is a former

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 n ...

ese

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 ...

player and manager.

Playing career

Sekizuka was born in

Funabashi is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 644,668 in 309,238 households and a population density of . The total area of the city is . It is the Greater Tokyo Area's 7th most populated city (aft ...

on October 26, 1960. After graduating from

Waseda University , mottoeng = Independence of scholarship , established = 21 October 1882 , type = Private , endowment = , president = Aiji Tanaka , city = Shinjuku , state = Tokyo , country = Japan , students = 47,959 , undergrad = 39,382 , postgrad ...

, he joined

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

in 1984. In 1984 season, he was selected Rookie of the Year awards and Best Eleven. He played 112 games and scored 36 goals in

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 ...

. In 1991, he retired.

Coaching career

After retirement, in 1993, Sekizuka became assistant coach for

Kashima Antlers are a football club in Kashima, Ibaraki, currently playing in the J1 League, top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The name ''Antlers'' is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island". The club has fin ...

under manager

Masakatsu Miyamoto was a Japanese Association football, football player and manager. He played for Japan national football team, Japan national team. Club career Miyamoto was born in Hitachi, Ibaraki, Hitachi on July 4, 1938. After graduating from Waseda Universit ...

. In 1995, he moved to

Shimizu S-Pulse is a professional Japanese football club. Located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, S-Pulse currently competes in the J2 League (J2). The club was formed in 1991 as a founding member of the J.League (''"Original Ten"''), which be ...

with Miyamoto. In 1996, he returned Kashima Antlers and coached until 2003. In July 1998 and August 1999, he also managed the club as caretaker manager. In 2004, he moved to

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 Y ...

club

Kawasaki Frontale is a Japanese professional football club based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium, in Nakahara ...

and became manager. In first season, he led the club to the champions and the club was promoted

J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the ...

. In April 2008, he resigned for health reasons. In 2009, he returned the club as manager, but he resigned end of season. In September 2010, he became manager for Japan U-23 national team for

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

and assistant coach for Japan national team. At 2012 Summer Olympics, he led Japan to the 4th place. From 2013, he managed

Júbilo Iwata is a professional Japanese association football team that currently play in the J2 League. The team name ''Júbilo'' means 'joy' in Spanish and Portuguese. The team's hometown is Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture and they play at Yamaha Stadium. For ...

(2013) and

JEF United Chiba , full name and also known as , is a Japanese professional football club that plays in the J2 League. On 1 February 2005, the club changed its name from ''JEF United Ichihara'' to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba ...

(2014-2016).

Managerial statistics

J.League Data Site
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Awards

Rookie of the Year:

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

Best Eleven:

References

External links

* 1960 births Living people category:Waseda University alumni Association football people from Chiba Prefecture People from Funabashi Japanese footballers Japan Soccer League players Honda FC players Japanese football managers J1 League managers J2 League managers Kashima Antlers managers Kawasaki Frontale managers Júbilo Iwata managers JEF United Chiba managers Association football forwards {{Japan-footy-forward-stub