biwako Shiga Kusatsu, Shiga Higashiōmi Nunobiki Green Stadium 5,060 JFL (9th) Applied for 100 Year Plan status
Nara Club All cities/towns in Nara[a] Rohto Field Nara 30,600 JFL (13th) 100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders
F.C. Osaka Higashiōsaka, Osaka Hanazono Rugby Stadium 2nd Ground 1,722 JFL (8th) 100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders
ReinMeer Aomori Aomori, Aomori Kakuhiro Group Athletic Stadium 20,809 JFL (15th) 100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders
Sony Sendai Tagajō, Miyagi Miyagi Seikyō Megumino Soccer Stadium 10,000 JFL (3rd)
Suzuka Point Getters Suzuka, Mie AGF Suzuka Athletic Stadium 1,450 JFL (5th) 100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders
FC Tiamo Hirakata Hirakata, Osaka Hirakata Municipal Athletic Stadium 2,500 RPS 1st Winners of KSL and 44th RPS
Tokyo Musashino United FC Musashino, Tokyo Musashino Municipal Athletic Stadium 5,188 JFL (11th) Renamed from "Tokyo Musashino City FC"
Veertien Mie All cities/towns in Mie[b] Asahi Gas Energy Tōin Stadium 5,142 JFL (6th) 100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders
Verspah Oita Yufu & Beppu, Ōita Shōwa Denkō Soccer/Rugby Field 4,700 JFL (1st) 2020 champions, 100 Year Plan status

Personnel and kits

Club Manager Kit manufacturer
Honda FC Japan Hiroyuki Abe England Umbro
Honda Lock SC Japan Yosuke Miyaji[4] Italy Kappa
Iwaki FC Japan Yuzo Tamura United States Under Armour
FC Kariya Japan Kazuhiro Murata Japan bonera
Kochi United SC Japan Akihiro Nishimura Japan bonera
Maruyasu Okazaki Japan Hiroyasu Ibata Brazil ATHLETA
Matsue City FC Japan Noriaki Sanenobu Japan soccer junky
MIO Biwako Shiga Japan Hiroshi Otsuki Japan JOGARBOLA
Nara Club Spain Julián Marín Bazalo Japan SQUADRA
F.C. Osaka Japan Shinya Tsukahara Japan bonera
ReinMeer Aomori Japan Ryo Adachi England Umbro
Sony Sendai FC Japan Gen Nakamura England Umbro
Suzuka Point Getters Japan Yasutoshi Miura Brazil ATHLETA
FC Tiamo Hirakata Japan Yoshizumi Ogawa Japan JOGARBOLA
Tokyo Musashino United FC Japan Hisayuki Ikegami Japan Yonex
Veertien Mie Japan Yoshihiko Yamamoto Japan Lwond
Verspah Oita Japan Takashi Yamahashi Japan YASUDA
  1. ^ centering on Nara
  2. ^ centering on Kuwana & Yokkaichi

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing Manner Exit date Position in table Incoming Incoming date Ref.
Announced on Departed on Announced on Arrived on
Veertien Mie Japan Nobuhiro Ueno Sacked 21 June 2021 21 June 2021 12th Japan Yoshihiko Yamamoto 22 June 2021 22 June 2021 [5]
Suzuka Point Getters Spain Mila Martínez Mutual consent 5 July 2021 5 July 2021 14th Japan Tsukasa Ozawa (interim) 5 July 2021 5 July 2021 [6]
Suzuka Point Getters Japan Tsukasa Ozawa (interim) Interim completed 15 July 2021 15 July 2021 11th Japan Yasutoshi Miura 15 July 2021 15 July 2021 [7]
FC Kariya Japan Koji Kadota (interim) Sacked 16 July 2021 16 July 2021 17th Japan Ryo Iizuka 16 July 2021 16 July 2021 [8]
Maruyasu Okazaki Japan Ryuji Kitamura Appointed technical director 20 July 2021 31 July 2021 11th Japan Hiroyasu Ibata 27 July 2021 1 August 2021 [9]
FC Kariya Japan Ryo Iizuka (interim) Interim completed 2 August 2021 2 August 2021 17th Japan Kazuhiro Murata 2 August 2021 2 August 2021 [10]

