Avispa Fukuoka
Japanese football team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Avispa Fukuoka (アビスパ福岡, Abisupa Fukuoka) is a Japanese professional football club based in Hakata, Fukuoka. They currently compete in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country.
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
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| Full name | Avispa Fukuoka | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Avi, Hachi (Hornet, in Japanese), Meishu | ||
| Founded | 1982 as Chūō Bōhan SC | ||
| Stadium | Best Denki Stadium Hakata-ku, Fukuoka | ||
| Capacity | 22,563 | ||
| Chairman | Takashi Kawamori | ||
| Manager | Shinya Tsukahara | ||
| League | J1 League | ||
| 2025 | J1 League, 12th of 20 | ||
| Website | www | ||
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In 2023, Avispa Fukuoka won their first major honours after defeating Urawa Red Diamonds 2–1 in the 2023 J.League Cup final.
History
Earlier years in Fujieda (1982–1993)
The club were originally based in Fujieda, Shizuoka and was founded as Chūō Bōhan SC in 1982 by the workers of security company Chuo Bohan in Fujieda, Shizuoka. The club competed in regional leagues before gradually progressing through the Japanese football pyramid.Chūō Bōhan were promoted to the Japan Soccer League Division 2 in 1991. The club then participated in the newly founded former Japan Football League Division 2 in 1992 and were promoted to Division 1 in 1993.
Formation and relocation to Fukuoka (1994)
With the expansion of professional football in Japan following the establishment of the J.League, the club relocated to Fukuoka in 1994 and was rebranded as Fukuoka Blux with intention to be a J.League member. However, with difficulties to have a stadium that met J.League requirements, and with local competition from Júbilo Iwata and Shimizu S-Pulse, the football fan base in Shizuoka prefecture was already considered saturated. The club became a J.League associate member, while the amateur club of Chūō Bōhan was active in Fujieda until 2006.
Entry into J.League and early struggles (1995–2001)
The first season in Fukuoka saw them win the JFL championship with help from Argentine Hugo Maradona and they were promoted to J.League. After becoming the champions of 1995 Japan Football League as Fukuoka Blux the team was admitted to the J.League in 1996 season.
As Avispa Fukuoka
Fukuoka Blux eventually decided to change their name to Avispa Fukuoka, in order to avoid a potential trademark dispute with men's clothier Brooks Brothers. "Avispa" itself means "wasp" in Spanish. The club acquired experienced players such as former Japanese international Satoshi Tsunami and defender Hideaki Mori but they finished lowly 15th in the 1996 season.
They finished bottom of the league two consecutive seasons (1997 to 1998), but were able to narrowly avoid relegation. This was because J.League were building foundation of J.League 2 for 1999. Therefore, no clubs were relegated and there were relegation/promotion play-offs for the first time at the end of 1998 season, in which Avispa were involved. Around this time, forward Yoshiteru Yamashita and midfielder Chikara Fujimoto were chosen for the Japanese national team.
In 1999, they again reinforced the squad by acquiring experienced players such as former internationals Nobuyuki Kojima and Yasutoshi Miura as well as Yugoslavian Nenad Maslovar. They won a fierce relegation battle and eventually stayed up. In 2000, Argentine David Bisconti and Romanian Pavel Badea were transferred to Fukuoka and they finished club record 6th in the second stage. In 2001, the club acquired former Korean international Noh Jung-Yoon and Yoshika Matsubara but they finished 15th and were relegated to J2.
Years in J2 and promotion attempts (2002–2005)
In 2002, they kept experienced players and released younger players such as Daisuke Nakaharai and Yoshiteru Yamashita but they finished 8th out of 10. In 2002, with new manager Hiroshi Matsuda, they decided to recruit and nurture young players who graduated from local high schools instead of acquiring experienced footballers from other clubs. They initially struggled but came back well and finished 4th. In 2004, they finished 3rd and qualified for the play-offs but Kashiwa Reysol dashed their promotion hope by beating them home and away (the scoreline was both 2–0). In 2005, they finished 2nd and gained an automatic promotion to J1. Avispa players Hokuto Nakamura and Tomokazu Nagira represented Japan for the 2005 World Youth Championship in the Netherlands.
2006 (J1)
They had been involved in a relegation battle from the beginning of the season. They finished 16th and were relegated to J2 after the promotion/relegation play-offs against Vissel Kobe, which they tied twice, 0–0 in Kobe, then 1–1 at their home game. Like many J2 teams this has led to financial issues. The Daily Yomiuri reported that in 2006 Avispa needed 535 million yen in loans from the local prefectural and municipal governments.
