2018 Japan Football League

Football league season

Japan Football LeagueSeason| 2018

|

Champions| Honda FC
8th JFL title
4th D4 title
Promoted| Vanraure Hachinohe
Relegated| Cobaltore Onagawa
Matches played| 240
Goals scored| 674 (2.81 per match)
Top goalscorer| Shogo Omachi
Honda FC (18 goals)
Highest attendance| 5,241
FC Imabari v Honda Lock SC (18 November)
Lowest attendance| 111
ReinMeer Aomori v Honda Lock SC (14 July)
Average attendance| 907

← 2017

2019 →

The 2018 Japan Football League (Japanese: 第20回日本フットボールリーグ, Hepburn: Dai Nijikkai Nihon Futtobōru Rīgu) was the fifth season of the nationwide fourth tier of Japanese football, and the 20th season since the establishment of Japan Football League. The season ran from 11 March to 18 November 2018.[1]

## Clubs[edit]

Sixteen clubs participated in this season of Japan Football League. The list was announced on 15 January 2018.[2]

Club Name | Home Town | Position | Notes

|
|
|

Cobaltore Onagawa | Onagawa, Miyagi | RPS 1st  | Promoted from TSL after 1st place in 41st Regional Promotion Series
FC Imabari | Imabari, Ehime | 6th  | J.League 100 Year Plan club status and J3 license holders
FC Osaka | All cities/towns in Osaka | 4th  |
Honda FC | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka | 1st  | Defending champions of 2017
Honda Lock | Miyazaki, Miyazaki | 8th  |
Maruyasu Okazaki | Okazaki, Aichi | 9th  |
MIO Biwako Shiga | Kusatsu, Shiga | 13th  |
Nara Club | All cities/towns in Nara[a] | 7th  | J.League 100 Year Plan club status and J3 license holders
ReinMeer Aomori | Aomori, Aomori | 2nd  |
Ryutsu Keizai Dragons | Ryūgasaki, Ibaraki | 10th  |
Sony Sendai | Tagajō, Miyagi | 3rd  |
Tegevajaro Miyazaki | Miyazaki, Miyazaki | RPS 2nd  | Promoted from KSL after 2nd place in 41st Regional Promotion Series
Tokyo Musashino City | Musashino, Tokyo | 11th  | J.League 100 Year Plan club status
Vanraure Hachinohe | Eastern cities/towns in Aomori[b] | 5th  | J.League 100 Year Plan club status and J3 license holders
Veertien Mie | All cities/towns in Mie[c] | 12th  |
Verspah Oita | Yufu & Ōita, Ōita | 14th  |

1. ^ centering on Nara
2. ^ Hachinohe, Towada, Gonohe, Sannohe, Takko, Hashikami, Nanbu, Shingo, Oirase, Misawa, Shichinohe, Rokunohe, Tohoku, Noheji, Yokohama, Rokkasho
3. ^ centering on Kuwana & Yokkaichi

### Personnel and kits[edit]

Club | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer

|
|
|

Cobaltore Onagawa |  Tatsuya Murata |  Seiya Narita | Mizuno
FC Imabari |  Hirofumi Yoshitake |  Ryoichi Kanai | Adidas
FC Osaka |  Haruo Wada |  Tomoyuki Iwamoto | New Balance
Honda FC |  Hiroyasu Ibata |  Yuya Suzuki | Umbro
Honda Lock |  Kenji Taniguchi |  Naoya Oyama | Kappa
Maruyasu Okazaki |  Ryuji Kitamura |  Keita Sugimoto | Penalty
MIO Biwako Shiga |  Masafumi Nakaguchi | vacant  | Nike
Nara Club |  Norihiro Satsukawa |  Shinichi Mukai | SQUADRA
ReinMeer Aomori |  Tatsuya Mochizuki |  Kanta Takahashi | Umbro
Ryutsu Keizai Dragons |  Shunichi Nakajima | vacant  | Adidas
Sony Sendai |  Shinji Honda |  Yuta Akimoto | Umbro
Tegevajaro Miyazaki |  Nobuhiro Ishizaki |  Hideo Tanaka | Penalty
Tokyo Musashino City |  Kim Jong-song |  Koji Ishihara | Yonex
Vanraure Hachinohe |  Masahiro Kuzuno |  Takafumi Sudo | ATHLETA
Veertien Mie |  Eishi Kaizu |  Katsuhisa Inamori | Mizuno
Verspah Oita |  Shigemitsu Sudo |  Makoto Nakamura | Warrix Sports

## Change in rules[edit]

This season was the last to use the two-stage format, similar to the one J.League had in its early years and used in 2015 and 2016. Two single round-robin stages were held, and winners of each stage determined the champion in the post-season home and away championship playoffs. After five seasons, the JFL reverted to a one-stage double round-robin starting in 2019.[3]

