# 2017 Nadeshiko League

The 2017 L.League season was the 29th edition since its establishment. NTV Beleza were the defending champions, having won the Division 1 title in each of the past two seasons. The season began in March 2017 and ended in October 2017. NTV Beleza won the season, making it their 15th (and 3rd straight) Division 1 title.

## Nadeshiko League Div.1 (Division 1)

The season began on 26 March 2017 and ended on 7 October 2017.

### Teams

| Team | Location | 2016 position |
| AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies | Nagano | 3rd |
| Albirex Niigata Ladies | Niigata | 5th |
| Chifure AS Elfen Saitama | Saitama | 2nd in Nadeshiko League Division 2 (promoted) |
| INAC Kobe Leonessa | Kobe | 2nd |
| Iga FC Kunoichi | Iga | 6th |
| JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies | Ichihara | 7th |
| Mynavi Vegalta Sendai Ladies | Sendai | 4th |
| NTV Beleza | Inagi | 1st |
| Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara | Sagamihara | 1st in Nadeshiko League Division 2 (promoted) |
| Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies | Saitama | 8th |

### Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | NTV Beleza | 18 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 39 | 8 | +31 | 47 | Champions |
| 2 | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 12 | +19 | 39 | |
| 3 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 29 | 14 | +15 | 32 | |
| 4 | Mynavi Vegalta Sendai Ladies | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 30 | |
| 5 | Albirex Niigata Ladies | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 21 | −3 | 25 | |
| 6 | AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 16 | +7 | 23 | |
| 7 | JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 14 | 23 | −9 | 22 | |
| 8 | Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara | 18 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 32 | −15 | 14 | |
| 9 | Chifure AS Elfen Saitama | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 13 | 40 | −27 | 14 | Division 1 promotion/relegation Series |
| 10 | Iga FC Kunoichi | 18 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 14 | 30 | −16 | 9 | Relegated to Division 2 |

### Results

| Home \ Away | ALB | BEL | ELF | JEF | KAN | KUN | LEO | PAR | RED | VEG |
| Albirex Niigata Ladies | — | 0–4 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| NTV Beleza | 2–0 | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 |
| Chifure AS Elfen Saitama | 0–1 | 0–4 | — | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 |
| JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 |
| Iga FC Kunoichi | 0–2 | 0–3 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–4 |
| INAC Kobe Leonessa | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies | 0–1 | 1–2 | 6–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies | 3–0 | 0–3 | 7–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 |
| Mynavi Vegalta Sendai Ladies | 1–0 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — |

### Attendance
#### Average home attendances

Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.
| Team | GP | Attendance | High | Low | Average |
| AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies | 9 | 21,793 | 4,275 | 1,345 | 2,421 |
| INAC Kobe Leonessa | 9 | 20,336 | 4,295 | 916 | 2,259 |
| Albirex Niigata Ladies | 9 | 18,525 | 5,460 | 696 | 2,058 |
| Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies | 9 | 16,790 | 2,305 | 1,549 | 1,865 |
| Mynavi Vegalta Sendai Ladies | 9 | 11,772 | 2,259 | 626 | 1,308 |
| Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara | 9 | 9,474 | 1,604 | 421 | 1,052 |
| NTV Beleza | 9 | 9,264 | 1,842 | 579 | 1,029 |
| JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies | 9 | 8,505 | 2,052 | 526 | 945 |
| Iga FC Kunoichi | 9 | 6,673 | 1,044 | 537 | 741 |
| Chifure AS Elfen Saitama | 9 | 6,180 | 1,211 | 504 | 686 |
| Total | 90 | 129,312 | 5,460 | 421 | 1,437 |
Updated to games played on 7 October 2017.

