The , commonly known as the , is a semi-professional
women's association football
Women's association football, more commonly known simply as women's football or women's soccer, is a team sport of association football when played by women only. It is played at the professional level in multiple countries and 176 national t ...
league
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
in Japan.
The Nadeshiko League consists of two divisions that correspond to the second and third levels of the
Japanese women's football pyramid respectively. Teams are promoted and relegated between the divisions, and between the Nadeshiko League Division 2 and the fourth-level Japanese regional leagues, based on performance in the previous season. Prior to 2021, the Nadeshiko League occupied the top level of the Japanese women's football pyramid as well; that level is now represented by the fully professional
WE League
The , officially the , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top flight of women's association football in Japan, starting from the 2021–22 season. It is the first fully-professional women's soccer league in Japan.
History
On 3 J ...
.
Since 2008, the Nadeshiko League has been sponsored by , a
fast food (
bento
A is the Japanese iteration of a single-portion take-out or home-packed meal, often for lunch. Outside Japan, it is common in other East and Southeast Asian culinary styles, especially within Chinese, Korean, Singaporean cuisines and more, ...
) company based in
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...
.
History
The Japan Women's Football League, or the L. League, was founded in 1989. From 1993 to 1999 it adopted an
Apertura and Clausura system, similar to 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 successf ...
system of that era. From 2000 to 2003 the clubs were divided into East and West groups and then the top clubs of each would go into a championship group, with the bottom clubs in a relegation group. In 2004 the single-table format was brought back. Teams from this early era would host annual training camps to build skills and relationships with international women's football clubs, such as those in the United States and Australia.
In 2004 the L. League acquired the nickname the Nadeshiko League. Nadeshiko is the name of the
dianthus
''Dianthus'' () is a genus of about 340 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, native mainly to Europe and Asia, with a few species in north Africa and in southern Africa, and one species (''D. repens'') in arctic North A ...
flower and was chosen from suggestions by fans, signifying an ideal of
a dutiful Japanese woman.
In the 2004 season, the L. League added a second division, and until 2009 the league operated in the same way as the old
Japan Soccer League
, or JSL, was the top flight association football league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J.League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional ...
for men where the bottom club in the second division playing off against a regional league playoff winner. In 2010, the second division was divided into east and west groups of six teams each; the winners of each group were promoted to the first division.
After
Japan's
World Cup win in 2011, the L. League saw an upsurge in popularity. In 2015, the league added a third division called the Nadeshiko was added, and the first and second divisions now had 10 teams each.
In 2020, the
Japan Football Association announced that the newly established
WE League
The , officially the , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top flight of women's association football in Japan, starting from the 2021–22 season. It is the first fully-professional women's soccer league in Japan.
History
On 3 J ...
will become the top level for women's football in Japan in 2021. The Nadeshiko League would then become the second to fourth levels of the Japanese women's football pyramid. After many top teams left for the WE League, the Nadeshiko League abolished the third division in 2021.
Structure
Since 2021, the Nadeshiko League consists of two divisions:
Clubs
Champions
Division 1
Bold indicate
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* ...
s with the
Empress's Cup
, since 2018 renamed "Empress's Cup JFA Japan Women's Football Championship" ( ja, 皇后杯 JFA 全日本女子サッカー選手権大会) or The Empress's Cup, is a Japanese Women's football competition. As an elimination tournament, it can be ...
.
=Wins by club
=
Clubs in bold are those competing in Division 1 as of the 2021 season. Clubs in ''italics'' no longer exist.
Notes
=Wins by region
=
Division 2
Challenge League
2022 season
Division 1
Division 2
Previous clubs
The following clubs are not competing in the Nadeshiko League during the 2021 season, but have previously competed in the Nadeshiko League for at least one season.
Joined WE League in 2021
*
Mynavi Sendai
is a women's football club playing in Japan's football league, WE League. Its hometown is the city of Sendai.
Kits Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
Stadium
Their home stadium is Yurtec Stadium Sendai, in Izumi-ku, Sendai, although a few hom ...
*
Urawa Reds
, colloquially Urawa Reds (浦和レッズ), also known as Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, is a professional football club in the city of Saitama, part of the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. The club plays in the J ...
*
Omiya Ardija Ventus
is a Japanese women's association football team which plays in WE League. and become the women's section of J. League club Omiya Ardija.
History
The team started in 1996 as an old girls' club for students of Jumonji Middle School in Toshima ...
(formerly FC Jumonji Ventus)
*
Elfen Saitama
*
JEF United Chiba
*
NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza
*
Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara
is a women's football club who play in the WE League. Its hometown is the city of Sagamihara, Kanagawa.
