is a Japanese semi-professional football club based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. They currently play in the Japan Football League, Japanese fourth tier football league, since 2022.
History The club was founded by the current chairman Kazutomo Maruyama as a leisure club under the name Criacao in 2005 to create an opportunity to play football even after completing his studies at Rikkyō University. After Maruyama's professional return to Tokyo, he first registered for the Japan Football Association in 2009.
Club name Criacao is from the Portuguese criação and means translated as much as "creation", "production". In doing so, the club alludes to the club's philosophy, which states it aims to achieve "continuous generation of enthusiasm in the world through football".
Road to the JFL
From 2010 to 2018, the club only played in the Tokyo Leagues, not going further than it until the club saw promotion on 2018, after finishing as runners-up in Tokyo's 1st division. After nine seasons the club finally got to debut at regional level, in the 2nd division of the Kantō Soccer League.
Immediately after being promoted to it, the club earned the division's title after winning 43 out of 51 possible points, and then, were promoted to the 1st division. Debuting on it in 2020, the club only earned a 5th-place finish.
In 2021, Criacao Shinjuku secured promotion for the Japan Football League (JFL), the 4th tier of Japanese football, via the Japanese Regional Football Champions League, which is JFL's promotion/relegation series.
JFL (2022–)
In 2022, Criacao Shinjuku finished in the 15th place of the competition, out of the 16 participating teams for the season. The club, however, was not relegated back to the Kantō League, as JFL's top 2 teams were promoted to the J3. Under the league system, Criacao would only be relegated as the 15th-placed team if no team earned promotion to the J3 during the season, which was not the case. The club also currently holds the Japan Football League attendance record, made on 9 October 2022. A crowd of 16,218 people watched the match between Suzuka Point Getters and Criacao Shinjuku at the Japan National Stadium, in Shinjuku, being the record heavily influenced by the presence of Japan former international Kazuyoshi Miura. The match ended in a 1–0 loss for Criacao.
On 26 September 2023, Criacao Shinjuku officially obtained a J3 League license.
The 2026–27 season is Criacao's fifth consecutive season in JFL.
League & cup record ChampionsRunners-upThird placePromotedRelegated League Emperor'sCup ShakaijinCupSeason Division Tier Pos. P W D L F A GD Pts 2010Tokyo Metropolitan League 9 2nd 10 9 0 1 31 1 30 27 Did not qualify Ineligible20118 1st 10 10 0 0 51 4 47 3020127 2nd 12 10 1 1 32 5 27 312013 1st 13 12 0 1 59 7 52 362014Tokyo 1st Division 1st 14 9 4 1 30 12 18 3120153rd 14 9 4 1 34 12 22 3120162nd 13 9 3 1 29 14 15 3020177th 13 6 1 6 24 22 2 1920182nd15 11 2 2 35 8 27 352019Kantō 2nd Division 6 1st 18 14 1 3 42 20 22 432020Kantō 1st Division 5 5th 9 5 0 4 11 7 4 15 Not held20211st 22 16 2 4 50 23 27 50 Cancelled2022JFL4 15th 30 6 6 18 30 52 -22 24 Ineligible2023 11th 28 10 4 14 25 33 -8 34 1st round2024 14th 30 5 11 14 19 44 -25 26 Did not qualify2025 12th 30 8 9 15 29 34 -5 33 Did not qualify2026–27 TBD 30 TBD
Key
Honours +Criacao Shinjuku honoursHonoursNo.YearsTokyo Metropolitan Government Division 212011Tokyo Metropolitan Government Division 112013Tokyo Division 112014Kantō Division 212019Kantō Division 112021Japanese Regional Football Champions League12021
Current squad
Club staff Position StaffManager Hideaki KitajimaAssistant manager Ichiro NariyamaFirst-team coach Musashi SaidaGoalkeeper Coach Kazushige KirihataDoctor Takahisa HaraguchiTrainer Keigo Nakahara Atsushi Takai Satoko MaedaCompetent Taichi IseSide affairs Sho Nakamura Miu Hirotani
Managerial history Manager Nationality Tenure Start Finish Ichiro Naruyama 1 February 2018 31 January 2024Hideaki Kitajima 16 November 2023 present
See also Japan Football Association (JFA)
References
External links Official website Criacao Corporation