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.
Klubbens hemmaarena är Tochigi Green Stadium, som har en kapacitet på 18 025. Tochigi City FC har en stark lokal fanbas och är känd för sin aggressiva och underhållande spelstil.
Bland klubbens mest anmärkningsvärda spelare finns före detta japanska landslagsspelaren Yoshito Okubo och före detta Manchester United-spelaren Shinji Kagawa.
Tochigi City FC har vunnit J3 League-mästerskapet två gånger, 2017 och 2021. Klubben har också vunnit Tochigi Prefectural Football Championship tre gånger, 2016, 2019 och 2021.