# Oita Trinita

Ōita Trinita (大分トリニータ, Ōita Torinīta) is a Japanese football club located in Ōita, Capital of Ōita Prefecture. They currently play in J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football.

## Name origin

The club's name, Trinita, is the Italian translation of the word trinity (trinità), which was the club's original name before being changed in 1999, and Ōita, the club's home town. The combined word expresses the will of the local citizens, companies, and government to support the team. Another connection to the Italian culture can be found in the city nickname Azzurro ("light blue" in Italian).

## History

The club was formed as Ōita Trinity in 1994 and advanced through the Ōita Prefectural League and the Kyushu League before finishing as the runner-up of the 1996 National League, resulting in promotion to the JFL. In 1999, the club changed its name to Trinita due to copyright infringement concerns. The same year, the club joined J.League Division 2, the second-highest flight in Japanese football (renamed to its current name of J2 League in 2015) and placed third. The club also placed third in 2000, and despite being in contention for promotion until the final game of the season in 2001, finished sixth. The following year, the club won J.League Division 2 and finally earned promotion to the top-flight Division 1. In 2008, the club won the J.League Cup, the first major title won by a Kyūshū club since Yawata Steel SC shared the 1964 Emperor's Cup.
In the 2009 season, Ōita suffered their worst-ever results in their seven-year history in the topflight, including 14 straight losses in league matches, which is the current worst record in the J.League since the golden goal system was eliminated. Ōita even fired cup-winning manager Pericles Chamusca in mid-July. On October 25, the club's relegation was confirmed after being held to a 1–1 draw by ten-man Kyoto Sanga, although the club would have faced relegation anyway as they had outstanding loans from the JFL's emergency fund and league rules prohibit clubs with such loans from participating in the top tier.
During the 2012 J.League Division 2 season, Ōita finished in sixth place, qualifying for the promotion playoffs in the first year of its introduction in Japan's second flight as the club had also paid back all its emergency loans that October. Despite being the lowest seed, Ōita defeated Kyoto Sanga 4–0 in the semi-final and JEF United Chiba 1–0 in the final, earning promotion to 2013 J.League Division 1, returning to the top tier after a 5-year absence This time, however, their top tier stay lasted only one season. In 2015 they were further relegated to J3 League after losing in the promotion playoffs to Machida Zelvia on December 6, becoming the first major trophy winner to be relegated to the third tier. The club immediately gained promotion back to J2 League by winning the J3 League title in 2016. In 2018, after finishing as runner's up in the J2 League in 2018, Oita Trinita gained promotion back to J1. After finishing 18th in 2021, Trinita would be relegated back to J2 League, but in the background of that, the club made a Cinderella run to the Emperor's Cup Final. Just 1 week after the confirmation to be relegated, they defeated defending Emperor's Cup champion Kawasaki Frontale in stunning fashion in the semis; after the game was tied 1 all, Trinita won 4–5 on penalty kicks. They ended up losing to Urawa Red Diamonds in the final, giving the Reds their eighth Emperor's Cup title.
The club will play its second consecutive season at the J2 League in the 2023 season.

## Stadium

The club's hometown is the city of Ōita, but the club draws support from the entire Ōita Prefecture. The stadium originally had a capacity of 43,000 for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, 3,000 movable seats on the track were removed, giving the stadium its current capacity of 40,000.
The club's home ground is Crasas Dome Oita, also known as the "Big Eye", which was one of the venues built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The club practices at its adjacent football and rugby field, and Ōita City Public Ground.

