Ventforet Kofu

Ventforet Kōfu
ヴァンフォーレ甲府

Full name	Ventforet Kōfu Football Club
Nickname	Ventforet
Short name	VFK
Founded	1965 (1965) as Kōfu Club
Stadium	JIT Recycle Ink Stadium (Kōfu, Yamanashi)
Capacity	15,853
Chairman	Kazuyuki Umino
Manager	Hiroki Shibuya
League	J2 League
2025	J2 League, 13th of 20
Website	www.ventforet.jp
Home colours Away colours

Ventforet Kofu (ヴァンフォーレ甲府, Vanfōre Kōfu) is a Japanese professional football club from Kōfu in Yamanashi Prefecture. The team currently competes in the J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football, hosting their home matches in the JIT Recycle Ink Stadium, located in Kōfu.

Ventforet has won a total of 1 J2 League title and 1 Emperor's Cup in their history.

The club was founded in 1965 when the old boys' club of Kofu Dai-ichi High School, the Kakujo Club, started to recruit graduates of other high schools with the intention of promotion to the Japan Soccer League and was formed as Kōfu Club. Kofu Club was formed by volunteers, unlike other mainstream football clubs at that time in Japan, whose players were mostly the employees of their sponsoring companies.

Kofu Club joined the newly formed JSL Division 2 in 1972. They stayed there until the conclusion of the league in 1992 when it became a founding member of the former Japan Football League.

As Japanese football transitioned toward professionalism with the establishment of the J.League, the club reorganized and adopted the name Ventforet Kōfu in 1995 and joined J.League Division 2 in 1999 when it was formed. The club survived a difficult period between 1999 and 2001, when it suffered from financial troubles as well as miserable results on the pitch, including a streak of twenty-five consecutive losses. Ventforet finished bottom for three seasons in succession and was dubbed as "Excess baggage of J2".

Ventforet improved in 2002, and in 2005, the club finished third, gaining promotion to the Japanese first division by winning the promotion/relegation play-offs against Kashiwa Reysol. The club’s rise to the top division was often described as a “small club miracle,” given its relatively modest budget and resources. Ventforet competed in J1 for several seasons but was relegated after struggling against stronger opposition. However, the team was relegated with a week remaining in the 2007 season.

At the end of 2010 season, the team was promoted a second time. Despite having striker Mike Havenaar contend for the Top Scorer award in division one the following year, the club was relegated again at the end of 2011. However, it returned after only one year's absence as champions of division two, Ventforet's first championship in its thirty-six-year history. Ventforet remained in J.League 1 until 2017, consistently staying as a top tier J.League 2 team after relegation

Ventforet participated in the 2022 Emperor's Cup, earning a direct second round entry alongside all J1 and J2 League teams. Following a 5–1 win over Okayama-based International Pacific University, they then only faced J1 League opponents the rest of the tournament. They would beat Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Sagan Tosu away from home by 2–1 and 3–1 respectively to advance to the quarter finals, in a stage which they had been on 4 times without ever getting past it. In another match away from home, now against Avispa Fukuoka, the game would be tied up 1–1 and head into extra time, with Yoshiki Torikai scoring in the 97th minute to bring Kofu to their first Emperor's Cup Semi-final, where they would beat Kashima Antlers thanks to Jumma Miyazaki's goal in the 37th minute to reach their first Emperor's Cup Final.

In the final, Kofu were up against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, a J1 team who hadn't won an Emperor's Cup since 1969 (including amateur era). Kazushi Mitsuhira scored in the 26th minute to give Kofu the lead, before Sanfrecce midfielder Takumu Kawamura tied the match in the 84th minute. After a scoreless extra time, the final was decided in a penalty shootout. After Sanfrecce missed their fourth penalty, 42-year-old Hideomi Yamamoto scored Kofu's fifth and final penalty to win the Emperor's Cup champions for the first time. Their win marked the first time that a J2 League team had won the Emperor's Cup since FC Tokyo in 2011, the fourth J2 champion overall, and the first occasion in which the winner was not the second division champions. This qualified them for the AFC Champions League while playing in their domestic second-tier league.

