Tochigi City
Wikipedia - Tochigi City FC
Tochigi City Football Club (栃木シティフットボールクラブ, Tochigi Shiti Futtobōrukurabu), commonly known as Tochigi City FC (栃木シティFC, Tochigi Shiti Efushi) is a Japanese football club based in Tochigi Prefecture. The club set play in Japan Football League from 2024, Japanese fourth tier of football league. After promotion from Kantō Soccer League Div.1 in 2023.
History
The club was formed in 1947 as Hitachi Tochigi Soccer Club, the works team of the local Hitachi, Ltd. affiliate.
After finishing as a runners-up in the local Kanto Soccer League in 2009 season, they were promoted to the 2010 Japan Football League through the All Japan Regional Football Promotion League Series. Prior to their first season in JFL, the club has dropped Hitachi prefix in its name and changed the reference to sport from "soccer" to "football" following general Japanese trend. From the 2019 season, the club has adopted the new name as Tochigi City FC.
In 2023, Tochigi City secure promotion to JFL after defeat Tsukuba FC 4–0 in final day of 2023 Japanese Regional Football Champions League, Champions of Japanese Regional Football Champions League for the first time in history due to finish 2nd place in Kanto Soccer League and return to fourth tier after six years absence since change name from Tochigi Uva.
Domáce zápasy Tochigi City hrá na štadióne Tochigi Green Stadium, ktorý má kapacitu 18 025 divákov. Maskotom klubu je medveď menom Toppy, ktorý je pomenovaný podľa bývalého názvu mesta Tochigi, Tochigi-machi.
Tochigi City dosiahol svoje najlepšie umiestnenie v JFL v roku 2006, keď skončil na 3. mieste. Klub tiež vyhral regionálny pohár Kanto v roku 2006 a 2007.
Niektorí z pozoruhodných hráčov, ktorí hrali za Tochigi City, sú:
* Shingo Akamine
* Kohei Hattori
* Takuya Nozawa
* Yukihiko Sato
* Hirotsugu Nakabayashi