is a Japanese

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club based in

Morioka is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture located in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. On 1 February 2021, the city had an estimated population of 290,700 in 132,719 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . ...

, Iwate. It played in the inaugural season of

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 ...

in 2014 after winning the

Tohoku Soccer League is a Japanese football league covering the Tōhoku region, the 6 prefectures of Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata. It is one of the nine Japanese Regional Leagues, the fifth and sixth league levels in the Japanese association ...

, one of 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 ...

, in 2013. Iwate played in the J3 until 2021, when promoted to the J2 for the 2022 season. After just spending a season in the second division, they will play on the

from 2023, after being relegated from the J2 with a bottom-league finish.

Name origin

"''Grulla''" is the Spanish word of "crane", which was used in the mon of

Nanbu clan The was a Japanese samurai clan who ruled most of northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region of Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Nanbu claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji of Kai Pr ...

of former Morioka han and later became the local symbol of Morioka.

History

Initially known as , the team was organized by alumni of Morioka Commercial High School and Morioka Chuo High School in 2000. In 2003, a

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 ...

was founded, and the team was reorganized and changed their name to Grulla Morioka (グルージャ盛岡) in February 2004 with the intention of achieving elevation 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 succe ...

by 2008. Under the new organization, former JEF United and

Oita Trinita is a Japanese football club currently playing in J2 League, having been relegated after the 2021 season after a three-year stint in J1 League. The club's home town is Ōita, Ōita, Ōita city, but the club draws support from Beppu, Ōita, Beppu, ...

player Shinichi Muto was invited to coach and captain the team with the company of players from the defunct Villanova Morioka and from J2 league. They played their first match on May 9, 2004, and it could be seen as an introduction to the local press beforehand. They won the second division

in 2004 and moved to the first division in 2005. In the same year, they won their first league championship, which was shared with TDK S.C. In 2013 they won the Regional Promotion Series and were promoted directly to the newly formed

, skipping 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 ...

which became the new fourth tier. From the 2019 season, the club has adopted the new name as "Iwate Grulla Morioka". In 2021 they earned promotion to 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 ...

as J3 runners-up and will make their debut in the second tier in 2022.

Stadium

Iwate play at or have played at three stadiums. The main stadium is

Iwagin Stadium is a football stadium in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. It was formerly known as Morioka Minami Park Stadium. Since April 2016 it has been called Iwagin Stadium for the naming rights by Bank of Iwate. It is the home stadium of football club I ...

, which has a capacity of 4,938. The second stadium is

Kitakami Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Kitakami, Iwate, Japan. It is used mostly for track and field events. The stadium holds 22,000 people. From 1 October 2023, its current naming rights are owned by Western Digital LLC, who bought the stadium's naming right ...

in the city of

Kitakami, Iwate is a Cities of Japan, city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 92,311, and a population density of 210 persons per km2 in 37,085 households. The total area of the city is . The city is famous for the sak ...

,this has a capacity of 6,376. Previously they have played at the

Iwate Morioka Stadium is a multi-use stadium in the city of Morioka, Iwate, Japan. The stadium was completed in June 1966 to be a venue for track and field events of the 25th National Sports Festival of Japan held in 1970. It was subsequently used for a number of f ...

League & cup record

;Key

Honours

* Tohoku League Div. 2 North Champions **2004 * Tohoku League Div. 1 Champions **2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013

Current squad

Club Staff

Managerial history

Kit evolution

References

External links

Grulla Morioka official site

a supporting TV program produced by Iwate Menkoi Television
グルージャまったり日記
fan site {{Japanese Club Football, group=clubs Association football clubs established in 2003 Football clubs in Japan Sports teams in Iwate Prefecture 2003 establishments in Japan J.League clubs Sport in Morioka