2007–2008 (J2)
With relegation came another new manager, the former German international Pierre Littbarski. "Litti" arrived from the Australian A-League, bringing with him several experienced players such as Mark Rudan, Joel Griffiths and Ufuk Talay, but he was unable to steer Avispa to any notable success. Having finished 7th in 2007, an inability to compete near the top of the league led to Littbarski's sacking in mid-2008. He was replaced by former Avispa player Yoshiyuki Shinoda.
2009 (J2)
The departure of Littbarski coincided with the departure of the club's Australian players, who were largely replaced with youngsters from a number of Kyushu-based universities. After a reasonable start, Avispa's form has tailed off sharply, with a recent five-game losing streak including 6–0 and 5–0 thrashings away at Ventforet Kofu and Mito HollyHock respectively. The club finished in the lower half of the J2 table with promotion hopes dashed for another year.
2010 (J2)
Yoshiyuki Shinoda bolstered his squad for the 2010 season by adding more players from local University teams, and picked up midfielders Kosuke Nakamachi and Genki Nagasato who had previously played together at Shonan Bellmare. The season started slowly with the team picking up only 1 point out of a possible 15 in March, but then saw a dramatic improvement in performance as they went on to win 17 of the next 25 games including a come from behind victory against promotion rivals JEF United. As JEF United went on to drop more points Avispa Fukuoka secured promotion back to J1 with 2 games of the season left to play.
Popular striker Tetsuya Okubo was released at the end of the season, along with 4 other players as the squad was prepared for J1.
2011 (J1)
Avispa Fukuoka returned to the J1 League in 2011 after earning promotion from J2 the previous season. They struggled throughout the campaign and were relegated after finishing 17th in the table."J1 League 2011 table". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
Despite occasional strong performances — including a 5–0 away victory over Montedio Yamagata in November — Avispa Fukuoka were unable to avoid the drop.[1]
2012 (J2)
Avispa Fukuoka was looking to bounce straight back to J1 upon their return to the second tier but endured the worst season in the history of the club as they finished a lowly 18th in the table; only winning 9 games all season and conceding 68 goals (only Gainare Tottori would concede more in the season). The end of the season saw Koji Maeda part ways with the club as they looked to rebuild towards a better 2013.
2013 (J2)
Avispa Fukuoka returned to hiring a non-Japanese manager for the first time since Pierre Littbarski as Slovenian head coach Marijan Pušnik arrived. His arrival saw a greater emphasis given towards the development of young players at the club as rookies Yuta Mishima and Takeshi Kanamori were given chances in the first team.
Results on the pitch immediately improved and the club were competing around the play-off positions until a slump in form mid-season coincided with the announcement that the club needed ¥50 million to remain solvent. The club finished in 14th position, but found the money to stay afloat, with Pusnik agreeing to remain as manager for another season.
2014 (J2)
Avispa Fukuoka finished in 16th place. Pušnik's contract was not renewed and he returned to Slovenia.
2015 (J2)
Avispa Fukuoka hired new coach Masami Ihara[2] who twice handled Kashiwa Reysol in a caretaker capacity. They finished third and were promoted back to J1 in winning the promotion playoffs.
2016 (J1)
Avispa Fukuoka finished in 18th place and relegated to J2. League.
2017 (J2)
Avispa Fukuoka finished in fourth place. In the "J1 promotion play-off", Avispa won the semi-final game 1–0 against Tokyo Verdy. In the final game however, the team had a scoreless draw with Nagoya Grampus leaving them in third place, meaning Avispa Fukuoka could not be promoted to J1.
2021–present (J1)
A second-place finish in the 2020 J2 League saw Avispa Fukuoka returned to J1 League for the first time since 2016.
First major honours
On 4 November 2023, Avispa Fukuoka won the J.League Cup by defeating two-time winners Urawa Red Diamonds 2–1 in the final match of 2023 edition.[3][4] It was the first major trophy in the history of the club. The triumph marked a significant achievement in the club’s history and highlighted their progress in the modern era.
On 31 October 2024, it was announced that head coach Shigetoshi Hasebe who has led Avispa Fukuoka for five years, would be leaving the club at the end of the season.[5]
Team image
Rivalries
Avispa Fukuoka’s main rivalry is with fellow Fukuoka-based club Giravanz Kitakyushu. Matches between the two teams are commonly referred to as the Fukuoka Derby or Kitakyushu–Fukuoka Derby, reflecting the regional competition between the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. The rivalry gained prominence after Giravanz Kitakyushu joined the professional league system and the clubs began meeting regularly in the J.League competitions.
