Kyoto Sanga (京都サンガ) is a Japanese professional football club based in Kyoto. The club plays in the J1 League, the top tier of football in the country. Its name "Sanga" comes from the Sanskrit word sangha, a term meaning "group" or "club" and often used to denote the Buddhist priesthood, associating the club with Kyoto's many Buddhist temples.[3]

Kyoto Sanga
京都サンガ
logo
Full nameKyoto Sanga Football Club
Nickname(s)Purple Sanga
Founded1922; 102 years ago (1922),
as Kyoto Shiko Club (京都紫光クラブ)
GroundSanga Stadium by Kyocera
Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Capacity21,600
OwnerKyoto Purple Sanga Co., Ltd.
ChairmanMasaaki Ito
ManagerCho Kwi-jae
LeagueJ1 League
2023J1 League, 13th of 18
Websitehttp://www.sanga-fc.jp/english/
Current season
Kyoto Purple Sanga Co., Ltd.
Company typePublic
IndustrySports
FoundedJanuary 13, 1994 (1994-01-13) in Kyoto, Japan[1]
Key people
Hiroshi Imai (Chairman)
Kazuo Inamori (Honorary President)[1]
ProductsFootball club
RevenueIncrease ¥ 2140 million (2014)[1]
OwnersKyocera (55.4%)[2]
Nintendo (16.6%)[2]

The club was formerly known as Kyoto Purple Sanga with "purple", the colour of the team uniforms, an imperial colour reflecting Kyoto's status as Japan's ancient imperial capital city. It was decided that, from 2007, the team will simply be known as "Kyoto Sanga". They are the oldest club competing in the J.League.

Kyoto Sanga have won two J2 League titles and one Emperor's Cup.

History

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The club was started as Kyoto Shiko Club, one of the few proper Japanese football clubs in the sense of being strictly dedicated to football and not being part of a company. Like Ventforet Kofu, it could not rise to a Japan Soccer League First Division dominated by company teams; in 1993, after the J.League was created, Kyoto Shiko Club, aided by funds from local new sponsors Kyocera and Nintendo, professionalized (though some players broke away and formed their own clubs, see below) and joined the former Japan Football League under the new name Kyoto Purple Sanga.

First joining the J.League in 1996, Kyoto Purple Sanga hold the dubious distinction of being the League's most relegated side, having been demoted on three separate occasions. Relegation to J2 League occurred at the end of the 2000, 2003 and 2006 seasons; more than any other team.[3] The 2003 relegation happened despite having many national team players such as Park Ji-sung and Daisuke Matsui on its roster, and they eventually left for European clubs.

In December 2007, the club gained J1 League status for the fourth time in their history via the promotion/relegation playoff and therefore shorten its club name to Kyoto Sanga.[4] A 0–2 home defeat to Urawa Reds on 14 November 2010 confirmed Sanga's relegation back to J2, bringing an end to their three-season spell in the top flight.[5]

In the 2021 season, Kyoto Sanga returned to J1 League after an 11-year absence and finished as runner-up. In 2022, Kyoto Sanga remained in J1 League after draw 1–1 against Roasso Kumamoto in Promotion Relegation play-offs.

Affiliated clubs

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  • Amitie SC (Kansai Soccer League Division 1) – broke away from the original Kyoto Shiko Club upon professionalization; amateur club
  • Kyoto Shiko Club (Kansai Soccer League Division 2) – broke away from Kyoto BAMB 1993 (now Kyoto Amitie) in 1998; amateur club
  • Shiko Club women's (Kansai Women's Soccer League) – linked with today's Kyoto Shiko Club

Kit and colours

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Colours

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Kyoto Sanga is considered the main continuation of the Kyoto Shiko Club that competed in the Japan Soccer League Second Division. "Shiko" (紫光) means "brilliant purple" and is the colour that Shiko/Sanga have always worn.

