is a Japanese professional

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 Yamaguchi, the capital of

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). Y ...

. They currently 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 professional football in Japan's football league system.

History

The original football team consisted of a group of teaching staff who were based within Yamaguchi prefecture, a team called , often abbreviated to ''Yamaguchi Teachers'' or ''Yamaguchi KFC'' (compare

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 Gainare Tottori, who started as teachers' clubs and are now members of the J.League). In February 2006, the Yamaguchi Football Association eyed the placement of a team from Yamaguchi in the J.League. Setting its heart of operations at Yamaguchi Teachers, a new football club was established. At the same time, a public appeal was made to name the new club, with ''Renofa Yamaguchi F.C.'' being decided in March of the same year. The word ''renofa'' is a

wasei-eigo are Japanese-language expressions based on English words, or parts of word combinations, that do not exist in standard English or whose meanings differ from the words from which they were derived. Linguistics classifies them as pseudo-loanwords ...

, a combination of three

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

words: renovation, fight and fine. Without a specified home ground, the team played Chūgoku league matches across a number of different venues within the prefecture, including

Yamaguchi Ishin Park Stadium is an athletic stadium in Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, Japan. It was formerly known as Ishin Memorial Park Stadium after the ''Ishin'' (Restoration, meaning the Meiji Restoration in which the Choshu Domain played a large part). Since January 2018 it has ...

, Yamaguchi Kirara Expo Memorial Park, Onoda Football Park, Shunan City Athletic Stadium and Yamaguchi Football Park. Now however, home games are played at Yamaguchi Ishin Park Stadium. Though structured with a

hometown Hometown, HomeTown, or Home Town may refer to: *A hometown, the town where someone lives or the town that they come from, typically their place of birth. *In developing nations particularly: native place, village of origin in newly urbanized soci ...

manager and local players, sponsored by local business and enterprises, and local action plans within the local community, Renofa Yamaguchi F.C. is aiming for a national future in the J.League. In the days of ''Yamaguchi Teachers'', the team frequently finished mid to low table in the Chūgoku league. However, since the establishing of the new club in 2006, the team had consistently improved their final league position. This culminated in the 2008 season where they achieved their first league win. In the All Japan Regional Football Promotion League Series of that year the team finished fourth in the final round, missing the opportunity for promotion 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 ...

. The 2009 season saw them win their first

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 ...

match, beating

Mitsubishi Motors Mizushima F.C. are a Japanese football club based in Kurashiki, Okayama. They play in the Chūgoku Soccer League. History The club was founded in 1946 to provide recreational activities in the war-torn Mizushima area of Kurashiki city. They joined the Okayama ...

in a penalty shoot out. Since the team's formation it had operated as a private organisation, however when the

Nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

Yamaguchi Athletics Club was established on 24 May 2011, managing control of the team changed hands putting the new NPO in charge. After the club finished on 4th-place in 2014 Japan Football League and passed the necessary licensing, J.League officially admitted Renofa Yamaguchi to participate in J3 League, starting from the 2015 season. Their J.League debut came in 2015 season. On 23 November 2015, Renofa earned their first and successful promotion from the JFL after winning the J3 League. The club was promoted for the J2 League ahead of the 2016 season. The club was guaranteed promotion after a 2-2 draw against Gainare Tottori in the closing rounds of the season, as Renofa were working towards J2 licensing before the season ended, for the promotion to be actually earned. The club will play their 8th consecutive season at the

on 2023.

Changes in club name

* (Yamaguchi Teachers, Yamaguchi KFC) (1949–2005) * (2006–)

Team results and managers

(Note that prior to the 1991 season a team would earn two points for a win)
(From 1997 to 2006 when a match ended in a draw, a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

would occur. The winning team were awarded 2 points, and the losing team 1 point)

League & cup record

;Key

Honours

As Yamaguchi Teachers * Chūgoku League ** Runners-up (3): 1982, 1983, 1989 * Yamaguchi Prefectural Championship ** Winners (4)： 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004 * Yamaguchi Prefectural League ** Winners (1): 2004 As Renofa Yamaguchi FC * Chūgoku League ** Winners (3): 2008, 2010, 2013 * Yamaguchi Prefectural Championship ** Winners (3)： 2007, 2009, 2010 * Noue Cup ** Winners (1): 2008 *

Shakaijin Cup The , officially called the All Japan Adults Football Tournament, is a football (soccer) cup competition in Japan. It is run by the Japan Football Association. As it only involves non-league teams (teams not affiliated to either J.League or the ...

** Winners (1): 2013 *

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 ...

** Winners (1):

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Current squad

''As of 6 January 2023.

Out on loan

Club officials

For the 2023 season.

Kit evolution

Training ground

References

External links

Official Site

Chūgoku League Official Site
{{Japanese Club Football, group=clubs Football clubs in Japan Sports teams in Yamaguchi Prefecture Association football clubs established in 1949 1949 establishments in Japan Japan Football League clubs J.League clubs