League table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification
1 Iwaki FC[a] (C, P) 32 21 8 3 65 28 +37 71 Promotion to J3 League[b]
2 Honda FC 32 20 7 5 69 25 +44 67
3 Verspah Oita[a] 32 19 5 8 46 24 +22 62
4 Suzuka Point Getters[a] 32 15 5 12 51 46 +5 50
5 Matsue City 32 14 8 10 38 37 +1 50
6 Sony Sendai 32 14 6 12 52 39 +13 48
7 F.C. Osaka[a] 32 13 9 10 37 35 +2 48
8 Tiamo Hirakata 32 14 6 12 58 57 +1 48
9 ReinMeer Aomori[a] 32 12 9 11 41 49 −8 45
10 Nara Club[a] 32 10 13 9 39 36 +3 43
11 Veertien Mie[a] 32 10 10 12 40 43 −3 40
12 MIO Biwako Shiga[a] 32 10 7 15 35 48 −13 37
13 Kochi United 32 9 6 17 30 49 −19 33
14 Maruyasu Okazaki 32 8 9 15 27 46 −19 33
15 Tokyo Musashino United 32 9 5 18 38 53 −15 32
16 Honda Lock (O) 32 6 9 17 26 48 −22 27 Qualification for relegation play-offs[c]
17 FC Kariya (R) 32 4 6 22 26 55 −29 18
Updated to match(es) played on 28 November 2021. Source: JFL website (in Japanese)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head results (a. points, b. goal difference, c. goals scored); 5) number of wins; 6) disciplinary points; 7) play-off (if necessary)[11]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h J.League 100 Year Plan clubs
  2. ^ Promotion was conditional on holding a J3 license (marked in bold in the table), finishing in the top 4 of the JFL, and finishing in the top 2 of the J.League 100 Year Plan clubs.
  3. ^ Relegation will occur as follows.
    In case of 1 team promoted to J3: Japan Regional Football Champions League winners will play the 17th-placed team in JFL, and runners-up will also play the 16th-placed team in JFL.

Regional Leagues Relegation Playoffs

2021 JFL·Regional Leagues Playoffs (Japanese: 2021年度JFL·地域リーグ入れ替え戦)

Honda Lock
(2021 JFL 16th)		3 – 2FC Ise-Shima
(2021 Japan Regional Football Champions League runners-up)
Arashi Tamaki (8 minutes); Tomoki Mera (11 minutes); Ken Takahashi (20 minutes) JFL Official Miki Uematsu (84 minutes); Elichi Nakata (87 minutes)
Attendance: 400

Honda Lock remains in the JFL; FC Ise-Shima remains in the Tōkai Adult Soccer League Division 1.


FC Kariya
(2021 JFL 17th)		0 – 4Criacao Shinjuku
(2021 Japan Regional Football Champions League winners)
JFL Official

FC Kariya was relegated to the Tōkai Adult Soccer League Division 1; Criacao Shinjuku was promoted to the JFL.

Season statistics

Top scorers

As of 28 November 2021.[12]
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Japan Yuki Okazaki Honda FC 16
2 Japan Motoki Fujiwara Sony Sendai FC 12
Japan Reon Kodama Honda FC
Japan Ryo Sato FC Tiamo Hirakata
Japan Kohei Matsumoto FC Tiamo Hirakata
6 Japan Daigo Furukawa Iwaki FC 11

See also

League
Cup(s)

References

  1. ^ "Ｊリーグ入会（Ｊ３）について：Ｊリーグ.jp".
  2. ^ a b "【ＪＦＬオフィシャルサイト】お知らせ「第２３回日本フットボールリーグ新入会チームについて」". www.jfl.or.jp.
  3. ^ "ヴェルスパ大分がJFL初優勝。テゲバジャーロ宮崎はJ3昇格に王手". フットボールチャンネル.
  4. ^ "Honda Lock SC Manager". hondalock-sc.info. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Coach contract cancelled, new coach appointed". www.veertien.jp. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Coach Milagros Martínez Dominguez's departure notice". Suzuka Point Getters. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Announcement of head coach and GM Yasutoshi Miura's inauguration". Suzuka Point Getters. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Coach Kadoda sacked". fckariya.jp. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Announcement of head coach Hiroyasu Ibata's appointment" (Press release). Maruyasu Okazaki. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  10. ^ "New coach announced". fckariya.jp. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  11. ^ "第２３回 日本フットボールリーグ(2021)" (in Japanese). Japan Football League.
  12. ^ "日本フットボールリーグオフィシャルWebサイト【得点Ｒ】".