#### Highest attendances

| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Stadium |
| 1 | Albirex Niigata Ladies | 2–1 | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 5,460 | 22 April 2017 | Denka Big Swan Stadium |
| 2 | Albirex Niigata Ladies | 0–1 | Mynavi Vegalta Sendai Ladies | 5,383 | 30 September 2017 | Denka Big Swan Stadium |
| 3 | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 3–0 | Chifure AS Elfen Saitama | 4,295 | 1 October 2017 | Noevir Stadium Kobe |
| 4 | AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies | 1–1 | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 4,275 | 3 May 2017 | Minami Nagano Sports Park Stadium |
| 5 | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 3–0 | Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara | 3,259 | 26 March 2017 | Noevir Stadium Kobe |
| 6 | AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies | 1–0 | Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies | 3,064 | 26 March 2017 | Minami Nagano Sports Park Stadium |
| 7 | AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies | 2–0 | Iga FC Kunoichi | 2,697 | 7 May 2017 | Minami Nagano Sports Park Stadium |
| 8 | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 1–0 | NTV Beleza | 2,596 | 21 May 2017 | Noevir Stadium Kobe |
| 9 | AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies | 6–0 | Chifure AS Elfen Saitama | 2,525 | 20 May 2017 | Minami Nagano Sports Park Stadium |
| 10 | AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies | 3–0 | Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara | 2,363 | 30 September 2017 | Minami Nagano Sports Park Stadium |
Updated to games played on 7 October 2017.

### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Mina Tanaka | NTV Beleza | 15 |
| 2 | Yuika Sugasawa | Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies | 9 |
| 3 | Arisa Minamino | Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara | 8 |
| 3 | Emi Nakajima | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 8 |
| 5 | Chinatsu Kira | Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies | 7 |
| 5 | Yuka Momiki | NTV Beleza | 7 |
| 7 | Sawako Yasumoto | Mynavi Vegalta Sendai Ladies | 6 |
| 7 | Kumi Yokoyama | AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies | 6 |
| 9 | Riko Ueki | NTV Beleza | 5 |
| 9 | Megumi Takase | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 5 |
Updated: 7 October 2017.

### Awards

The awards ceremony took place on 9 October 2017.
| Award | Winner | Winner |
| Best Player Award (MVP) | Mizuho Sakaguchi | NTV Beleza |
| Top Scorer | Mina Tanaka | NTV Beleza |
| Best Young Player Award | Yui Fukuta | INAC Kobe Leonessa |
| Fighting-spirit Award | Emi Nakajima | INAC Kobe Leonessa |

#### Best XI

| Pos | Player | Club |
| GK | Ayaka Yamashita | NTV Beleza |
| DF | Aya Sameshima | INAC Kobe Leonessa |
| DF | Risa Shimizu | NTV Beleza |
| DF | Azusa Iwashimizu | NTV Beleza |
| MF | Mizuho Sakaguchi | NTV Beleza |
| MF | Yuka Momiki | NTV Beleza |
| MF | Yui Hasegawa | NTV Beleza |
| MF | Emi Nakajima | INAC Kobe Leonessa |
| MF | Yu Nakasato | NTV Beleza |
| FW | Mina Tanaka | NTV Beleza |
| FW | Yuika Sugasawa | Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies |

## Nadeshiko League Div.2 (Division 2)

The season began on 25 March 2017 and ended on 7 October 2017.

### Teams

| Team | Location | 2016 position |
| AS Harima Albion | Himeji | 7th |
| Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies | Osaka | 3rd |
| Ehime FC Ladies | Matsuyama | 4th |
| FC Kibi International University Charme | Takahashi | 9th |
| Konomiya Speranza Osaka-Takatsuki | Takatsuki | 9th in Nadeshiko League Division 1 (relegated) |
| Nippatsu Yokohama FC Seagulls | Yokohama | 8th |
| Nippon Sport Science University Fields Yokohama | Yokohama | 6th |
| Okayama Yunogo Belle | Mimasaka | 10th in Nadeshiko League Division 1 (relegated) |
| Orca Kamogawa FC | Kamogawa | 1st in Challenge League East (promoted) |
| Sfida Setagaya FC | Setagaya | 5th |

### Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Nippon Sport Science University Fields Yokohama | 18 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 13 | +31 | 42 | Promoted to Division 1 |
| 2 | Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 51 | 19 | +32 | 41 | Division 1 promotion/relegation Series |
| 3 | Ehime FC Ladies | 18 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 30 | 18 | +12 | 29 | |
| 4 | Orca Kamogawa FC | 18 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 21 | 12 | +9 | 28 | |
| 5 | Nippatsu Yokohama FC Seagulls | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 22 | −2 | 24 | |
| 6 | Sfida Setagaya FC | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 27 | +3 | 23 | |
| 7 | AS Harima Albion | 18 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 21 | 30 | −9 | 23 | |
| 8 | Okayama Yunogo Belle | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 22 | 35 | −13 | 19 | |
| 9 | FC Kibi International University Charme | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 32 | −16 | 18 | Division 2 promotion/relegation Series |
| 10 | Konomiya Speranza Osaka-Takatsuki | 18 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 11 | 58 | −47 | 3 | Relegated to Division 3 |

### Attendance
#### Average home attendances

Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.
| Team | GP | Attendance | High | Low | Average |
| Okayama Yunogo Belle | 9 | 6,935 | 1,194 | 302 | 770 |
| Orca Kamogawa FC | 9 | 6,828 | 1,525 | 539 | 758 |
| AS Harima Albion | 9 | 6,472 | 2,030 | 258 | 719 |
| Nippatsu Yokohama FC Seagulls | 9 | 5,094 | 876 | 338 | 566 |
| Sfida Setagaya FC | 9 | 5,081 | 1,815 | 268 | 564 |
| Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies | 9 | 3,673 | 684 | 109 | 408 |
| FC Kibi International University Charme | 9 | 3,665 | 902 | 262 | 407 |
| Nippon Sport Science University Fields Yokohama | 9 | 2,913 | 513 | 180 | 323 |
| Ehime FC Ladies | 9 | 2,732 | 618 | 72 | 303 |
| Konomiya Speranza Osaka-Takatsuki | 9 | 2,638 | 528 | 139 | 293 |
| Total | 90 | 46,031 | 2,030 | 72 | 511 |
Updated to games played on 7 October 2017.

#### Highest attendances

| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Stadium |
| 1 | AS Harima Albion | 2–1 | Sfida Setagaya FC | 2,030 | 2 April 2017 | Himeji Athletic Stadium |
| 2 | Sfida Setagaya FC | 1–1 | Ehime FC Ladies | 1,815 | 10 September 2017 | Komazawa Olympic Park Stadium |
| 3 | Orca Kamogawa FC | 0–1 | AS Harima Albion | 1,525 | 14 May 2017 | Sodegaura City Athletic Field |
| 4 | Okayama Yunogo Belle | 2–1 | FC Kibi International University Charme | 1,194 | 26 March 2017 | Mimasaka Rugby Football Field |
| 5 | Okayama Yunogo Belle | 0–4 | Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies | 963 | 3 September 2017 | City Light Stadium |
Updated to games played on 7 October 2017.

### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Saori Takarada | Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies | 22 |
| 2 | Akane Nagasaki | Sfida Setagaya FC | 11 |
| 3 | Kanako Ito | Nippon Sport Science University Fields Yokohama | 10 |
| 4 | Shoko Uemura | Nippon Sport Science University Fields Yokohama | 8 |
| 4 | Mana Akune | Ehime FC Ladies | 8 |
| 4 | Konomi Taniguchi | Konomiya Speranza Osaka-Takatsuki | 8 |
| 7 | Shiho Matsubara | Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies | 7 |
| 8 | Honoka Hayashi | Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies | 6 |
| 8 | Fumina Katsurama | AS Harima Albion | 6 |
| 8 | Misuzu Uchida | AS Harima Albion | 6 |
| 8 | Mayu Ikejiri | FC Kibi International University Charme | 6 |
Updated: 7 October 2017.