On 20 September 2023, Ventforet played their first AFC Champions League official match against Australian side Melbourne City for the competition's group stage. Playing away at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium with few of their usual starting players, the match ended in a 0–0 draw, earning them their first point and clean sheet in this competition.^[1] On 4 October 2023, Ventforet picked up their first AFC Champions League win against Thai champions Buriram United. Motoki Hasegawa scored in stoppage time as Ventforet won 1–0 at home, On 12 December 2023, Ventforet clinched their spots in the Round of 16 after a 2–3 away win against Buriram United. This marks the first time a team qualified for the knockout phase of the AFC Champions League though not playing in their nation's top division. Ventforet than faced against Korean giants, Ulsan Hyundai in the Round of 16, however, they were knocked out from the tournament after suffering a 5–1 on aggregate defeat.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		VEN	MCY	ZHP	BUR
1	Ventforet Kofu	6	3	2	1	11	8	+3	11	Advance to round of 16		—	3–3	4–1	1–0
2	Melbourne City	6	2	3	1	8	6	+2	9			0–0	—	1–1	0–1
3	Zhejiang	6	2	1	3	9	13	−4	7			2–0	1–2	—	3–2
4	Buriram United	6	2	0	4	9	10	−1	6			2–3	0–2	4–1	—

The word "Ventforet" is a compound formed from two French root words: "vent" (wind) and "forêt" (forest). The name alludes to the famous phrase Fū-rin-ka-zan (風林火山) that Takeda Shingen, a prominent Kōfu-based daimyō in the Sengoku period, emblazoned on his war banners. The phrase contains four similies: as swift as the wind; as silent as a forest; as fierce as fire; as immovable as a mountain.

The supporters of Ventforet are primarily based in Yamanashi Prefecture, with a strong concentration in the city of Kōfu. Despite representing a relatively small market, the club has built a loyal and passionate fanbase known for its strong community identity.

On matchdays at JIT Recycle Ink Stadium, supporters gather in organized sections behind the goals, where they perform coordinated chants, wave flags, and display banners. The atmosphere is often noted for its intensity and close connection between the team and its fans, reflecting the club’s role as a symbol of regional pride.

Ventforet Kōfu’s most notable rivalry is with Shimizu S-Pulse, a fixture commonly referred to as the Fujisan Derby. The rivalry is rooted in the geographical proximity of the two clubs around the Mount Fuji region and is contested with strong regional pride.

These rivalries are driven largely by geography and competitive history within the J.League, contributing to the club’s identity within Japanese football.

Ventforet plays its home matches at JIT Recycle Ink Stadium, located in the city of Kōfu. The stadium is part of the Kose Sports Park complex and serves as the main football venue in the prefecture.

Opened in 1985, the stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 15,853 spectators and is a multi-purpose facility used for both football and athletics. It has been the club’s home ground since joining the J.League in 1999.

Although it includes a running track, the stadium is known for its passionate local support, with fans creating a lively atmosphere during matches. It regularly hosts fixtures in both the J1 League and J2 League, as well as games in domestic competitions such as the Emperor's Cup.

Home kits - 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 kits - 2nd
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 -

Third kits
2015 Summer	2016 Summer	2017 Summer	2018 Summer	2019 Summer
2020 Summer	2021 Summer	2022 Limited	Special for Champions League Home	Special for Champions League Away
2024 SUMMER Vivid × Vital

As of 7 April 2026.^[2]