Kit evolution

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Home Kit - 1st
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1997 - 1998
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1999
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2000
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2001 - 2002
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2003 - 2004
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2005 - 2006
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2007 - 2008
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2009 - 2010
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2011 - 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2013
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2015 - 2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2017 - 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2019
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2020
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2021
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2022
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2023
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2024 -
Away Kit - 2nd
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1997 - 1998
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1999 - 2000
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2001 - 2002
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2003 - 2004
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2005 - 2006
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2007 - 2008 2nd
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2007 - 2008 3rd
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2009
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2010
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2011 - 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2013
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2015 - 2016
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2017 - 2018
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2019
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2020
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2021
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2022
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2023
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2024 -
3rd choice
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2007 - 2008 3rd
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2019
Club 25th Anniversary
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2022
September Home Limited
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2023
August Home Limited

Home stadium

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Sanga Stadium by Kyocera

Takebishi Stadium Kyoto

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Kyoto Sanga played most of their home match at the Takebishi Stadium Kyoto since their interception. The stadium holds up to 20,588 capacity and was built in 1942. In 2019, Kyoto Sanga announced plans to move to Sanga Stadium by Kyocera, a new, football-specific stadium being built in Kameoka, in time for the 2020 season .

Sanga Stadium by Kyocera

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On 11 January 2020, Kyoto Sanga moved to their new stadium, the Sanga Stadium by Kyocera which is the first professional football-specific stadium in Kyoto. The naming rights were purchased by ceramic company Kyocera having signed a 20-years deal worth ¥2 billion.

Current squad

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As of 9 August 2024.[6]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF   JPN Shinnosuke Fukuda
3 DF   JPN Shogo Asada
4 DF   JPN Keita Matsuda
5 DF   JPN Hisashi Appiah Tawiah
6 DF   JPN Yuto Misao
7 MF   JPN Sota Kawasaki
8 MF   JPN Koki Tsukagawa (on loan from FC Tokyo)
9 FW   BRA Marco Túlio
10 MF   JPN Shimpei Fukuoka
13 FW   JPN Takumi Miyayoshi
14 FW   JPN Taichi Hara
16 MF   JPN Shohei Takeda
17 FW   JPN Yuto Anzai
18 MF   JPN Temma Matsuda
19 MF   JPN Daiki Kaneko
20 DF   JPN Kazunari Kita
21 GK   SUR Warner Hahn
23 FW   JPN Yuta Toyokawa
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 DF   JPN Yuta Miyamoto (on loan from Urawa Reds)
26 GK   JPN Gakuji Ota
28 DF   JPN Toichi Suzuki
31 FW   JPN Sora Hiraga
36 GK   JPN Akira Fantini
37 MF   JPN Takuji Yonemoto (on loan from Nagoya Grampus)
39 MF   JPN Taiki Hirato
44 MF   JPN Kyo Sato
45 DF   JPN Kotaro Kanda Type 2
46 MF   JPN Taiga Ishimoto Type 2
47 FW   JPN Yuma Nishioka Type 2
48 MF   JPN Ryuma Nakano DSP
50 DF   JPN Yoshinori Suzuki
77 MF   BRA Murilo Costa
88 GK   JPN Kentaro Kakoi
94 GK   KOR Gu Sung-yun
96 DF   BRA Lucas Oliveira (on loan from Cruzeiro)
99 FW   BRA Rafael Elias (on loan from Cruzeiro)

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
25 MF   JPN Teppei Yachida (on loan to   FC Anyang)
30 DF   JPN Rikuto Iida (on loan to Nara Club)
GK   JPN Tomoya Wakahara (on loan to V-Varen Nagasaki)
DF   JPN Takahiro Iida (on loan to Ventforet Kofu)
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF   JPN Yuta Ueda (on loan to Omiya Ardija)
FW   JPN Yudai Kimura (on loan to Tokyo Verdy)
FW   JPN Fuki Yamada (on loan to Tokyo Verdy)

Club officials

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For the 2024 season.

