FC Imabari (''FC今治'') is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club based in

Imabari 270px, Imabari City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Imabari city center is a city in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. It is the second largest city in Ehime Prefecture. , the city had an estimated population of 152,111 in 75947 households and a population ...

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

. They play in the

J3 League or simply J3 is the third division of . It was established in 2013 as the third-tier professional association football league in Japan. The third-tier nationwide league is a relatively recent development in Japanese football with a first attempt ...

History

The club was founded in 1976 and were promoted to the Shikoku Football League in 2001. From 2009 to 2011 they were owned by Ehime F.C. as their reserve team, ''Ehime F.C. Shimanami''. After spinning off yet again, the majority of FC Imabari was bought by the former coach of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Takeshi Okada is a Japanese former football player and manager. He played for and managed the Japan national team. Club career Okada was born in Osaka on August 25, 1956. After graduating from Waseda University, he joined Japan Soccer League (JSL) club Fur ...

in 2014. In February 2016, the club made another step forward toward the

J. League The , officially is Japan's professional football league including the first division J1 League, second division J2 League and third division J3 League of the Japanese association football league system. J1 League is one of the most succe ...

as JFA recognised J. League Hundred Year Vision clubs. In November they won the Regional Promotion Series and were promoted to the

Japan Football League The also known as simply the JFL is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneath the three divisions of the J.League. The league features fully professional teams that hold J.League associate membership am ...

. During their debut-season in the JFL, they opened their new stadium and got a

license for the 2018 season. In 2019, after finishing 3rd in the JFL, FC Imabari were promoted to the professional ranks of J3 for the first time.

League and cup records

;Key

Honours

*Shikoku Soccer League **Champions (5): 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 *Japanese Regional League **Champions (1): 2016

Current squad

''As of 13 August 2022''. ^{Type 2} ^{Type 2}

Out on loan

Coaching Staff

''For the 2022 season''

Managerial history

Kit evolution

References

External links

* Association football clubs established in 1976 Football clubs in Japan J.League clubs Japan Football League clubs Sports teams in Ehime Prefecture 1976 establishments in Japan Imabari, Ehime {{Japan-footyclub-stub