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 Kohei Kawata 2 DF  JPN Miki Inoue 3 DF  JPN Riku Nozawa 4 DF  JPN Hideomi Yamamoto 5 DF  JPN Taiju Ichinose 6 MF  JPN Iwana Kobayashi 7 MF  JPN Sho Araki 8 MF  JPN Kojiro Yasuda (on loan from FC Tokyo) 9 FW  JPN Kazushi Mitsuhira 10 FW  JPN Yamato Naito 11 MF  JPN Kotatsu Kumakura 13 MF  JPN Yukito Murakami 14 FW  JPN Kazushi Fujii (on loan from RB Omiya Ardija) 15 MF  JPN Taiyo Yoneda 16 MF  JPN Koya Hayashida 17 DF  JPN Shun Fukumoto

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 MF  JPN Hayata Mizuno 20 MF  JPN Hikaru Endo 22 DF  JPN Yuta Koide 23 FW  ITA Michele Staccioli 24 MF  JPN Keisuke Sato 25 MF  JPN Yuto Hiratsuka 26 MF  JPN Kazuhiro Sato 27 MF  JPN Seigo Takei 29 FW  JPN Koki Oshima 31 GK  KOR Lee Min-ki 32 FW  JPN Ryunosuke Ota (on loan from Fagiano Okayama) 33 GK  JPN Kodai Yamauchi 44 DF  JPN Keita Fukui (on loan from RB Omiya Ardija) 47 MF  JPN Tomoki Hosaka 96 MF  JPN Atsushi Kurokawa 97 GK  JPN John Higashi

Club staff for 2025 season ^[3]

Position	Name
Manager	Hiroki Shibuya
Coaches	Katsutomo Oshiba Yuji Yokoyama Nazri Nasir
Goalkeeper coach	Yuji Nakagawa
Physical coach	José Fernando
Analysis coach	Yoshiki Hara Kanta Yonekura
Chief trainer	Hiroaki Maeda
Trainers	Masaya Tanaka Yuto Mogi Naoaki Higashi
Physiotherapist	Takayuki Ando
Athletic trainer	Shigeru Asahina
Competent	Yoshiki Tsuruta
Deputy officer	Tetsuro Ajisawa
Interpreter	Bruno Iwasaki

Manager	Period	Honours
Susumu Katsumata	1 January 1994–31 January 1995
Yūji Tsukada	1 February 1995–31 January 1999
Susumu Katsumata (2)	1 February 1999–31 January 2000
Yūji Tsukada	1 February 2000–31 January 2001
Luis dos Reis	1 February 2001–31 January 2002
Takeshi Ōki	1 February 2002–31 January 2003
Hideki Matsunaga	1 February 2003–31 January 2005
Takeshi Ōki (2)	1 February 2005–31 January 2008
Takayoshi Amma	1 February 2008–31 January 2010
Kazuo Uchida	1 February 2010–31 January 2011
Toshiya Miura	1 February 2011–7 August 2011
Satoru Sakuma	8 August 2011–31 December 2011
Hiroshi Jōfuku	1 February 2012–31 January 2015	– 2012 J2 League
Yasuhiro Higuchi	1 February 2015–13 May 2015
Satoru Sakuma (2)	13 May 2015–31 December 2016
Tatsuma Yoshida	1 February 2017–30 April 2018
Nobuhiro Ueno	1 May 2018–31 January 2019
Akira Itō	1 February 2019–31 January 2022
Tatsuma Yoshida (2)	1 February 2022–31 January 2023	– 2022 Emperor's Cup
Yoshiyuki Shinoda	1 February 2023–1 July 2024
Shinji Otsuka	2 July 2024–present

Key

• Kanto League: 1967–71 (as Kōfu Club)
• Division 2 (JSL Div. 2): 1972–91 (as Kōfu Club)
• Division 3 (former JFL Div. 2): 1992–93 (as Kōfu Club)
• Division 2 (former JFL): 1994–98 (Kōfu Club until 1994, Ventforet Kofu since 1995)
• Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 1999–05
• Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 2006–07
• Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2008–10
• Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 2011
• Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2012
• Division 1 (J.League Div. 1): 2013–2017
• Division 2 (J.League Div. 2): 2018–present

• Official website (in Japanese)