The Prince Takamado Cup, since 2018, is divided in two age-restricted tournaments, being them the "Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football League" ( ja, 高円宮杯 JFA U-18サッカーリーグ) and "Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-15 Japan Football Championship" ( ja, 高円宮杯 JFA U-15サッカー選手権大会). Both tournaments are annually-contested and run by the
Japan Football Association
The Japan Football Association (JFA, ) is the governing body responsible for the administration of football, futsal, beach soccer and efootball in Japan. It is responsible for the national team, as well as club competitions.
History
The organisat ...
for the under–18 and under-15 sides. The name of the tournament is named after
Norihito, Prince Takamado
was a Japanese member of the Imperial House of Japan and the third son of Takahito, Prince Mikasa and Yuriko, Princess Mikasa. He was a first cousin of Emperor Akihito, and was seventh in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne at the time of his death. ...
, a long time patron of football in
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 ...
.
Under-18
League structure
From 2003 to 2010, the championship was realized as a short-term tournament, where the Prince Leagues (equivalent to the
Japanese Regional Leagues
are a group of parallel association football leagues in Japan that are organized on the regional basis. They form the fifth tier of the Japanese association football league system below the nationwide Japan Football League.
Overview
Japan is ...
) served as a qualification to it. Since 2011, the championship is played as a year-round league tournament.
Currently, in the Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League, 24 teams are split into 2 groups with 12 teams in each, which are called Premier League East, and Premier League West, with each team's geographical positions being the determining factor to decide whether the club should be on the East group, or on the West group. The winners of each group face each other in a one-legged final at a neutral venue to decide the tournament's winners.
On the other side, the 11th and 12th-placed teams of each group are automatically relegated to the Prince League (The tournament's 2nd division), while to keep their stay at the elite, the 10th-placed teams of each group needs to join other 16 teams from the Prince League on a play-off tournament, with the teams being divided by 6 groups with 3 teams in each. The winners of each group are qualified for/remains in the Premier League.
All the players under the
Type 2 registration (Players with the age of 18 or below) are eligible to compete in the leagues
Participating teams (2023 Premier League)
Premier League EAST
Premier League WEST
Participating teams (2023 Prince League)
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
Tohoku
Kantō
=Division 1
=
=Division 2
=
Hoku
Hoku Ho Clements (born June 10, 1981) is an American singer and actress. She is known for her 2000 hit single " Another Dumb Blonde" from the soundtrack and film '' Snow Day'' and the song "Perfect Day" from the soundtrack and film ''Legally Blo ...
shin'etsu
Tokai
Tōkai ( 東海, literally ''East Sea'') in Japanese may refer to:
* Tōkai region, a subregion of Chūbu
* Tōkai, Ibaraki, a village, also known as "Tokaimura" (Tokai-village)
* Tōkai, Aichi, a city
* Tōkai University, a private university in T ...
Kansai
The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...
=Division 1
=
=Division 2
=
Chugoku
Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...
Finals
As "Prince Takamado Cup All-Japan Youth (U-18) Football Championship"
As "Prince Takamado Cup U-18 Football League - Premier League"
Under-15
*The final of the Under-15 tournament is held in
Tokyo National Stadium
The Japan National Stadium, officially named and formerly known as or , is a multi-purpose stadium used mostly for association football in Kasumigaokamachi, Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The facility served as the main stadium for ...
, before the semifinal of
Emperor's Cup
, commonly known as or also Japan FA Cup is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football match in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J.League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, J ...
.
Participating teams (2022)
*
Hokkaidō
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
(10)
*
Tōhoku (10)
*
Kantō (10)
*
Hokuriku &
Shin'etsu (12)
*
Tōkai
Tōkai ( 東海, literally ''East Sea'') in Japanese may refer to:
* Tōkai region, a subregion of Chūbu
* Tōkai, Ibaraki, a village, also known as "Tokaimura" (Tokai-village)
* Tōkai, Aichi, a city
* Tōkai University, a private university in T ...
(10)
*
Kansai
The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...
(13)
*
Chūgoku (10)
*
Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...
(12)
*
Kyūshū
is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...
(10)
Finals
See also
*Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football League (
ja)
*Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-15 Japan Football Championship (
ja)
References
External links
Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League- JFA
Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Prince League- JFA
{{Football in Japan
Football cup competitions in Japan
Youth football in Japan
Recurring sporting events established in 1989