The rivalry is fuelled by geographic proximity and regional pride within Fukuoka Prefecture. Matches between the two clubs often attract strong local interest and are considered important fixtures for supporters of both teams.
Stadium
Best Denki Stadium is the home ground of Avispa Fukuoka. Located in the Hakata Ward of Fukuoka, the stadium opened in 1995 and has a seating capacity of approximately 21,562 capacity. The venue has undergone several naming rights changes over the years before becoming known as Best Denki Stadium through a sponsorship agreement with the electronics retailer Best Denki. The stadium is designed primarily for football and athletics, with stands positioned relatively close to the pitch, creating a compact and lively matchday atmosphere.
The stadium serves as the main venue for Avispa Fukuoka’s matches in the J1 League as well as domestic cup competitions such as the Emperor's Cup and the J.League Cup. Over the years, it has also hosted various international matches and regional sporting events, making it an important football venue in the Kyushu region.
Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
Sponsors
| Year | Kit Manufacturer | Main Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1994–1995 |  Admiral |
 Enjoy Georgia |
| 1996–2007 | Mizuno | |
| 2008 | No main sponsor | |
| 2009–2010 | Everlife | |
| 2011 | Svolme | |
| 2012–2013 | Nishitetsu Group | |
| 2014 | No main sponsor | |
| 2015–2017 |  Athleta |
FJ. Fukuoka Estate |
| 2018–2020 | Yonex | |
| 2021–present | Shin Nihon Seiyaku |
Kit evolution
| Home 1st | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
          1996 - 1998 |
     1999 - 2000 |
    2001 - 2002 |
    2003 |
     2004 |
    2005 |
    2006 |
    2007 |
    2008 |
    2009 |
    2010 |
     2011 |
     2012 |
    2013 |
   2014 |
   2015 |
     2016 |
 2017 |
     2018 |
     2019 |
     2020 |
   2021 |
 2022 |
 2023 |
  2024 |
  2025 - | ||||
| Away 2nd | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
    1996 - 1998 |
     1999 - 2000 |
   2001 - 2002 |
    2003 |
    2004 |
    2005 |
    2006 |
    2007 |
    2008 |
     2009 |
    2010 |
     2011 |
     2012 |
     2013 |
     2014 |
   2015 |
   2016 |
 2017 |
     2018 |
     2019 |
     2020 |
 2021 |
 2022 |
 2023 |
  2024 |
  2025 - | ||||
| Alternate 3rd / Special | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
   2015 20th Anniversary |
   2017 Bee Festival Memorial |
 2018 Bee Festival Memorial |
 2019 Hachimatsuri Memorial |
  2020 25th Anniversary |
  2021 Autumn Formation |
 2022 SP |
 2023 3rd |
     2023 SP |
   2024 SP |
Affiliated clubs
Sint-Truidense[6] (2023–present)
Port[7] (2023–2027)
Players
First-team squad
- As of 26 February 2026.[8]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Management and staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Shinya Tsukahara |
| Assistant manager | Takeshi Hanita |
| Coaches | Yuto Kuwahara |
| Goalkeeping coach | Hideki Tsukamoto |
| Conditioning coach | Sotaro Higuchi |
| Interpreter | Atsushi Kamiyama Gustavo De Marco |
| Chief trainer | Eiji Miyata |
| Athletic trainer | Naoki Yoshioka Naoki Nagai Toshiki Okuno |
| Kit manager | Ryuya Muto Takuna Nakano |
| Competent | Eishi Nakamura |
Honours
| Type | Honours | Titles | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| League | All Japan Senior Football Championship | 2 | 1989, 1990 |
| Japan Football League (second tier) | 1 | 1995 | |
| Japan Football League Division 2 (third tier) | 1 | 1992 | |
| Cup | J.League Cup | 1 | 2023 |
Bold is for those competition that are currently active or meant for professional leagues.
