Avispa Fukuoka

Avispa Fukuoka
アビスパ福岡
Full nameAvispa Fukuoka
NicknamesAvi, Hachi (Hornet, in Japanese), Meishu
Founded1982 (1982) as Chūō Bōhan SC
StadiumBest Denki Stadium
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
Capacity22,563
ChairmanTakashi Kawamori
ManagerShinya Tsukahara
LeagueJ1 League
2025J1 League, 12th of 20
Websitewww.avispa.co.jp


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.

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

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 England Admiral Japan Enjoy Georgia
1996–2007 Japan Mizuno
2008 No main sponsor
2009–2010 Japan Everlife
2011 Japan Svolme
2012–2013 Japan Nishitetsu Group
2014 No main sponsor
2015–2017 Brazil Athleta Japan FJ. Fukuoka Estate
2018–2020 Japan Yonex
2021–present Japan 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

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.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF  JPN Masato Yuzawa
3 DF  JPN Tatsuki Nara (captain)
5 DF  JPN Takumi Kamijima
6 MF  JPN Masato Shigemi
7 FW  JPN Shosei Usui
8 MF  JPN Kōhei Okuno
9 FW  IRN Shahab Zahedi
10 FW  JPN Hisashi Jogo
11 MF  JPN Tomoya Miki
13 FW  SUI Nassim Ben Khalifa
14 MF  JPN Shintaro Nago
15 DF  JPN Yuma Tsujioka
16 DF  JPN Teppei Oka (on loan from FC Tokyo)
17 MF  JPN Hiroki Akino
18 FW  JPN Sonosuke Sato
19 DF  KOR Kim Moon-hyeon
21 GK  JPN Kenta Matsuyama
22 FW  JPN Kazuki Fujimoto
24 GK  JPN Yuma Obata
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 MF  JPN Yuji Kitajima
27 FW  JPN Yutaka Michiwaki
28 FW  JPN Reiju Tsuruno
29 DF  JPN Yota Maejima
32 FW  JPN Abdul Hanan Sani Brown
33 DF  JPN Kaoru Yamawaki
37 DF  JPN Masaya Tashiro
40 DF  JPN Jurato Ikeda
41 GK  JPN Kazuki Fujita
46 MF  JPN Kazuki Fukushima
47 DF  JPN Yu Hashimoto
49 FW  JPN Ichika Maeda
52 MF  JPN Shohei Takemoto Type 2
53 FW  JPN Hikaru Maeda
55 FW  JPN Kokoro Maeda DSP
56 DF  JPN Yuhi Sakai DSP
57 FW  JPN Ryusei Kitahama DSP
99 GK  JPN Powell Obinna Obi

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
DF  JPN Seiya Inoue (at Mito HollyHock)
MF  JPN Daiki Matsuoka (at Slovakia Slovan Bratislava)
GK  JPN Takumi Nagaishi (at Tokushima Vortis)
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF  JPN Kimiya Moriyama (at Ehime FC)
GK  JPN Kazuaki Suganuma (at FC Gifu)

Management and staff

Position Staff
Manager Japan Shinya Tsukahara
Assistant manager Japan Takeshi Hanita
Coaches Japan Yuto Kuwahara
Goalkeeping coach Japan Hideki Tsukamoto
Conditioning coach Japan Sotaro Higuchi
Interpreter Japan Atsushi Kamiyama
Brazil Gustavo De Marco
Chief trainer Japan Eiji Miyata
Athletic trainer Japan Naoki Yoshioka
Japan Naoki Nagai
Japan Toshiki Okuno
Kit manager Japan Ryuya Muto
Japan Takuna Nakano
Competent Japan 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.