### Awards

The awards ceremony took place on 9 October 2017.
| Award | Winner | Winner |
| Best Player Award (MVP) | Kanako Ito | Nippon Sport Science University Fields Yokohama |
| Top Scorer | Saori Takarada | Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies |
| Best Young Player Award | Konomi Taniguchi | Konomiya Speranza Osaka-Takatsuki |

## Challenge League (Division 3)
### Teams
#### East

| Team | Location | 2016 Challenge League East position | 2016 overall position |
| FC Jumonji Ventus | Niiza | | 1st in Challenge League replacement game (promoted) |
| Niigata University of Health and Welfare LSC | Niigata | 6th | 9th |
| Norddea Hokkaido | Sapporo | 3rd | 5th |
| Tokiwagi Gakuen High School LSC | Sendai | 4th | 8th |
| Tsukuba FC Ladies | Tsukuba | 5th | 11th |
| Yamato Sylphid | Yamato | 2nd | 2nd |

#### West

| Team | Location | 2016 Challenge League West position | 2016 overall position |
| Angeviolet Hiroshima | Hiroshima | | 10th in Nadeshiko League Division 2 (relegated) |
| Bunnys Kyoto SC | Kyoto | 2nd | 4th |
| Fukuoka J. Anclas | Fukuoka | 4th | 7th |
| JFA Academy Fukushima LSC | Gotemba | 3rd | 6th |
| NGU Loveledge Nagoya | Nagoya | 5th | 10th |
| Shizuoka Sangyo University Iwata Bonita | Iwata | 1st | 3rd |

### Table
#### Regular season
##### East

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | FC Jumonji Ventus | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 14 | +9 | 30 | Championship playoffs |
| 2 | Yamato Sylphid | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 27 | Championship playoffs |
| 3 | Tokiwagi Gakuen High School LSC | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 34 | 25 | +9 | 22 | 5–8 overall position playoffs |
| 4 | Niigata University of Health and Welfare LSC | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 24 | 25 | −1 | 21 | 5–8 overall position playoffs |
| 5 | Norddea Hokkaido | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 19 | +1 | 18 | 9–12 overall position playoffs |
| 6 | Tsukuba FC Ladies | 15 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 35 | −25 | 7 | 9–12 overall position playoffs |

##### West

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Bunnys Kyoto SC | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 9 | +13 | 33 | Championship playoffs |
| 2 | Shizuoka Sangyo University Iwata Bonita | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 17 | +4 | 23 | Championship playoffs |
| 3 | NGU Loveledge Nagoya | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 18 | +5 | 22 | 5–8 overall position playoffs |
| 4 | Angeviolet Hiroshima | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 24 | −7 | 18 | 5–8 overall position playoffs |
| 5 | JFA Academy Fukushima LSC | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 25 | −7 | 15 | 9–12 overall position playoffs |
| 6 | Fukuoka J. Anclas | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 27 | −8 | 13 | 9–12 overall position playoffs |

#### Playoffs
##### Championship playoffs

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or qualification |
| 1 | Shizuoka Sangyo University Iwata Bonita | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 | 9 | Promoted to Division 2 |
| 2 | Bunnys Kyoto S.C. | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 6 | Division 2 promotion/relegation Series |
| 3 | Yamato Sylphid | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 1 | |
| 4 | FC Jumonji Ventus | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 1 | |

##### 5–8 overall position playoffs

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 5 | Angeviolet Hiroshima | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 |
| 6 | Tokiwagi Gakuen High School LSC | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 6 |
| 7 | NGU Loveledge Nagoya | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 8 | Niigata University of Health and Welfare LSC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 |

##### 9–12 overall position playoffs

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 9 | JFA Academy Fukushima LSC | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 5 | |
| 10 | Fukuoka J. Anclas | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 5 | |
| 11 | Norddea Hokkaido | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 | Division 3 promotion/relegation Series |
| 12 | Tsukuba FC Ladies | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0 | Division 3 promotion/relegation Series |

## Promotion/relegation Series
### Division 1 promotion/relegation Series

* Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies are promoted to Division 1.
* Chifure AS Elfen Saitama are relegated to Division 2.

### Division 2 promotion/relegation Series

* Bunnys Kyoto SC are promoted to Division 2.
* FC Kibi International University Charme are relegated to Division 3.