# Iwaki FC

Iwaki FC (いわきFC, Iwaki Efushi) is a football (soccer) club based in Iwaki, a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The club competes in the J2 League, the second tier of Japanese football league system.

## History
### Founder Club

Iwaki FC was founded in 2012, before getting official recognition in 2013 with the creation of their homonymous corporation. The club name got more attention when Under Armour decided to support the club in climbing the Japanese football pyramid from the bottom. The vision behind the club’s formation, was an intention of "making Iwaki the central football-city in Tohoku". In service of this, a new training field opened in November 2016 and the club-house was just launched in May 2017: two central structures necessary to rise to the top of Japanese football.

### Fukushima Prefectural Football League (2013–2017)

Results during this period supported Iwaki FC’s rise, as they won several lesser league titles in the Fukushima Prefectural Football Leagues, eventually joining the first division of the Fukushima Prefectural Leagues. Their next target was the Tohoku Soccer League. Meanwhile, the club achieved their first win at the 23rd National Club Team Football Championship Tournament (winning the final 9–0). Iwaki FC also debuted at Emperor's Cup in 2017 edition. After defeating Norbritz Hokkaido in the first round, they surprisingly overcame Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo for 5–2 after extra-time. They lost against Shimizu S-Pulse in the third round, but it was still a surprising run.

### Tohoku Soccer League (2018–2019)

First advancing to the Tohoku Soccer League in 2018, Iwaki FC earned promotion to the following year's JFL for the first time in history in 2019, after two seasons in the Tohoku Soccer League competition. The club won the All Japan Regional Promotion Series and as a result Iwaki was crowned champions.

### Japan Football League (JFL) (2020–2021)

Joining the Japan Football League for the 2020 season, in the 2021 season, Iwaki FC finished in first position in the JFL competition, earned promotion to the following year's J3 League after two seasons in JFL competition. The team were crowned champions for their first title in the fourth tier in Japan Football League.

### J. League (2022–)

In the 2022 season, their first year in the J3 League, Iwaki FC received a J2 license on 28 October 2022, and become eligible for promotion. On 6 November the same year, they were crowned J3 League champions, earning promotion to the following year's J2 League. They secured the league title in the 32nd round, following a 3–0 win against Kagoshima United and defeats for the 2nd and 3rd-placed teams in that round: Fujieda MYFC and Matsumoto Yamaga. 14 days later, Iwaki FC finished as league champions, ending their 2022 season with 78 points from 34 matches, 11 points clear of 2nd-placed Fujieda MYFC, who also ended up being promoted to the J2. On 26 September 2023, Iwaki FC was declared to have met the requirements to obtain a license up to J1 League level.

## Stadium

Iwaki FC used to J-Village Stadium for 2022 season in J3. But, since promotion to J2 League, Iwaki will use Hawaiians Stadium Iwaki for 2023 season.

## League and cup record

| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | J. League Cup | Emperor's Cup | Shakaijin Cup |
| Season | Division | Tier | Teams | Pos. | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | J. League Cup | Emperor's Cup | Shakaijin Cup |
| 2013 | Fukushima Prefectural Football League (Div. 3 West) | 8 | 6 | 2nd | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 13 | 17 | 18 | Not eligible | | |
| 2014 | Fukushima Prefectural Football League (Div. 3 West) | 9 | 5 | 3rd | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 10 | Not eligible | | |
| 2015 | Fukushima Prefectural Football League (Div. 3 East) | 9 | 6 | 1st | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 9 | 32 | 30 | Not eligible | | |
| 2016 | Fukushima Prefectural Football League (Div. 2) | 8 | 6 | 1st | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 1 | 92 | 30 | Not eligible | Did not qualify | Quarter final |
| 2017 | Fukushima Prefectural Football League (Div. 1) | 7 | 6 | 1st | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 93 | 0 | 93 | 30 | Not eligible | 3rd round | 2nd round |
| 2018 | Tohoku Soccer League (Div. 2 South) | 6 | 10 | 1st | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 139 | 12 | 127 | 54 | Not eligible | 1st round | 3rd |
| 2019 | Tohoku Soccer League (Div. 1) | 5 | 10 | 1st | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 82 | 14 | 68 | 48 | Not eligible | 1st round | 3rd |
| 2020 | Japan Football League | 4 | 16 | 7th | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 21 | Not eligible | 2nd round | Not eligible |
| 2021 | Japan Football League | 4 | 17 | 1st | 32 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 65 | 28 | 37 | 71 | Not eligible | 1st round | Not eligible |
| 2022 | J3 League | 3 | 18 | 1st | 34 | 23 | 7 | 4 | 72 | 23 | 49 | 76 | Not eligible | Did not qualify | Not eligible |
| 2023 | J2 League | 2 | 22 | 18th | 42 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 45 | 69 | -24 | 47 | Not eligible | 2nd round | Not eligible |
| 2024 | J2 League | 2 | 20 | 9th | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 53 | 41 | 12 | 54 | 2nd round | 3rd round | Not eligible |
| 2025 | J2 League | 2 | 20 | TBD | 38 | | | | | | | | TBD | TBD | Not eligible |

