is a Japanese

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

Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is . The city is ...

, the capital of

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

. They play in the

J2 League The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yas ...

, the second tier of the country's football league system. Their home stadium is

City Light Stadium The , known from 2010 to February 2015 as , and before that as is a multi-purpose stadium in Okayama, Japan. It is currently used mostly for football matches and athletics events. It is the home field of Fagiano Okayama, and used for some rugb ...

, in

Okayama City is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per ...

, though some home matches are played at Tsuyama Stadium, in

Tsuyama is a city in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 102,294 and a population density of 200 persons per km². The total area was 185.73 km². The area increased in 2005 as the result of a merger with adjacent to ...

. ''Fagiano'' in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

means "

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family (biology), family Phasianidae in the order (biology), order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera na ...

", and it is a reference to the pheasant that was a companion of local legend character

Momotarō is a Folk hero, popular hero of Japanese folklore. His name is often translated as ''Peach Boy'', but is directly translated as ''Peach + Tarō (given name), Tarō'', a common Japanese given name. ''Momotarō'' is also the title of various books, ...

. Their mascot ''Fagimaru'' is based on the specific species native to Japan, the

green pheasant The green pheasant (''Phasianus versicolor''), also known as the Japanese green pheasant, is an omnivorous bird native to the Japanese archipelago, to which it is endemic. Some taxonomic authorities consider it a subspecies of the common pheasa ...

History

They were formed in 1975 after the old Kawasaki Steel Mizushima F.C. moved to

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

, who are now

Vissel Kobe is a Japanese professional football club based in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The team's home stadium is Noevir Stadium Kobe, in Hyōgo-ku, though some home match ...

. The old boys of the club formed a new club which they called the "River Free Kickers" (RFK). For years thereafter the club played in the prefectural league. In 2003, they assumed the name "Fagiano Okayama" and began rising in the ranks. In 2005, Fagiano Okayama were promoted into the Chugoku Regional League. In July 2007, Fagiano became the first club ever to attain the J. League Associate Membership while still playing in a division below the JFL. On December 2, 2007, Fagiano gained promotion to the JFL courtesy of winning the first place in the regional playoff games. On 2008, they secured 4th place in the last JFL match week, thereby qualifying for

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 ...

promotion below

Tochigi S.C. , commonly referred to as Tochigi SC are a football club based in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. They currently play in the J2 League. History Teachers in Tochigi Prefecture founded the club in 1953. They were initially called self-exp ...

and

Kataller Toyama is a football club in Japan that was formed from the merger of the ALO's Hokuriku and YKK AP SC. The club currently plays in J3 League. History The idea of a merged club had been discussed by the Toyama Prefectural Football Association as e ...

; on December 1 promotion was made official by J. League and Okayama competed in J2 for the first time in 2009. Their main sponsor is Okayama Gas and their back sponsor is the

Sanyo Shinbun The is a Japanese language daily newspaper published by . The company was founded in 1879. The newspaper is based in Okayama City, Japan. The newspaper covers national and international news stories and also news from Okayama and neighboring pr ...

, a local

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

in Okayama.

League and cup record

;Key

Honours

* Chugoku Football League: 2 ** 2006, 2007 * Okayama Football League 1: 4 ** 1990, 2001, 2003, 2004 * Okayama Football League 2: 1 ** 1980

Current squad

' ^{Type 2} ^{Type 2} ^{Type 2} ^{Type 2} ^{Type 2}

Out on loan

Coaching staff

Managerial history

League games only ;Key *Source
J.League Data Site

Colour, sponsors and manufacturers

Kit evolution

References

External links

Official website
{{Japanese Club Football, group=clubs Football clubs in Japan J.League clubs Association football clubs established in 2004 Sport in Okayama Sports teams in Okayama Prefecture 2004 establishments in Japan Japan Football League clubs