is a Japanese professional football club from Kōfu in Yamanashi Prefecture. The team currently competes in the J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football, hosting their home matches in the JIT Recycle Ink Stadium, located in Kōfu.
Ventforet has won a total of 1 J2 League title and 1 Emperor's Cup in their history.
Name origin The word "Ventforet" is a compound formed from two French root words: "vent" (wind) and "forêt" (forest). The name alludes to the famous phrase Fū-rin-ka-zan (風林火山) that Takeda Shingen, a prominent Kōfu-based daimyō in the Sengoku period, emblazoned on his war banners. The phrase contains four similies: as swift as the wind; as silent as a forest; as fierce as fire; as immovable as a mountain.
History Kofu Club (1965–1994)
The club was founded in 1965 when the old boys' club of Kofu Dai-ichi High School, the Kakujo Club, started to recruit graduates of other high schools with the intention of promotion to the Japan Soccer League and was formed as Kofu Club. Kofu Club was formed by volunteers, unlike other mainstream football clubs at that time in Japan, whose players were mostly the employees of their sponsoring companies.
Kofu Club joined the newly formed JSL Division 2 in 1972. They stayed there until the conclusion of the league in 1992 when it became a founding member of the former Japan Football League.
Ventforet Kofu (1995–present)
The club was renamed Ventforet Kofu in 1995 and joined J.League Division 2 in 1999 when it was formed. The club survived a difficult period between 1999 and 2001, when it suffered from financial troubles as well as miserable results on the pitch, including a streak of twenty-five consecutive losses. Ventforet finished bottom for three seasons in succession and was dubbed as "Excess baggage of J2".
Ventforet improved in 2002, and in 2005 finished third, gaining promotion to the Japanese first division by winning the promotion/relegation play-offs against Kashiwa Reysol. However, the team was relegated with a week remaining in the 2007 season.
At the end of 2010 season, the team was promoted a second time. Despite having striker Mike Havenaar contend for the Top Scorer award in division one the following year, the club was relegated again at the end of 2011. However, it returned after only one year's absence as champions of division two, Ventforet's first championship in its thirty-six-year history. Ventforet remained in J.League 1 until 2017, consistently staying as a top tier J.League 2 team after relegation
Emperor's Cup win (2022)
Ventforet participated in the 2022 Emperor's Cup, earning a direct second round entry alongside all J1 and J2 League teams. Following a 5–1 win over Okayama-based International Pacific University, they then only faced J1 League opponents the rest of the tournament. They would beat Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Sagan Tosu away from home by 2–1 and 3–1 respectively to advance to the quarter finals, in a stage which they had been on 4 times without ever getting past it. In another match away from home, now against Avispa Fukuoka, the game would be tied up 1–1 and head into extra time, with Yoshiki Torikai scoring in the 97th minute to bring Kofu to their first Emperor's Cup Semi-final, where they would beat Kashima Antlers thanks to Jumma Miyazaki's goal in the 37th minute to reach their first Emperor's Cup Final.
In the final, Kofu were up against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, a J1 team who hadn't won an Emperor's Cup since 1969 (including amateur era). Kazushi Mitsuhira scored in the 26th minute to give Kofu the lead, before Sanfrecce midfielder Takumu Kawamura tied the match in the 84th minute. After a scoreless extra time, the final was decided in a penalty shootout. After Sanfrecce missed their fourth penalty, 42-year-old Hideomi Yamamoto scored Kofu's fifth and final penalty to win the Emperor's Cup champions for the first time. Their win marked the first time that a J2 League team had won the Emperor's Cup since FC Tokyo in 2011, the fourth J2 champion overall, and the first occasion in which the winner was not the second division champions. This qualified them for the AFC Champions League while playing in their domestic second-tier league.
AFC Champions League debut (2023) On 20 September 2023, Ventforet played their first AFC Champions League official match against Australian side Melbourne City for the competition's group stage. Playing away at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium with few of their usual starting players, the match ended in a 0–0 draw, earning them their first point and clean sheet in this competition. On 4 October 2023, Ventforet picked up their first Champions League win against Thai champions Buriram United. Motoki Hasegawa scored in stoppage time as Ventforet won 1–0 at home, On 12 December 2023, Ventforet clinched their spots in the Round of 16 after a 2–3 away win against Buriram United. This marks the first time a team qualified for the knockout phase of the AFC Champions League though not playing in their nation's top division. Ventforet than faced against Korean giants, Ulsan Hyundai in the Round of 16, however, they were knocked out from the tournament after suffering a 5–1 on aggregate defeat.
