Osaka Blazers Sakai
Japanese volleyball club
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Osaka Blazers Sakai is a men's professional volleyball team based in Sakai city, Osaka, Japan. It plays in the V.Premier League.
Short nameNippon Steel Sakai BZ
Founded1939
GroundSakai City, Osaka, Japan.
Manager
Head coach
Mikiyasu Tanaka
Shinya Chiba
Head coach
Mikiyasu Tanaka Shinya Chiba | |||
| Short name | Nippon Steel Sakai BZ | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1939 | ||
| Ground | Sakai City, Osaka, Japan. | ||
| Manager Head coach | Mikiyasu Tanaka Shinya Chiba | ||
| Captain | Takashi Dekita | ||
| League | V.League Division 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | 5th place | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
The club was founded in 1939 as part of the Kitakyushu, Fukuoka-based Yawata Steel athletic club which also included football club Yawata Steel F.C.[1] In 1969 the volleyball section split and moved to Sakai.
On October 2, 2023, the club changed its name into Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers.[2]
Honours
- Champions (17): 1967-1968 1973-1974 1974-1975 1975-1976 1976-1977 1978-1979 1979-1980 1980-1981 1982-1983 1988-1989 1989-1990 1990-1991 1996-1997 1997-1998 2005-2006, 2010–11, 2012–13
- Runners-up (4): 1994-95,1995–96, 2008–09 and 2009–10
- Champions (14): 1952 1953 1957 1960 1967 1974 1975 1976 1977 1980 1984 1988 1989 1990
- Runner-up (2): 2007, 2021
Current roster
The following is team roster of Season 2023–2024.[3]
| No. | Player Name | Date of birth | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yoshihiko Matsumoto | January 7, 1981 | Middle blocker |
| 2 | Yuki Higuchi | April 27, 1996 | Outside hitter |
| 3 | Kosuke Yasui | December 8, 2000 | Outside hitter |
| 4 | Naoya Takano | April 30, 1993 | Outside hitter |
| 5 | Tomohiro Horie | June 23, 1997 | Libero |
| 6 | Aiki Mori | April 19, 1998 | Libero |
| 7 | Takashi Dekita | August 13, 1991 | Middle blocker |
| 8 | Naoto Akima | September 19, 2000 | Middle blocker |
| 9 | Hiroshi Sakoda | May 1, 1996 | Outside hitter |
| 10 | Cole Hogland | April 6, 2000 | Middle blocker |
| 11 | Shigetome Hyuga | October 25, 1999 | Outside hitter |
| 13 |  Sharone Vernon-Evans | August 28, 1998 | Opposite hitter |
| 14 | Shohei Yamaguchi (c) | July 21, 1994 | Setter |
| 18 | Rintaro Umemoto | April 9, 1998 | Middle blocker |
| 21 | Yutaro Takemoto | February 21, 1995 | Middle blocker |
| 22 | Akahoshi Shinjo | January 19, 2000 | Setter |
| 23 | Yukiya Uno | June 28, 1996 | Outside hitter |
| Head coach: Shinya Chiba | |||
Former roster
| Team roster – season 2022/2023 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player Name | Date of birth | Position | |||
| 1 | Yoshihiko Matsumoto | January 7, 1981 | Middle blocker | |||
| 2 | Yuki Higuchi | April 27, 1996 | Outside hitter | |||
| 3 | Kosuke Yasui In | December 8, 2000 | Outside hitter | |||
| 4 | Naoya Takano | April 30, 1993 | Outside hitter | |||
| 5 | Tomohiro Horie | June 23, 1997 | Libero | |||
| 7 | Takashi Dekita (c) | August 13, 1991 | Middle blocker | |||
| 8 | Naoto Akima In | September 19, 2000 | Middle blocker | |||
| 9 | Hiroshi Sakoda | May 1, 1996 | Outside hitter | |||
| 11 | Shigetome Hyuga | October 25, 1999 | Outside hitter | |||
| 13 | Sharone Vernon-Evans | August 28, 1998 | Opposite hitter | |||
| 14 | Shohei Yamaguchi | July 21, 1994 | Setter | |||
| 17 | Akihiro Fukatsu | July 23, 1987 | Setter | |||
| 18 | Rintaro Umemoto | April 9, 1998 | Middle blocker | |||
| 20 | Tomohiro Yamamoto | November 5, 1994 | Libero | |||
| 21 | Yutaro Takemoto | February 21, 1995 | Middle blocker | |||
| 22 | Akahoshi Shinjo | January 19, 2000 | Setter | |||
| 23 | Yukiya Uno | June 28, 1996 | Outside hitter | |||
| Head coach: Shinya Chiba | ||||||
League results
Champion Runner-up
| League | Position | Teams | Matches | Win | Lose | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V.League | ||||||
| 1st (1994–95) | Runner-up | 8 | 21 | 10 | 11 | |
| 2nd (1995–96) | Runner-up | 8 | 21 | 13 | 8 | |
| 3rd (1996–97) | Champion | 8 | 21 | 14 | 7 | |
| 4th (1997–98) | Champion | 8 | 21 | 17 | 4 | |
| 5th (1998–99) | 6th | 10 | 18 | 10 | 8 | |
| 6th (1999-00) | 4th | 10 | 18 | 15 | 3 | |
| 7th (2000–01) | 5th | 10 | 18 | 10 | 8 | |
| 8th (2001–02) | 3rd | 10 | 18 | 12 | 6 | |
| 9th (2002–03) | 6th | 8 | 21 | 8 | 13 | |
| 10th (2003–04) | 4th | 8 | 21 | 12 | 9 | |
| 11th (2004–05) | 6th | 8 | 28 | 11 | 17 | |
| 12th (2005–06) | Champion | 8 | 28 | 17 | 11 | |
| V・Premier | 2006-07 | 6th | 8 | 28 | 9 | 19 |
| 2007-08 | 4th | 8 | 28 | 15 | 13 | |
| 2008-09 | Runner-up | 8 | 28 | 15 | 13 | |
| 2009-10 | Runner-up | 8 | 28 | 18 | 10 | |
| 2010-11 | Champion | 8 | 24 | 19 | 5 | |
| 2011-12 | 4th | 8 | 21 | 13 | 8 | |
| 2012-13 | Champion | 8 | 28 | 17 | 11 | |
| 2013-14 | 3rd | 8 | 28 | 19 | 9 | |
| 2014-15 | 4th | 8 | 21 | 8 | 13 | |
| 2015-16 | 6th | 8 | 21 | 10 | 11 | |
| 2016-17 | 6th | 8 | 21 | 8 | 13 | |
| 2017–18 | 7th | 8 | 21 | 7 | 14 | |
| V.League Division 1 | 2018–19 | 6th | 10 | 32 | 16 | 16 |
| 2019–20 | 5th | 10 | 28 | 15 | 13 | |
| 2020–21 | 7th | 10 | 36 | 17 | 19 | |
| 2021–22 | 5th | 10 | 36 | 24 | 12 | |
| 2022–23 | 4th | 10 | 39 | 24 | 15 | |