## League and cup record

| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| Season | Div. | Teams | Pos. | P | W (OTW) | D | L (OTL) | F | A | GD | Pts | Attendance/G | J.League Cup | Emperor's Cup |
| 1999 | J2 | 10 | 3rd | 36 | 18 (3) | 3 | 8 (4) | 62 | 42 | 20 | 63 | 3,886 | 2nd round | 3rd round |
| 2000 | J2 | 11 | 3rd | 40 | 26 (0) | 3 | 8 (3) | 80 | 38 | 42 | 81 | 4,818 | 1st round | 3rd round |
| 2001 | J2 | 12 | 6th | 44 | 24 (1) | 4 | 9 (6) | 75 | 52 | 23 | 78 | 6,638 | 2nd round | 3rd round |
| 2002 | J2 | 12 | 1st | 44 | 28 | 10 | 6 | 67 | 34 | 33 | 94 | 12,349 | Not eligible | 4th round |
| 2003 | J1 | 16 | 14th | 30 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 27 | 37 | -10 | 26 | 21,373 | Group stage | 3rd round |
| 2004 | J1 | 16 | 13th | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 35 | 56 | -21 | 30 | 21,889 | Group stage | 5th round |
| 2005 | J1 | 18 | 11th | 34 | 12 | 7 | 15 | 44 | 43 | 1 | 43 | 22,080 | Group stage | 5th round |
| 2006 | J1 | 18 | 8th | 34 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 47 | 45 | 2 | 47 | 20,350 | Group stage | 5th round |
| 2007 | J1 | 18 | 14th | 34 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 42 | 60 | -18 | 41 | 19,759 | Group stage | 5th round |
| 2008 | J1 | 18 | 4th | 34 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 33 | 24 | 9 | 56 | 20,322 | Winners | 4th round |
| 2009 | J1 | 18 | 17th | 34 | 8 | 6 | 20 | 26 | 45 | -19 | 30 | 18,428 | Group stage | 3rd round |
| 2010 | J2 | 19 | 15th | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 39 | 49 | -10 | 41 | 10,463 | Not eligible | 3rd round |
| 2011 | J2 | 20 | 12th | 38 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 42 | 45 | -3 | 50 | 8,779 | Not eligible | 2nd round |
| 2012 | J2 | 22 | 6th | 42 | 21 | 8 | 13 | 59 | 40 | 19 | 71 | 9,721 | Not eligible | 2nd round |
| 2013 | J1 | 18 | 18th | 34 | 2 | 8 | 24 | 31 | 67 | -36 | 14 | 11,915 | Group stage | Quarter finals |
| 2014 | J2 | 22 | 7th | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 52 | 55 | -3 | 63 | 8,422 | Not eligible | 3rd round |
| 2015 | J2 | 22 | 21st | 42 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 41 | 51 | -10 | 38 | 7,533 | Not eligible | 3rd round |
| 2016 | J3 | 16 | 1st | 30 | 19 | 4 | 7 | 50 | 24 | 26 | 61 | 7,771 | Not eligible | 3rd round |
| 2017 | J2 | 22 | 9th | 42 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 58 | 50 | 8 | 64 | 8,063 | Not eligible | 3rd round |
| 2018 | J2 | 22 | 2nd | 42 | 23 | 7 | 12 | 76 | 51 | 25 | 76 | 8,907 | Not eligible | 2nd round |
| 2019 | J1 | 18 | 9th | 34 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 35 | 35 | 0 | 47 | 15,347 | Group stage | Quarter finals |
| 2020 † | J1 | 18 | 11th | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 36 | 45 | -9 | 43 | 5,147 | Group stage | Did not qualify |
| 2021 † | J1 | 20 | 18th | 38 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 31 | 55 | -24 | 35 | 6,722 | Group stage | Runners-up |
| 2022 | J2 | 22 | 5th | 42 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 62 | 52 | 10 | 66 | 6,618 | Group stage | 3rd round |
| 2023 | J2 | 22 | 9th | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 54 | 56 | -2 | 62 | 9,143 | Not eligible | 2nd round |
| 2024 | J2 | 20 | 16th | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 33 | 47 | -14 | 43 | 10,360 | First round | Round of 16 |
| 2025 | J2 | 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
* OTW = Overtime wins - 1999, 2000, 2001 & 2002 Overtime wins only
* OTL = Overtime losses - 1999, 2000 & 2001 Overtime losses only
* 3 points for a win; 2 points for an overtime win (OTW), 1 point for a drawn game.
* Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
* † 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
* Note: The 2011 season changed temporarily because of Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, clubs in the affected area could not play, therefore the Division 2 North & Division 2 South merged into one group and the clubs only played once each. No promotion to Division 1 in that season.
* Source: J.League Data Site

## Honours

| Honour | No. | Years |
| Kyushu Soccer League | 1 | 1995 |
| J2 League | 1 | 2002 |
| J.League Cup | 1 | 2008 |
| J3 League | 1 | 2016 |