Position Name
Manager   Cho Kwi-jae
First-team coach   Ryuji Ishikawa
  Koichi Sugiyama
  Naomichi Wakamiya
  Shuto Wakui
Goalkeeping coach   Yasuhiro Tominaga
Physical coach   Hirokazu Nishigata
Chief Trainer   Minoru Kimoto
Trainer   Yoshiaki Shirai
  Masaki Dozono
  Takuya Kawada
Interpreter   Taketo Okamoto
  Hiroki Kimura
Competent   Naoya Omae
Side Affairs   Ryusei Ishikura
Kit man   Noriyuki Matsuura

Honours

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Kyoto Sanga honours
Honour No. Years
Kansai Soccer League 4 1969, 1971, 1979, 1988
All Japan Senior Football Championship 1 1988
J2 League 2 2001, 2005
Emperor's Cup 1 2002

Managerial history

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Manager Nationality Tenure
Start Finish
Bunji Kimura   Japan 1 January 1983 30 June 1990
George Yonashiro   Japan 1 February 1994 31 January 1995
Oscar   Brazil 1 February 1995 10 June 1996
George Yonashiro   Japan 11 June 1996 31 January 1997
Pedro Rocha   Uruguay 1 January 1997 31 December 1997
Hans Ooft   Netherlands 1 February 1998 1 June 1998
Hidehiko Shimizu   Japan 2 June 1998 30 June 1999
Shū Kamo   Japan 1 July 1999 31 May 2000
Gert Engels   Germany 1 June 2000 31 May 2003
Bunji Kimura   Japan 1 June 2003 30 June 2003
Pim Verbeek   Netherlands 1 July 2003 31 December 2003
Akihiro Nishimura   Japan 1 February 2004 13 June 2004
Kōichi Hashiratani   Japan 14 June 2004 4 October 2006
Naohiko Minobe   Japan 5 October 2006 11 October 2007
Hisashi Katō   Japan 12 October 2007 27 July 2010
Yutaka Akita   Japan 27 July 2010 31 January 2011
Takeshi Ōki   Japan 1 February 2011 31 January 2014
Valdeir Vieira   Brazil 1 January 2014 18 June 2014
Ryōichi Kawakatsu   Japan 29 June 2014 31 January 2015
Masahiro Wada   Japan 1 February 2015 10 July 2015
Kiyotaka Ishimaru   Japan 11 July 2015 6 December 2016
Takanori Nunobe   Japan 1 January 2017 10 May 2018
Boško Gjurovski   North Macedonia 11 May 2018 31 January 2019
Ichizō Nakata   Japan 1 February 2019 31 January 2020
Noritada Saneyoshi   Japan 1 February 2020 31 January 2021
Cho Kwi-jae   South Korea 1 February 2021 Current