Top 10 all-time appearances
Rank Player Years Club appearance
1 Japan Hisashi Jogo 2005–present 554
2 Japan Jun Suzuki 2007–2012,

2015–2021

311
3 Japan Takeshi Kanamori 2013–2016,

2021–2025

310
4 Japan Yusuke Tanaka 2004–2011 280
5 Japan Ryuichi Kamiyama 2003–2018 265
6 Japan Daisuke Ishizu 2010–2021 236
7 Japan Yoshiyuki Shinoda 1995–2004 235
8 Japan Tatsunori Hisanaga 1996–2009 231
9 Japan Tatsunori Yamagata 2005–2011 226
10 Japan Daisuke Sakata 2012–2017 213
Top 10 all-time goalscorer
Rank Player Club appearance Total goals
1 Japan Hisashi Jogo 554 96
2 Brazil Wellington Tanque 206 49
3 Japan Daisuke Ishizu 236 45
4 Japan Tetsuya Ōkubo 131 40
Brazil Alex Melo 196 40
Japan Takeshi Kanamori 310 40
7 Japan Yusuke Tanaka 280 39
8 Japan Yuya Yamagishi 136 38
9 Japan Yoshiteru Yamashita 141 31
10 Japan 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: Brazil 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
Japan Yoshio Kikugawa 1 January 1982–31 December 1994 – 1989 All Japan Senior Football Championship

– 1990 All Japan Senior Football Championship

– 1992 Japan Football League

Argentina Jorge Olguín 1 July 1993–31 January 1995 – 1995 Japan Football League
Japan Hidehiko Shimizu 1 February 1996–31 January 1997
Argentina Carlos Pachamé 1 January 1997– 31 December 1997
Japan Takaji Mori 1 February 1998–31 January 1999
Japan Yoshio Kikugawa (2) 1 January 1999–31 December 1999
Argentina Nestor Omar Piccoli 1 January 2000–31 December 2001
Japan Masataka Imai 1 February 2002–28 July 2002
JapanTasuya Mochizuki 29 July 2002–14 August 2002
Japan Shigekazu Nakamura 15 August 2002–31 January 2003
Japan Hiroshi Matsuda 1 February 2003–7 May 2006
Japan Ryōichi Kawakatsu 8 May 2006–31 January 2007
Japan Hitoshi Okino 11 December 2006–31 January 2007
Germany Pierre Littbarski 1 February 2007–11 July 2008
Japan Yoshiyuki Shinoda 15 July 2008–3 August 2011
Japan Tetsuya Asano 3 August 2011–31 December 2011
Japan Kōji Maeda 1 January 2012–28 October 2012
Japan Futoshi Ikeda 29 October 2012–31 January 2013
Slovenia Marijan Pušnik 1 January 2013–31 December 2014
Japan Masami Ihara 1 February 2015–31 January 2019
Italy Fabio Pecchia 1 February 2019–3 June 2019
Japan Kiyokazu Kudō 4 June 2019–31 January 2020
Japan Shigetoshi Hasebe 1 February 2020–31 January 2025 – 2023 J.League Cup
South Korea Kim Myung-hwi 1 February 2025–5 January 2026
Japan 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

References

  1. ^ "Montedio Yam 0-5 A Fukuoka (Nov 19, 2011) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  2. ^ Avispa hires head coach Masami Ihara Archived 19 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)
  3. ^ "Avispa Fukuoka reign supreme in J.League YBC Levain Cup triumph". JLeague.co. J.League. 4 November 2023. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  4. ^ "2023 J.League YBC Levain Cup Final - Avispa Fukuoka vs Urawa Red Diamonds". JLeague.co. J.League. 4 November 2023. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  5. ^ "J1福岡、長谷部茂利監督の今季退任発表 後任は未定". 日本経済新聞 (in Japanese). 31 October 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Affiliated Clubs". www.avispa.co.jp. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  7. ^ "🇹🇭🤝🇯🇵 เพื่อประโยชน์ของสโมสร! "การท่าเรือ เอฟ.ซี." ลงนามต่อ MOU อวิสป้า ฟุกุโอกะ อีก 2 ปี-วางแผนจัดเกมกระชับมิตรร่วมกัน⁣⁣ – Port FC". Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  8. ^ "トップチーム選手・スタッフプロフィール". アビスパ福岡公式サイト | AVISPA FUKUOKA Official Website (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  9. ^ "J1福岡、金明輝監督との契約解消「複数のコンプライアンス抵触」…塚原真也HCが暫定指揮". 読売新聞オンライン (in Japanese). 5 January 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.