### 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

## Honours

Iwaki FC Honours :
| Honour | No. | Years |
| Fukushima Prefectural Adult Soccer League Division 3 East Block | 1 | 2015 |
| National Club Team Football Championship Tournament | 2 | 2016, 2017 |
| Fukushima Prefecture Adult Soccer League Division 2 | 1 | 2016 |
| Fukushima Prefecture Adult Soccer League Division 1 | 1 | 2017 |
| Fukushima Prefectural Football Championship Emperor's Cup Fukushima Prefectural Qualifiers | 4 | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 |
| Tohoku Adult Soccer League Division 2 South | 1 | 2018 |
| Tohoku Adult Soccer League Division 1 | 1 | 2019 |
| Japanese Regional Football Champions League | 1 | 2019 |
| Japan Football League JFL | 1 | 2021 |
| J3 League | 1 | 2022 |

## Current squad

    As of 7 February 2025.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | JPN | Yuki Hayasaka (on loan from Kawasaki Frontale) |
| 2 | DF | JPN | Yusuke Ishida |
| 3 | DF | JPN | Ryo Endo (captain) |
| 4 | DF | JPN | Kazuki Dohana |
| 5 | DF | JPN | Haruki Shirai (on loan from V-Varen Nagasaki) |
| 6 | MF | JPN | Kanta Sakagishi |
| 7 | MF | JPN | Nelson Ishiwatari (on loan from Cerezo Osaka) |
| 8 | MF | JPN | Sosuke Shibata (on loan from Shonan Bellmare) |
| 10 | FW | JPN | Kaina Tanimura |
| 11 | FW | JPN | Keita Buwanika |
| 13 | MF | JPN | Haruto Murakami |
| 14 | MF | JPN | Daiki Yamaguchi |
| 15 | MF | JPN | Naoki Kase |
| 16 | FW | JPN | Taisei Kato |
| 17 | DF | JPN | Yuto Yamada |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | FW | JPN | Keita Shirawachi |
| 19 | MF | JPN | Yusuke Onishi |
| 20 | MF | JPN | Yuma Kato |
| 21 | GK | JPN | Ryota Matsumoto |
| 22 | DF | JPN | Jin Ikoma |
| 24 | MF | JPN | Yuto Yamashita |
| 25 | MF | JPN | Fumiya Unoki (on loan from Kashiwa Reysol) |
| 26 | FW | JPN | Iori Sakamoto |
| 30 | MF | JPN | Shota Kofie (on loan from Sanfrecce Hiroshima) |
| 32 | DF | JPN | Sena Igarashi |
| 33 | DF | KOR | Hyun Woo-bin |
| 34 | MF | JPN | Ruon Hisanaga |
| 37 | DF | JPN | Rintaro Yamauchi |
| 38 | FW | JPN | Naoki Kumata (on loan from FC Tokyo) |
| 39 | GK | KOR | Joo Hyun-jin |

### 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.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | JPN | Shuhei Shikano (on loan at Tochigi SC) |
| — | FW | JPN | Yoshihito Kondo (on loan at Kagoshima United FC) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | JPN | Yuma Tsujioka (on loan at Giravanz Kitakyushu) |

## Club officials

| Position | Name |
| Manager | Yuzo Tamura |
| Assistant manager | Ryo Kobayashi |
| First-team coach | Takumi Watanabe |
| Goalkeeper coach | Jiro Takeda |
| Sprint coach | Shingo Akimoto |
| S&C | Tsubasa Hisanaga Kazuhiko Tomooka |
| Athletic trainer | Atsushi Hokari Tsubasa Hisanaga |
| Analyst | Yuta Murakami |
| Doctor | Yoshifumi Fukushima Yoshitomo Saita Nanako Yamamoto |
| Medical officer | Hidenori Izawa |
| Physiotherapist | Daiki Iwadate |
| Trainer | Kodai Harada Shunichiro Saito |
| Interpreter | Lim Seung-geon |

## Managerial history

    As of 15 June 2023
| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | Tenure |
| Manager | Nationality | Start | Finish |
| Pieter Huistra | Netherlands | 13 January 2016 | 31 December 2016 |
| Yuzo Tamura | Japan | 1 February 2017 | 31 January 2021 |
| Hiromasa Suguri | Japan | 1 February 2022 | 14 June 2023 |
| Yuzo Tamura | Japan | 15 June 2023 | present |

## Kit evolution

Home kit - 1st :
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 - |
Away kit - 2nd :
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 - |
Third / special kits :
| 2023 Limited | 2024 Limited |