Club captains

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Record as J.League member

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Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
Season Div. Teams Pos. P W (OTW / PKW) D L (OTL / PKL) F A GD Pts Attendance/G J.League
Cup
Emperor's
Cup
Kyoto Purple Sanga
1996 J1 16 16th 30 8 0 22 22 54 -32 24 9,404 Group stage Quarter-finals
1997 17 14th 32 9 (0 / 0) - 18 (3 / 2) 40 70 -30 27 7,881 Group stage Round of 16
1998 18 13th 34 10 (4 / 1) - 16 (3 / 0) 47 63 -16 39 8,015 Group stage 3rd round
1999 16 12th 30 9 (2) 0 15 (4) 38 58 -20 31 8,859 2nd round Round of 16
2000 16 15th 30 7 (1) 2 15 (5) 39 66 -27 25 7,253 Semi-finals 3rd round
2001 J2 12 1st 44 23 (5) 5 11 (0) 79 48 31 84 3,808 1st round Round of 16
2002 J1 16 5th 30 11 (6) 1 12 44 42 2 46 10,352 Group stage Winner
2003 16 16th 30 6 5 19 28 60 -32 23 10,850 Group stage 3rd round
2004 J2 12 5th 44 19 12 13 65 53 12 69 7,807 Not eligible 4th round
2005 12 1st 44 30 7 7 89 40 49 97 7,857 4th round
2006 J1 18 18th 34 4 10 20 38 74 -36 22 9,781 Group stage 4th round
Kyoto Sanga
2007 J2 13 3rd 48 24 14 10 80 59 21 86 6,629 Not eligible 3rd round
2008 J1 18 14th 34 11 8 15 37 46 -9 41 13,687 Group stage Round of 16
2009 18 12th 34 11 8 15 35 47 -12 41 11,126 Group stage 3rd round
2010 18 17th 34 4 7 23 30 60 -30 19 10,510 Group stage 3rd round
2011 J2 20 7th 38 17 7 14 50 45 5 58 6,294 Not eligible Runners-up
2012 22 3rd 42 23 5 14 61 45 16 74 7,273 3rd round
2013 22 3rd 42 20 10 12 68 46 22 70 7,891 3rd round
2014 22 9th 42 14 18 10 57 52 5 60 7,520 3rd round
2015 22 17th 42 12 14 16 45 51 -6 50 7,491 3rd round
2016 22 5th 42 18 15 9 50 37 13 69 6,524 2nd round
2017 22 12th 42 14 15 13 55 47 8 57 6,748 2nd round
2018 22 19th 42 12 7 23 40 58 -18 43 5,663 3rd round
2019 22 8th 42 19 11 12 59 56 3 68 7,850 2nd round
2020 22 8th 42 16 11 15 47 45 2 59 2,924 Did not qualify
2021 22 2nd 42 24 12 6 59 31 28 84 5,207 Round of 16
2022 J1 18 16th 34 8 12 14 30 38 -8 36 11,692 Play-off stage Semi-finals
2023 18 13th 34 12 4 18 40 45 -5 40 12,141 Group stage 2nd round
2024 20 TBA 38 2nd Round Semi-finals
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
  • OTW / PKW = Overtime wins / Penalty kicks wins 1997 & 1998 seasons - 1999, 2000, 2001 & 2002 Overtime wins only
  • OTL / PKL = Overtime losses / Penalty kicks losses 1997 and 1998 seasons - 1999, 2000 & 2001 Overtime losses only
  • 3 points for a win; 2 points for an overtime win (OTW), 1 point for a penalty kick win (PKW); 1 point for a drawn game.
  • Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
  • 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
  • Source: J.League Data Site

League History

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  • Kansai Soccer League: 1966–1971 (as Kyoto Shiko Club)
  • Division 2 (JSL Division 2): 1972–1978 (as Kyoto Shiko Club)
  • Kansai Soccer League: 1979–1988 (as Kyoto Shiko Club)
  • Division 2 (JSL Division 2): 1989–1991 (as Kyoto Shiko Club)
  • Division 3 (Old JFL Division 2): 1992 (as Kyoto Shiko Club)
  • Division 2 (Old JFL Division 1): 1993–1995 (as Kyoto Shiko Club 1993; Kyoto Purple Sanga afterwards)
  • Division 1 (J1 League): 1996–2000 (as Kyoto Purple Sanga)
  • Division 2 (J2 League): 2001 (as Kyoto Purple Sanga)
  • Division 1 (J1 League): 2002–2003 (as Kyoto Purple Sanga)
  • Division 2 (J2 League): 2004–2005 (as Kyoto Purple Sanga)
  • Division 1 (J1 League): 2006 (as Kyoto Purple Sanga)
  • Division 2 (J2 League): 2007
  • Division 1 (J1 League): 2008–2010
  • Division 2 (J2 League): 2011–2021
  • Division 1 (J1 League): 2022–present

(As of 2023): 13 seasons in the top tier, 28 seasons in the second tier, 1 season in the third tier and 16 seasons in the Regional Leagues.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Club profile". Kyoto Sanga. Archived from the original on November 27, 2013. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Sasaki, Norihiko. "Thoroughly analyzed the financial results of J-League". Shūkan Tōyō keizai. 6058. Toyo Keizai: 148–151.
  3. ^ a b Daniel Sloan (November 5, 2011). Playing to Wiin: Nintendo and the Video Game Industry's Greatest Comeback. John Wiley & Sons. p. 126. ISBN 978-0470825129.
  4. ^ "Kyoto Sanga earns promotion to J.League's first division". Japan Times. December 9, 2007. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  5. ^ "Shonan, Kyoto dropped to J-League's second division". Japan Times. November 25, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  6. ^ "2024シーズン トップチーム編成決定のお知らせ". 京都サンガF.C.|オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). 13 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
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