## League table[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Honda FC (C) | 30  | 25  | 4  | 1  | 76  | 25  | +51  | 79  |
2  | FC Osaka | 30  | 18  | 3  | 9  | 54  | 34  | +20  | 57
3  | Vanraure Hachinohe (P) | 30  | 16  | 8  | 6  | 43  | 21  | +22  | 56  | Promotion to 2019 J3 League[a]
4  | Sony Sendai | 30  | 16  | 4  | 10  | 67  | 43  | +24  | 52  |
5  | FC Imabari | 30  | 14  | 7  | 9  | 63  | 32  | +31  | 49
6  | Tokyo Musashino City | 30  | 14  | 7  | 9  | 49  | 36  | +13  | 49
7  | MIO Biwako Shiga | 30  | 13  | 7  | 10  | 38  | 35  | +3  | 46
8  | Nara Club | 30  | 12  | 6  | 12  | 33  | 32  | +1  | 42
9  | Verspah Oita | 30  | 11  | 6  | 13  | 29  | 38  | −9  | 39
10  | ReinMeer Aomori | 30  | 10  | 7  | 13  | 38  | 48  | −10  | 37
11  | Veertien Mie | 30  | 9  | 8  | 13  | 40  | 52  | −12  | 35
12  | Tegevajaro Miyazaki | 30  | 9  | 5  | 16  | 43  | 60  | −17  | 32
13  | Maruyasu Okazaki | 30  | 8  | 7  | 15  | 33  | 46  | −13  | 31
14  | Honda Lock | 30  | 6  | 11  | 13  | 29  | 52  | −23  | 29
15  | Ryutsu Keizai Dragons | 30  | 4  | 7  | 19  | 20  | 50  | −30  | 19
16  | Cobaltore Onagawa (R) | 30  | 4  | 5  | 21  | 18  | 65  | −47  | 17  | Relegation to 2019 Regional Leagues

Source: JFL website (in Japanese)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Disciplinary points; 6) Draw
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:

1. ^ To qualify for promotion, a club must hold a 100 Year Plan status, obtain J3 license (marked in bold in the table), and finish both in the top 4 of the JFL, and either 1st or 2nd among the promotion-eligible clubs.

## Top scorers[edit]

As of match played 18 November 2018.[4]
Rank  | Player  | Club  | Goals

|
|
|

|  Shogo Omachi | Honda FC |

|  Koji Ishihara | Tokyo Musashino City FC |

3  |  Shogo Fujimaki | Veertien Mie | 16
Motoki Fujiwara | Sony Sendai FC
5  |  Kazuki Sakamoto | MIO Biwako Shiga | 15
Jun Arima | FC Imabari
7  |  Shota Suzuki | Sony Sendai FC | 14
Ryōta Kuwajima | FC Imabari

|  Sachio Hamada | ReinMeer Aomori FC |

|  Shoma Mizunaga | Tegevajaro Miyazaki |

## Attendances[edit]

Pos  | Team  | Total | High | Low | Average | Change

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | FC Imabari | 46,219  | 4,805  | 2,006  | 3,081 | +41.3%†
2  | Vanraure Hachinohe | 33,114  | 4,075  | 1,107  | 2,208 | +4.8%†
3  | Nara Club | 26,925  | 2,443  | 994  | 1,795 | +24.0%†
4  | Veertien Mie | 12,732  | 1,263  | 594  | 849 | +7.2%†
5  | Tokyo Musashino City | 12,657  | 1,413  | 495  | 844 | +19.5%†
6  | Honda FC | 12,288  | 1,753  | 489  | 819 | −4.9%†
7  | FC Osaka | 11,823  | 1,923  | 241  | 788 | +32.0%†
8  | Verspah Oita | 8,734  | 1,414  | 236  | 582 | +43.0%†
9  | Cobaltore Onagawa | 8,056  | 1,313  | 207  | 537  | n/a†
10  | ReinMeer Aomori | 7,696  | 1,337  | 111  | 513 | −28.8%†
11  | MIO Biwako Shiga | 7,674  | 1,526  | 182  | 512 | −21.4%†
12  | Sony Sendai FC | 7,014  | 1,006  | 190  | 468 | +32.6%†
13  | Dragons Ryugasaki  | 6,903  | 727  | 161  | 460 | +48.4%†
14  | Tegevajaro Miyazaki | 6,052  | 831  | 203  | 403  | n/a†
15  | Maruyasu Okazaki | 5,343  | 658  | 208  | 356 | −9.6%†
16  | Honda Lock SC | 4,581  | 626  | 160  | 305 | −7.3%†
| League total  | 217,721  | 4,805  | 111  | 907 | +13.8%†

Updated to games played on 18 November 2018
Source: JFL

## Promotion from Regional Leagues[edit]

Matsue City and Suzuka Unlimited

## References[edit]

1. ^ "第２０回日本フットボールリーグ大会方式のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Japan Football League. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
2. ^ "第２０回日本フットボールリーグ参加チーム" (in Japanese). Japan Football League. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
3. ^ "お知らせ「２０１９年度以降シーズンの大会方式について」" [Notice about the convention method of the season from 2019] (in Japanese). Japan Football League. 5 July 2018.
4. ^ "日本フットボールリーグオフィシャルWebサイト【得点Ｒ】".

