, commonly known as Nankatsu SC (南葛SC, Nankatsu Esu Shī) are a Japanese football club based in Katsushika, Tokyo. They currently play in the Kantō Soccer League Division 1, part of Japanese Regional Leagues. As the club aims for a future qualification to the J.League, they currently hold the J.League 100 Year Plan status.
History The club's origin dates back to 1983. In those days, the club mainly centered its attention on Tokiwa Junior High School alumni who wanted to play for the club, inserting a certain influence on the club, which ended up naming themselves Tokiwa Club. The club joined the Tokyo Adult Soccer League, and was promoted to its 2nd Division in 1994. The club repeatedly switched between the second and third division, as the club couldn't gain consistency in a higher-level league. In 2011, the Katsushika Ward Football Federation established the NPO International Football Promotion Association, which is an organization under the Federation for clubs aiming to join the J.League. Tokiwa Club, as it was called at the time, became an affiliate.
The club was renamed in 2012, becoming Katsushika Vitoard (葛飾ヴィトアード). In 2013, the club welcomed Yōichi Takahashi as the new president, renaming the club as Nankatsu SC, in allusion to the school team of the protagonist of Takahashi's globally famous manga and anime Captain Tsubasa, which attracted the attention of many young people in Japan, and culminated in an increasing rise of interest about football in the nation. They established an U-12 team for elementary school students in 2013, and an U-15 team for junior high school students in 2015. From 2015 to 2017, they signed partnerships with Nankatsu SC Fukuoka, SC Sagamihara, and CE Sabadell FC.
In January 2019, Nankatsu SC Co. Ltd was established to operate the first-team, transferring the team's management. The following year, they were approved as a member of the J.League 100 Year Plan, alongside Vonds Ichihara, FC Osaka, Veertien Mie and Iwaki FC.
On 14 July 2021, Valuence Holdings acquired 33,5% of the Nankatsu SC Co. Ltd. shares (the other 66.5% remained in the ownership of Yōichi Takahashi). In addition, Shinsuke Sakimoto, then Valuence Holdings CEO, became Nankatsu SC Co. Ltd. president. The same year (2021), Nankatsu SC, who were then a newly promoted team from the Tokyo Metropolitan League, making at the time its regional debut, were promoted from the Kanto Soccer League 2nd division, finishing as 2021 runners-up.
In the 2022 season, they played in the Kanto Soccer League 1st division, successfully avoiding relegation, despite being threatened by it several times during the league season. Nankatsu made their debut at the Shakaijin Cup on 2022. Their first match on the competition was a win against FC Tokushima by 1–0, with their lone goal scored by center-back Deivisson. Their second match was the debut's opposite, as this time they lost the match by 1–0 against Veroskronos Tsuno, forcing them to early exit the tournament at the Round of 16.
In the 2023 season, they continued to play in the KSL's 1st division, and ended up mid-table. Nankatsu SC was not able to make any other national appearances during the year, as they failed to qualify for the Emperor's Cup, Shakaijin Cup and the Regional Champions League.
In 2024, they are playing their third consecutive season in Kanto's top division, a feat shared between them and their women's team. To qualify for the Emperor's Cup, clubs in Tokyo have to win the Tokyo Soccer Championship. To qualify for the tournament, non-university teams from regional and prefectural leagues needs at least to be a finalist in Tokyo Senior Championship. Fortunately for Nankatsu, they managed to win the title following a 5–2 triumph over Aries Tokyo FC. This win qualified them to the aforementioned Tokyo Soccer Championship. Starting on the first round in the six-team tournament, they were paired with JFL club Yokogawa Musashino FC. If they won the match, they would be playing against Waseda University's football club, who were seeded in the semi-final. Emperor's Cup aspiration came soon to a halt for Nankatsu SC, as they lost by 2–0 their match against Yokogawa Musashino FC. From July onwards, they played in the Shakaijin Cup qualifiers, in hopes of appearing in the national-level scene once again.
Current squad .
Coaching staff . PositionStaffManager Yahiro KazamaAssistant manager Kenji TakagiAssistant Technical director Kenta ShimaokaGoalkeeper coach Kiyomitsu KobariPhysical coach Hidemasa KawasakiCoach and analyst Kyosuke HorioTrainer Keito Kurosawa Haruya OnoderaVice Minister Sakito FuruwaSide manager Shuji KohataAthletic trainer Sentaro KananariGeneral Manager Yoshihiro IwamotoAssistant general manager Ryo HatadaSleep coach Tatsuto Yano
League record ChampionsRunners-upThird placePromotedRelegated League Emperor'sCup ShakaijinCupSeason Division Position P W D L Pts2004Tokyo Metropolitan League (3rd Div.)9th 11 3 0 8 9 20052nd 10 9 0 1 2720061st 10 9 1 0 282007Tokyo Metropolitan League (2nd Div.)11th 11 1 3 7 62008Tokyo Metropolitan League (3rd Div.)2nd 10 7 1 2 2220095th 11 6 1 4 1920103rd 10 6 0 4 1820114th 10 5 1 4 1620124th 10 5 3 2 1820132nd 11 9 1 1 2820142nd 11 9 0 2 2720151st 11 11 0 0 332016Tokyo Metropolitan League (2nd Div.)2nd 13 9 1 3 2820171st 13 11 1 1 342018Tokyo Metropolitan League (1st Div.)1st 15 13 1 1 4020197th 15 6 4 5 2220201st 7 5 1 1 162021Kanto Soccer League (2nd Div.)2nd 18 10 6 2 362022Kanto Soccer League (1st Div.)7th 18 4 7 7 1920236th 18 6 4 8 2220246th 18 6 4 8 2220252nd 18 15 0 3 452026TBD 18 Key
Honours +Nankatsu SC honoursHonour No. YearsTokyo Metropolitan League22018, 2020Kantō Soccer League12020
Nankatsu SC Wings The club has also a women's football section, under the name Nankatsu SC WINGS. It was founded on 2014. They started from Tokyo Metropolitan Women Football League's 5th division, but got three back-to-back promotions, then making their 1st division debut early on 2018. Earning promotion from the Metropolitan League, they entered the Kanto Soccer League on 2021, playing on the 2nd division. Another back-to-back promotion saw them jumping to the 1st division, starting from the 2022 season. As of 2024, they are in their third consecutive season at Kanto's top division.
Since 2024, Nankatsu SC Wings also have U-18 and U-15 squads. Their youth categories were formerly part of INAC Tokyo, operated by nonprofit organization INAC, which operates in Tokyo as a training organization under the direct control of INAC Kobe Leonessa. Following the affiliation, INAC Tokyo Leoncina became Nankatsu SC Wings U-18 and INAC Tokyo Femina became Nankatsu SC Wings U-15.
Current squad
References
External links Official Website