## Current squad

    As of 28 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 |
| 2 | DF | JPN | Yuki Kagawa |
| 3 | DF | BRA | Derlan |
| 4 | DF | JPN | Atsuki Satsukawa |
| 5 | MF | JPN | Hiroto Nakagawa |
| 9 | FW | JPN | Kotaro Arima |
| 10 | MF | JPN | Naoki Nomura |
| 13 | FW | JPN | Kohei Isa |
| 14 | MF | JPN | Ren Ikeda |
| 15 | FW | JPN | Yusei Yashiki |
| 16 | MF | JPN | Taira Shige |
| 18 | MF | JPN | Junya Nodake |
| 19 | MF | JPN | Arata Kozakai |
| 20 | FW | JPN | Taiga Kimoto |
| 21 | FW | JPN | Shun Ayukawa (on loan from Sanfrecce Hiroshima) |
| 22 | GK | KOR | Mun Kyung-gun |
| 24 | GK | JPN | Shun Sato |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 25 | MF | JPN | Keigo Sakakibara |
| 27 | DF | JPN | Yusuke Matsuo |
| 28 | MF | JPN | Hiroshi Kiyotake |
| 29 | FW | JPN | Shinya Utsumoto |
| 30 | DF | JPN | Issei Tone |
| 31 | DF | BRA | Pereira |
| 32 | GK | JPN | Taro Hamada |
| 33 | DF | JPN | Ayuki Miyakawa |
| 34 | DF | JPN | Yudai Fujiwara (on loan from Urawa Red Diamonds) |
| 35 | MF | JPN | Josei Sato |
| 36 | MF | JPN | Hayato Matsuoka |
| 38 | MF | JPN | Taiki Amagasa |
| 39 | FW | JPN | Shuto Udo |
| 40 | GK | JPN | Hiroto Kono |
| 41 | FW | KOR | Kim Hyun-woo |
| 44 | DF | JPN | Manato Yoshida (on loan from Yokohama F. Marinos) |

### 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 |
| 23 | DF | JPN | Shunsuke Ono (Toyama Shinjo) |
| — | MF | JPN | Kenshin Yasuda (at K.R.C. Genk) |

## Club officials

For 2025 season
| Position | Staff |
| Manager | Tomohiro Katanosaka |
| Head coach | Minoru Takenaka |
| First-team coach | Satoshi Yasui Kenji Baba |
| Goalkeeper coach | Keisuke Yoshisaka |
| Physical coach | Ryo Yano |
| Strength coach | Hitoshi Otomo |
| Cheef Trainer | Shota Harada |
| Trainer | Kiyohisa Shibata Tsutomu Okabayashi Tomoki Iwasa |
| Competent | Hikaru Kikuzumi |
| Deputy officer | Keishiro Seto Akito Shimoyama |
| Interpreter | Alejandro Masafumi Matsumura |

## Managerial history

| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | Tenure |
| Manager | Nationality | Start | Finish |
| Moon Jung-sik | South Korea | 1 February 1994 | 31 January 1997 |
| Nobuhiro Ishizaki | Japan | 1 February 1999 | 30 April 2001 |
| Shinji Kobayashi | Japan | 1 May 2001 | 31 January 2004 |
| Han Berger | Netherlands | 1 February 2004 | 31 January 2005 |
| Hwangbo Kwan | South Korea | 1 February 2005 | 28 August 2005 |
| Arie Schans | Netherlands | 1 September 2005 | 8 September 2005 |
| Pericles Chamusca | Brazil | 9 September 2005 | 13 July 2009 |
| Ranko Popović | Serbia | 1 August 2009 | 31 December 2009 |
| Hwangbo Kwan | South Korea | 1 February 2010 | 31 January 2011 |
| Kazuaki Tasaka | Japan | 1 February 2011 | 2 June 2015 |
| Nobuaki Yanagida | Japan | 1 June 2015 | 3 January 2016 |
| Tomohiro Katanosaka | Japan | 1 February 2016 | 31 January 2022 |
| Takahiro Shimotaira | Japan | 1 February 2022 | 10 November 2023 |
| Tomohiro Katanosaka | Japan | 30 November 2023 | |

## Club captains

* Cui Daewoo (1999)
* Tomohiro Katanosaka (2000)
* Tetsuro Uki (2002–2003)
* Sandro (2004)
* Takayuki Yoshida (2005)
* Takashi Miki (2006–2007)
* Daiki Takamatsu (2008–2010)
* Masashi Miyazawa (2011–2013)
* Kazumichi Takagi (2014)
* Daniel (2015)
* Satoru Yamagishi (2016–2017)
* Akira Takeuchi (January – August 2018)
* Kenji Baba (August – December 2018)
* Yoshinori Suzuki (2019–2020)
* Shun Takagi (2021)
* Hokuto Shimoda (2022)
* Tsukasa Umesaki (2023)
* Arata Watanabe (2024)

## Kit evolution

Home kit - 1st :
| 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 kit - 2nd :
| 1999 - 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 - |
Special kits - 3rd :
| 2020 Limited | 2021 Limited | 2022 Limited |