## External links[edit]

* Official Site (in Japanese)

* v
* t
* e

2018 in Japanese football

« 2017

2019 »

| League competitions|

| Men|

* J1 League
* J2 League
* J3 League
* Japan Football League
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|

Women|

* L.League

Cup competitions|

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* Emperor's Cup (Final)
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|

Women|

* Empress's Cup (Final)
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AFC competitions|

| Men|

* AFC Champions League
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|

Related to national teams|

| Men|

* Summary

|

Women|

* Summary

Club seasons

J1 League|

* Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo
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J2 League|

* Montedio Yamagata
* Mito HollyHock
* Tochigi SC
* Omiya Ardija
* JEF United Chiba
* Tokyo Verdy
* FC Machida Zelvia
* Yokohama FC
* Ventforet Kofu
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* Oita Trinita

J3 League|

* Grulla Morioka
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* Fukushima United FC
* Thespakusatsu Gunma
* YSCC Yokohama
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* AC Nagano Parceiro
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* Fujieda MYFC
* Azul Claro Numazu
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Football clubs in Japan, 2024

J1 League|

* Albirex Niigata
* Avispa Fukuoka
* Cerezo Osaka
* Gamba Osaka
* Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo
* Júbilo Iwata
* Kashima Antlers
* Kashiwa Reysol
* Kawasaki Frontale
* Kyoto Sanga FC
* FC Machida Zelvia
* Nagoya Grampus
* Sagan Tosu
* Sanfrecce Hiroshima
* Shonan Bellmare
* FC Tokyo
* Tokyo Verdy
* Urawa Red Diamonds
* Vissel Kobe
* Yokohama F. Marinos

J2 League|

* Blaublitz Akita
* Ehime FC
* Fagiano Okayama
* Fujieda MYFC
* Iwaki FC
* JEF United Chiba
* Kagoshima United FC
* Mito HollyHock
* Montedio Yamagata
* Oita Trinita
* Renofa Yamaguchi FC
* Roasso Kumamoto
* Shimizu S-Pulse
* Thespakusatsu Gunma
* Tochigi SC
* Tokushima Vortis
* V-Varen Nagasaki
* Vegalta Sendai
* Ventforet Kofu
* Yokohama FC

J3 League|

* AC Nagano Parceiro
* Azul Claro Numazu
* FC Gifu
* FC Imabari
* Fukushima United FC
* Gainare Tottori
* Giravanz Kitakyushu
* Iwate Grulla Morioka
* Kamatamare Sanuki
* Kataller Toyama
* Matsumoto Yamaga FC
* Nara Club
* Omiya Ardija
* FC Osaka
* FC Ryukyu
* SC Sagamihara
* Tegevajaro Miyazaki
* Vanraure Hachinohe
* YSCC Yokohama
* Zweigen Kanazawa

100 Year Plan clubs|

* Criacao Shinjuku
* Nankatsu SC
* Reilac Shiga
* Tokyo 23
* Vonds Ichihara

Japan Football League|

* Briobecca Urayasu
* Criacao Shinjuku
* Honda FC
* Kochi United
* Maruyasu Okazaki
* Minebea Mitsumi
* Okinawa SV
* Reilac Shiga
* ReinMeer Aomori
* Sony Sendai
* FC Tiamo Hirakata
* Tochigi City
* Tokyo Musashino United
* Suzuka Point Getters
* Veertien Mie
* Verspah Oita

Defunct clubs
(clubs belonging to
nationwide leagues only)|

* Fukushima FC
* Arte Takasaki
* JEF Reserves
* Sagawa Express Tokyo
* NKK SC
* Yokohama Flügels
* ALO's Hokuriku
* Jatco SC
* Hagoromo Club
* Toyota Higashi-Fuji
* Seino Transportation
* Cosmo Oil Yokkaichi
* Sagawa Shiga
* NTT Kinki/Kansai
* SP Kyoto
* Tanabe Pharmaceutical
* Dainichi Cable Industries
* Sagawa Express Osaka
* Eidai SC
* Teijin SC
* Nippon Steel Yawata
* Tosu Futures
* Profesor Miyazaki
* J.League U-22 Selection
* FC Tokyo U-23
* Cerezo Osaka U-23
* Gamba Osaka U-23
* Kagura Shimane

*[Pos]: Position
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points
*[Total]: Total season attendance
*[High]: Highest season attendance
*[Low]: Lowest season attendance
*[Average]: Average season attendance
*[Change]: Change in average attendance in comparison with the previous season