Records and statistics
As of 1 April 2026.
| Rank | Player | Years | Club appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hisashi Jogo |
2005–present | 554 |
| 2 | Jun Suzuki |
2007–2012,
2015–2021 |
311 |
| 3 | Takeshi Kanamori |
2013–2016,
2021–2025 |
310 |
| 4 | Yusuke Tanaka |
2004–2011 | 280 |
| 5 | Ryuichi Kamiyama |
2003–2018 | 265 |
| 6 | Daisuke Ishizu |
2010–2021 | 236 |
| 7 | Yoshiyuki Shinoda |
1995–2004 | 235 |
| 8 | Tatsunori Hisanaga |
1996–2009 | 231 |
| 9 | Tatsunori Yamagata |
2005–2011 | 226 |
| 10 | Daisuke Sakata |
2012–2017 | 213 |
| Rank | Player | Club appearance | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hisashi Jogo |
554 | 96 |
| 2 | Wellington Tanque |
206 | 49 |
| 3 | Daisuke Ishizu |
236 | 45 |
| 4 | Tetsuya Ōkubo |
131 | 40 |
| Alex Melo |
196 | 40 | |
| Takeshi Kanamori |
310 | 40 | |
| 7 | Yusuke Tanaka |
280 | 39 |
| 8 | Yuya Yamagishi |
136 | 38 |
| 9 | Yoshiteru Yamashita |
141 | 31 |
| 10 | Daisuke Sakata |
213 | 30 |
- Biggest wins: 9–1 vs Tenri University (13 November 2004)
- Heaviest defeats: 8–0 vs Júbilo Iwata (27 June 1993)
- Youngest ever debutant: Hikaru Maeda ~ 16 years 6 months 26 days old (On 21 May 2025 vs Kataller Toyama)
- Oldest ever player: Hisashi Jogo ~ 38 years 2 months 24 days old (On 10 July 2024 vs Ehime FC)
- Youngest goal scorers: Hikaru Maeda ~ 16 years 7 months 17 days old (On 11 June 2025 vs Okinawa SV)
- Oldest goal scorers:
Wellington Tanque ~ 37 years 7 months 2 days old (On 13 September 2025 vs Cerezo Osaka)
Award winners
As of the end of the 2025 season.
Managerial history
| Manager | Period | Honours |
|---|---|---|
| Yoshio Kikugawa | 1 January 1982–31 December 1994 | – 1989 All Japan Senior Football Championship |
 Jorge Olguín | 1 July 1993–31 January 1995 | – 1995 Japan Football League |
| Hidehiko Shimizu | 1 February 1996–31 January 1997 | |
| Carlos Pachamé | 1 January 1997– 31 December 1997 | |
| Takaji Mori | 1 February 1998–31 January 1999 | |
| Yoshio Kikugawa (2) | 1 January 1999–31 December 1999 | |
| Nestor Omar Piccoli | 1 January 2000–31 December 2001 | |
| Masataka Imai | 1 February 2002–28 July 2002 | |
| Tasuya Mochizuki | 29 July 2002–14 August 2002 | |
| Shigekazu Nakamura | 15 August 2002–31 January 2003 | |
| Hiroshi Matsuda | 1 February 2003–7 May 2006 | |
| Ryōichi Kawakatsu | 8 May 2006–31 January 2007 | |
| Hitoshi Okino | 11 December 2006–31 January 2007 | |
 Pierre Littbarski | 1 February 2007–11 July 2008 | |
| Yoshiyuki Shinoda | 15 July 2008–3 August 2011 | |
| Tetsuya Asano | 3 August 2011–31 December 2011 | |
| Kōji Maeda | 1 January 2012–28 October 2012 | |
| Futoshi Ikeda | 29 October 2012–31 January 2013 | |
 Marijan Pušnik | 1 January 2013–31 December 2014 | |
| Masami Ihara | 1 February 2015–31 January 2019 | |
 Fabio Pecchia | 1 February 2019–3 June 2019 | |
| Kiyokazu Kudō | 4 June 2019–31 January 2020 | |
| Shigetoshi Hasebe | 1 February 2020–31 January 2025 | – 2023 J.League Cup |
 Kim Myung-hwi | 1 February 2025–5 January 2026 | |
| Shinya Tsukahara[9] (interim) |
5 January 2026–present |
Season by season record
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| League | J.League Cup | Emperor's Cup | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Div. | Teams | Pos. | P | W (OT/PK) | D | L (OT/PK) | F | A | GD | Pts | Attendance/G | ||
| 1996 | J1 | 16 | 15th | 30 | 9 (–/–) | – | 19 (–/2) | 42 | 64 | –22 | 29 | 9,737 | Group stage | Round of 16 |
| 1997 | 17 | 17th | 32 | 6 (–/1) | – | 20 ((5/–) | 29 | 58 | –29 | 19 | 8,653 | Group stage | Round of 16 | |