History
In the 2016 season, Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara finished the first place in the 2016 L. League Division 2 and clinched the pr ...
*
AC Nagano Parceiro
*
Albirex Niigata
is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. From 2023, Albirex will be playing on the J1 League, coming back to the f ...
*
INAC Kobe Leonessa
INAC Kobe is a Japanese football club from Kobe, founded in 2001. INAC stands for International Athletic Club while Leonessa means Lioness in Italian.
In 2006 INAC Leonessa was promoted to the Nadeshiko.League, where it has played since 2020 ...
Relegated to regional leagues
*
Je Vrille Kagoshima
is a women's football club playing in Japan's football league, Challenge League. Its hometown is the city of Kagoshima, Kagoshima
, abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the ...
: relegated to
Kyushu League from 2014
*
Shimizudaihachi Pleiades
is a women's football club playing in Japan's football league, Tokai.League Div.1. Its hometown is Shimizu.
Squad Current squad
As of 7 June 2015
Honors Domestic competitions
* Empress's Cup All-Japan Women's Footba ...
: relegated to
Tokai League from 2015
*
Mashiki Renaissance Kumamoto F.C.: relegated to
Kyushu League from 2016
Defunct
*
Fujita Soccer Club Mercury
was a women's football team from Hiratsuka which played in Division 1 of Japan's Nadeshiko League. It founded the league back in 1989. The club was disbanded in 1999.
History
The club was acquired in 1990 by Fujita Industries, parent company o ...
(affiliated with
Shonan Bellmare
is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Hiratsuka ...
)
*
Nikko Securities Dream Ladies
was a women's football team which played in Division 1 of Japan, Japan's L. League, Nadeshiko League. It founded the league back in 1994. The club was disbanded in 1998.
Honors
Domestic competitions
*L. League, Nadeshiko.League Division 1
**C ...
*
Nissan F.C. Ladies (affiliated with
Yokohama Marinos
is a Japanese People, Japanese professional association football, football club based in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club competes in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in Japan, football in t ...
)
*
OKI F.C. Winds
*
Shiroki F.C. Serena
*
Suzuyo Shimizu F.C. Lovely Ladies (affiliated with
Shimizu S-Pulse)
*
Tasaki Perule F.C.
*
Tokyo Shidax L.S.C. (formerly Shinko Seiko F.C. Clair)
*
Urawa Ladies F.C.
*
TEPCO Mareeze
was a women's football team which played in Division 1 of Japan's Nadeshiko League. It founded the league back in 2000 and disbanded in 2011. It evolved into Vegalta Sendai Ladies in 2012.
Results
Transition of team name
*YKK Tohoku L ...
(dissolved after
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster; many of the players moved to
Vegalta Sendai Ladies
is a women's football club playing in Japan's football league, WE League. Its hometown is the city of Sendai.
Kits Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
Stadium
Their home stadium is Yurtec Stadium Sendai, in Izumi-ku, Sendai, although a few home ...
)
*
Aguilas Kobe
*
Hoyo Sukarabu F.C.
Division 1 awards
Most Valuable Player
Top Goalscorers
Best Young Player
See also
*
Football in Japan
Association football, Football is among the most popular sports in Japan, together with baseball, basketball, sumo and martial arts. Its nationwide organization, the Japan Football Association, administers the professional football leagues, incl ...
*
Women's football in Japan
*
Japan Football Association (JFA)
*
Japanese association football league system
The Japanese association football league system is organized in a pyramidal shape similar to football league systems in many other countries around the world. The leagues are bound by the principle of promotion and relegation; however, there are s ...
*
WE League
The , officially the , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top flight of women's association football in Japan, starting from the 2021–22 season. It is the first fully-professional women's soccer league in Japan.
History
On 3 J ...
(I)
* Japanese Regional Leagues (women) (IV)
*
Empress's Cup
, since 2018 renamed "Empress's Cup JFA Japan Women's Football Championship" ( ja, 皇后杯 JFA 全日本女子サッカー選手権大会) or The Empress's Cup, is a Japanese Women's football competition. As an elimination tournament, it can be ...
(National Cup)
*
Nadeshiko League Cup
The Nadeshiko League Cup (Japanese: なでしこリーグカップ) is a cup competition for women's football clubs in Japan. The competition began as the L.League Cup in 1996 and it was abolished after the 1999 edition. It reappeared on the occ ...
(League Cup)
References
External links
Nadeshiko League Official websiteNADESHIKO LEAGUE 1 at women.soccerway.comNADESHIKO LEAGUE 2 at women.soccerway.com
{{Football in Japan
Japan
2
Football leagues in Japan
Sports leagues in Japan
Professional sports leagues in Japan