2023–24 AFC Champions League - Group H
League and cup record ChampionsRunners-upThird placePromotedRelegated League J.LeagueCup Emperor'sCupAFC Champions LeagueYear Division Tier Pos. P W D L F A GD Pts Attendance/G1992former JFLDiv. 2 3 5th 18 9 1 8 26 29 -3 28 Not eligibleNot eligible19939th 18 6 - 12 15 37 -22 - 1994formerJFL2 14th 30 9 21 36 74 -38 2nd round19959th 30 14 16 54 54 0 43 199611th 30 11 19 50 56 -6 33 2nd round19976th 30 19 11 59 41 18 52 3rd round19984th 30 22 8 74 40 34 59 4th round1999J210th 36 5 4 27 32 85 -53 18 1,469 1st round 2nd round200011th 40 5 3 32 31 84 -53 18 1,850 4th round200112th 44 8 2 34 38 98 -60 25 3,130 3rd round20027th 44 16 10 18 51 55 -4 58 4,914 Not eligible 20035th 44 19 12 13 58 46 12 69 5,796 20047th 44 15 13 16 51 46 5 58 6,370 4th round20053rd 44 19 12 13 78 64 14 69 6,931 2006J11 15th 34 12 6 15 42 64 -22 42 12,211 Group Stage Quarter Finals200717th 34 7 6 21 33 65 -32 27 13,734 Quarter Finals 5th round2008J22 7th 42 15 14 13 56 47 9 59 10,354 Not eligible 4th round20094th 51 28 13 10 76 46 30 97 11,059 20102nd 36 19 13 4 71 40 31 70 12,431 3rd round2011J11 16th 34 9 19 6 42 63 -21 33 12,106 1st round 2012J22 1st 42 24 4 14 63 35 28 86 10,407 2nd round2013J11 15th 34 8 13 13 30 41 -11 37 12,614 Group Stage Quarter Finals201413th 34 9 11 14 27 31 -4 41 12,171 Round of 16201513th 34 10 17 7 26 43 -17 37 11,612 4th round201614th 34 7 17 10 32 58 -26 31 10,833 2nd round201716th 34 7 16 11 23 39 -16 32 10,829 2018J22 9th 42 16 15 11 56 46 10 59 7,384 Quarter Finals Quarter Finals20195th 42 20 11 11 64 40 24 71 8,273 Not eligible 2020 †4th 42 16 17 9 50 41 9 65 2,485 Did not qualify2021 †3rd 42 23 11 8 65 38 27 80 4,325 2nd round202218th 42 11 15 16 47 54 -7 48 4,930 Winner20238th 42 18 10 14 60 50 10 64 7,485 Round of 16Round of 16202414th 38 12 9 17 54 57 -3 45 8,274 Quarter final 2nd round202513th 38 11 11 16 37 45 -8 44 8,389 2nd round 3rd round 2026TBD 18 N/A N/A2026-27TBD 38 TBD TBD Key
Honours +Ventforet Kofu honoursHonour No. YearsKantō Soccer League21969, 1970J2 League12012Emperor's Cup12022
League history Kanto League: 1967–71 (as Kofu Club) Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1972–91 (as Kofu Club) Division 3 (former JFL Div. 2): 1992–93 (as Kofu Club) Division 2 (former JFL): 1994–98 (Kofu Club until 1994, Ventforet Kofu since 1995) Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 1999–05 Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 2006–07 Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2008–10 Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 2011 Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2012 Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 2013–2017 Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2018–
Current squad
Club officials Club staff for 2025 season Position Name Manager Hiroki Shibuya Coaches Katsutomo Oshiba Yuji Yokoyama Nazri Nasir Goalkeeper coach Yuji Nakagawa Physical coach José Fernando Analysis coach Yoshiki Hara Kanta Yonekura Chief trainer Hiroaki Maeda Trainers Masaya Tanaka Yuto Mogi Naoaki Higashi Physiotherapist Takayuki Ando Athletic trainer Shigeru Asahina Competent Yoshiki Tsuruta Deputy officer Tetsuro Ajisawa Interpreter Bruno Iwasaki
Managerial history Manager Nationality TenureStart FinishSusumu Katsumata 1 January 1994 31 January 1995Yūji Tsukada 1 February 1995 31 January 1999Susumu Katsumata 1 February 1999 31 January 2000Yūji Tsukada 1 February 2000 31 January 2001Luis dos Reis 1 February 2001 31 January 2002Takeshi Ōki 1 February 2002 31 January 2003Hideki Matsunaga 1 February 2003 31 January 2005Takeshi Ōki 1 February 2005 31 January 2008Takayoshi Amma 1 February 2008 31 January 2010Kazuo Uchida 1 February 2010 31 January 2011Toshiya Miura 1 February 2011 7 August 2011Satoru Sakuma 8 August 2011 31 December 2011Hiroshi Jōfuku 1 February 2012 31 January 2015Yasuhiro Higuchi 1 February 2015 13 May 2015Satoru Sakuma 13 May 2015 31 December 2016Tatsuma Yoshida 1 February 2017 30 April 2018Nobuhiro Ueno 1 May 2018 31 January 2019Akira Itō 1 February 2019 31 January 2022Tatsuma Yoshida 1 February 2022 31 January 2023Yoshiyuki Shinoda 1 February 2023 1 July 2024Shinji Otsuka 2 July 2024 Current
Kit evolution Home kits - 1st Away kits - 2nd Third kits
References
External links