| 1998 | 18 | 18th | 34 | 6 (1/1) | – | 22 ((2/2) | 29 | 69 | –40 | 21 | 10,035 | Group stage | Round of 16 | |
| 1999 | 16 | 14th | 30 | 7 (3/–) | 1 | 18 (1/–) | 41 | 59 | –18 | 28 | 11,467 | 2nd round | Round of 16 | |
| 2000 | 16 | 12th | 30 | 9 (4/–) | 2 | 10 (5/–) | 41 | 48 | –7 | 37 | 13,612 | 2nd round | Round of 16 | |
| 2001 | 16 | 15th | 30 | 7 (2/–) | 2 | 14 (5/–) | 35 | 56 | –21 | 27 | 13,822 | 2nd round | 3rd round | |
| 2002 | J2 | 12 | 8th | 44 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 58 | 69 | –11 | 42 | 6,491 | Not eligible | Round of 16 |
| 2003 | 12 | 4th | 44 | 21 | 8 | 15 | 67 | 62 | 5 | 71 | 7,417 | 3rd round | ||
| 2004 | 12 | 3rd | 44 | 23 | 7 | 14 | 56 | 41 | 15 | 76 | 8,743 | 4th round | ||
| 2005 | 12 | 2nd | 44 | 21 | 15 | 8 | 72 | 64 | 8 | 78 | 10,786 | 4th round | ||
| 2006 | J1 | 18 | 16th | 34 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 32 | 56 | –24 | 27 | 13,780 | Group stage | Round of 16 |
| 2007 | J2 | 13 | 7th | 48 | 22 | 7 | 19 | 77 | 61 | 16 | 73 | 9,529 | Not eligible | 4th round |
| 2008 | 15 | 8th | 42 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 55 | 66 | –10 | 58 | 10,079 | 3rd round | ||
| 2009 | 18 | 11th | 51 | 17 | 14 | 20 | 52 | 71 | –19 | 65 | 7,763 | 3rd round | ||
| 2010 | 19 | 3rd | 36 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 63 | 34 | 29 | 69 | 8,821 | Quarter-finals | ||
| 2011 | J1 | 18 | 17th | 34 | 6 | 4 | 24 | 34 | 75 | –42 | 22 | 10,415 | Group stage | 3rd round |
| 2012 | J2 | 22 | 18th | 42 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 53 | 68 | –15 | 41 | 5,586 | Not eligible | 3rd round |
| 2013 | 22 | 14th | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 47 | 54 | –7 | 56 | 5,727 | 2nd round | ||
| 2014 | 22 | 16th | 42 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 52 | 60 | –8 | 50 | 5,062 | 2nd round | ||
| 2015 | 22 | 3rd | 42 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 63 | 37 | 26 | 82 | 8,736 | 3rd round | ||
| 2016 | J1 | 18 | 18th | 34 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 26 | 66 | –40 | 19 | 12,857 | Quarter-finals | 2nd round |
| 2017 | J2 | 22 | 4th | 42 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 54 | 36 | 18 | 74 | 9,550 | Not eligible | 3rd round |
| 2018 | 22 | 7th | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 58 | 42 | 16 | 70 | 8,873 | 3rd round | ||
| 2019 | 22 | 16th | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 39 | 62 | –23 | 44 | 6,983 | 3rd round | ||
| 2020 † | 22 | 2nd | 42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 51 | 29 | 22 | 84 | 3,289 | Did not qualify | ||
| 2021 | J1 | 20 | 8th | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 42 | 37 | 5 | 54 | 5,403 | Group stage | 3rd round |
| 2022 | 18 | 14th | 34 | 9 | 11 | 14 | 29 | 38 | –9 | 38 | 7,150 | Semi-finals | Quarter-finals | |
| 2023 | 18 | 7th | 34 | 15 | 6 | 13 | 37 | 43 | -6 | 51 | 8,689 | Winners | Semi-finals | |
| 2024 | 20 | 12th | 38 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 33 | 38 | -5 | 50 | 9,698 | 3rd Round | 3rd round | |
| 2025 | 20 | 12th | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 34 | 38 | -4 | 48 | 10,031 | Playoff round | Round of 16 | |
| 2026 | J1 | 10 | TBD | 18 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||
| 2026-27 | 20 | TBD | 38 | TBD | TBD | |||||||||
- Key
- Pos. = Position in league; P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals difference; Pts = Points gained
- Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
- † 2020 season attendance reduced due to COVID-19 pandemic in Japan
- Source: J.League Data Site
