Ehime FC

This article is about the men's football club based in Japan. For the women's team, see Ehime FC Ladies.

Ehime Football Club (愛媛フットボールクラブ, Ehime Futtobōrukurabu) commonly known as Ehime FC (愛媛FC, Ehime Efu Shī) is a professional football club based in Matsuyama, the capital city of Ehime Prefecture of Japan. The club currently compete in J3 League, Japanese third tier of professional football. However, they are set to make their return to J2 League in 2024, following promotion as third-tier league champions of 2023.

Ehime FC
愛媛FC

Full name	Ehime Football Club
Founded	1970; 53 years ago (1970)
Stadium	Ningineer Stadium Matsuyama, Ehime
Capacity	21,401
Chairman	Fumio Kamei
Manager	Kiyotaka Ishimaru
League	J2 League
2023	J3 League, 1st of 20 (promoted)
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours
Current season

History

The club was founded in 1970 as Matsuyama Soccer Club and renamed itself as Ehime Football Club in 1995.^[1] For many years it competed in the regional and prefectural league, as Matsuyama was represented in the Japan Soccer League by the local club belonging to the Teijin company.

Ehime F.C. was promoted to the Japan Football League in 2003. After winning the JFL in 2005 season, Ehime spent 16 seasons in the J2 League before being relegated to the J3 League at the end of the 2021 season.

On 28 November 2007, Ehime pulled off a major shock by consigning the Urawa Red Diamonds, the AFC Champions League 2007 winners, to a fourth-round exit from the Emperor's Cup courtesy of a 2–0 win on Urawa's home soil, Urawa Komaba Stadium.^[2]

On 11 November 2023, after two years absence from Japanese second division, Ehime FC officially returned to J2 League for 2024 season.^[3] They were promoted as J3 League champions of 2023 season with a narrow 1-0 win against their local rivals, FC Imabari on the matchweek 35, with Riki Matsuda scored the only goal of the match.^[4][5]

Record as J. League member

Champions

Runners-up

Third place

Promoted

Relegated

League
Season	Div.	Teams	Pos.	P	W	D	L	G	A	GD	Pts	Attendance/G	Emperor's Cup
2006	J2	13	9th	48	14	11	23	51	63	-13	53	4,139	4th round
2007		13	10th	48	12	9	27	39	66	-27	45	3,317	Quarter final
2008		15	14th	42	9	10	23	39	66	-27	37	3,704	4th round
2009		18	15th	51	12	11	28	54	80	-26	47	3,694	2nd round
2010		19	11th	36	12	12	12	34	34	0	48	4,386	2nd round
2011		20	15th	38	10	14	14	44	54	-10	44	3,475	4th round
2012		22	16th	42	12	14	16	47	46	1	50	3,629	2nd round
2013		22	17th	42	12	11	19	43	52	-9	47	3,950	2nd round
2014		22	19th	42	12	12	18	54	58	-4	48	3,820	4th round
2015		22	5th	42	19	8	15	47	39	8	65	3,771	3rd round
2016		22	10th	42	12	20	10	41	40	1	56	4,089	3rd round
2017		22	15th	42	14	9	19	54	68	-14	51	3,866	3rd round
2018		22	18th	42	12	12	18	34	52	-18	48	3,161	2nd round
2019		22	19th	42	12	6	24	46	62	-16	42	3,780	2nd round
2020 †		22	21st	42	8	10	24	38	68	-30	34	1,512	Did not qualify
2021 †		22	20th	42	7	14	21	38	67	-29	35	1,854	1st round
2022	J3	18	7th	34	14	10	10	51	41	10	52	2,938	Did not qualify
2023		20	1st	38	21	10	7	59	48	11	73	3,674
2024	J2	20	TBD	38									TBD

Key

• Pos. = Position in league; P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals difference; Pts = Points gained
• Attendance/G = Average league home attendance
• † 2020 & 2021 seasons attendance reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
• Source: J. League Data Site^[6]

Honours

• J3 League (third tier)
  • 2023
• Japan Football League
  • 2005
• Shikoku Football League:
  • 1998, 1999, 2000

Current squad

As of 7 September 2023.^[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   JPN Kenta Tokushige 3 DF   JPN Ryota Moriwaki 4 DF   JPN Tatsuya Yamaguchi 5 DF   JPN Takanori Maeno (captain) 6 MF   JPN Takumi Sasaki 7 MF   JPN Yutaka Soneda 8 MF   JPN Kyoji Kutsuna 9 FW   AUS Ben Duncan 10 FW   JPN Riki Matsuda 11 FW   JPN Shumpei Fukahori (on loan from Thespakusatsu Gunma) 13 MF   JPN Shuya Iwai 14 MF   JPN Shunsuke Tanimoto 15 DF   JPN Kei Oshiro 16 DF   JPN Shuma Mihara 17 MF   JPN Shunsuke Motegi 18 MF   JPN Shunsuke Kikuchi 20 MF   JPN Asahi Yada

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 DF   JPN Yasuhiro Hiraoka 24 MF   JPN Ryo Sato 25 MF   JPN Taiga Ishiura (on loan from Tokyo Verdy) 26 MF   JPN Yuta Fukazawa 28 DF   JPN Shoi Yoshinaga (on loan from Omiya Ardija) 32 DF   JPN Haruki Yoshida 33 DF   JPN Sora Ogawa 34 MF   JPN Takuto Kimura (on loan from Yokohama F. Marinos) 36 GK   JPN Shugo Tsuji 37 DF   JPN Reiya Morishita 38 FW   JPN Yugo Masukake (on loan from Kashiwa Reysol) 39 MF   JPN Masashi Tanioka ^DSP 40 FW   JPN Kazuki Sota 44 GK   JPN Rikuto Sako ^Type 2 45 GK   JPN Kazuma Makiguchi 47 MF   JPN Yuto Hikida (on loan from Fagiano Okayama) 49 GK   JPN Raihei Kurokawa

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 48 MF   JPN Toki Yukutomo (at Famalicão)

Kit evolution

Home kit - 1st
2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
2021	2022	2023 -

Away kit - 2nd
2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
2021	2022	2023 -

Club officials

For the 2023 season.

Position	Name
Manager	Kiyotaka Ishimaru
Assistant manager	Shuichi Akai
First-team coach	Kazuhisa Kawahara
Goalkeeper coach	Keisuke Hada
Physical coach	Takehisa Tsugawa
Analytical Coach	Toya Takemoto
Chief Doctor	Kazuki Morizane
Doctor	Takashi Inoue Yoshito Homma Shinji Iwata Tomofumi Kinoshita
Chief trainer	Kohei Baba
Trainer	Kyota Ishizawa Hiroki Hongo
Competent	Hideki Ikenaga
Side affairs	Manato Fujitsu
General manager	Daisuke Aono
Sports director	Koji Yoshimura

Managerial history

Manager	Nationality	Tenure
		Start	Finish
Takashi Onishi	Japan	1 February 2001	31 January 2005
Kazuhito Mochizuki	Japan	1 February 2005	14 September 2009
Ivica Barbarić	Bosnia	15 September 2009	15 November 2012
Kiyotaka Ishimaru	Japan	1 February 2013	31 January 2015
Takashi Kiyama	Japan	1 February 2015	31 January 2017
Shuichi Mase	Japan	1 February 2017	15 May 2018
Kenta Kawai	Japan	15 May 2018	31 January 2021
Shigenari Izumi	Japan	1 February 2021	4 April 2021^[8]
Noritada Saneyoshi	Japan	7 April 2021	16 December 2021^[9]
Kiyotaka Ishimaru	Japan	17 December 2021 ^[10]

References

1. . J. League. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
2. "Urawa mark Asian award with cup collapse". ESPN soccernet. November 29, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
3. "愛媛ＦＣのＪ２昇格が決定【Ｊリーグ】". J. League. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
4. "Ehime FC capture J3 League title". J. League. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
5. "MEIJI YASUDA J3 LEAGUE · MATCHWEEK 35 - Ehime FC vs FC Imabari". J. League. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
6. "J. League Data Site". J. League. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
7. "トップチーム選手". Retrieved 7 September 2023.
8. "Shigenori Izumi, Director, Resigns". ehimefc.com. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
9. "Ehime FC New Team Coach". ehimefc.com/. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
10. "石丸 清隆 氏 愛媛FC トップチーム新監督就任のお知らせ". ehimefc.com/.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)