2022 Japan Football League

The 2022 Japan Football League (Japanese: 第24回日本フットボールリーグ[第24回 JFL 2022], Hepburn: Dai Nijūsankai Nihon Futtobōru Rīgu [Dai Nijūsankai JFL 2022]) was the ninth season having a fourth-tier status in Japanese football, and the 24th season since the establishment of Japan Football League. The slogan for this season was "Enchant with a different play!"[1] The matches were mostly broadcast/streamed live at Japan Football League's channel.[2] The league's awards, not held since 2020 due to special measures regarding COVID-19, was held on 6 December 2022.[3]

Japan Football League
Season2022
Dates13 March – 20 November
ChampionsNara Club
PromotedNara Club
FC Osaka
RelegatedFC Kagura Shimane (withdrawn)
Matches played240
Goals scored597 (2.49 per match)
Top goalscorerHayato Asakawa
(15 goals)
Biggest home winHonda Lock 6–0 MIO Biwako Shiga
(11 May)
Biggest away winVerspah Oita 0–7 Veertien Mie
(19 October)
Highest scoringKochi United 3–5 Maruyasu Okazaki
(3 July)
Highest attendance16,218
(Criacao Shinjuku vs Suzuka Point Getters; 9 October)
Lowest attendance39
(Honda Lock vs MIO Biwako Shiga; 11 May)
Average attendance1,126
← 2021
2023 →
All statistics correct as of 20 November 2022.

League structure and organisation

Iwaki FC won the league for the first time in their history, after joining the league only two seasons ago. So, they were promoted and joined J3 for the 2022 season. Then, sixteen clubs featured in this season of Japan Football League. FC Kariya were relegated after losing the playoff against Criacao Shinjuku, who were duly promoted to the JFL after qualifying in the top two spots of the 45th Regional Play-off Series.[4] Honda Lock kept their stay at JFL, as despite having finished 16th last season, they won their playoff match against FC Ise-Shima to avoid relegation to the Regional Leagues.

As of November 2022, there were six teams eligible for promotion to the J3 League, as the only way teams from JFL can be promoted to the J3, is by having a license (the same applies for teams being promoted from J3 to J2, and from J2 to J1). Up from none to 2 teams could be promoted from the Japan Football League, or relegated to the Regional Leagues, depending on the circumstances.

The league is played under a round-robin format, with the 16 teams playing home-and-away matches against each other, playing in total 30 matches across the competition, starting from 13 March and ending on 20 November. [5] It features the usual point-earning format, with 3 points for winning, 1 for drawing, and no points for losing.

Regarding the breaks during the match, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the JFL continued to follow FIFA's recommendation of a maximum of 5 available substitutions, and 3 substitution windows per team in each match (excluding the half-time).[6] The teams are allowed a water break at each half of the matches regardless of the WBGT on the matchday. The decision to have or not to have a water break is up to whose teams are playing the match.[7]

Participating clubs

The teams which possess promotion-enabler licenses are highlighted in green in the following table.

Club NameHome town Stadium CapacityPositionNotes
Criacao ShinjukuShinjuku-ku, Tokyo AGF Field 2,800 Winners of KSL and 45th RPS100 Year Plan status. [8] J3 license application was declined by J.League. [9]
Honda FCHamamatsu, Shizuoka Honda Miyakoda Soccer Stadium 2,506JFL (2nd)
Honda LockMiyazaki, Miyazaki Hinata Athletic Stadium 20,000JFL (16th)
Kochi UnitedKōchi, Kōchi Kōchi Haruno Athletic Stadium 25,000JFL (13th)100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders. [9]
Maruyasu OkazakiOkazaki, Aichi Okazaki Ryūhoku Stadium 5,000JFL (14th)
Kagura ShimaneMatsue, Shimane Matsue Municipal Athletic Stadium 24,000JFL (5th)Renamed from "Matsue City FC"
MIO Biwako ShigaKusatsu, Shiga Higashiōmi Nunobiki Green Stadium 5,060JFL (12th)100 Year Plan status applicants
Nara ClubAll cities/towns in Nara[lower-alpha 1] Rohto Field Nara 30,600JFL (10th)100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders [9]
FC OsakaHigashiōsaka, Osaka Hanazono Rugby Stadium 2nd Ground 1,722JFL (7th)100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders;[9] renamed from "F.C. Osaka"
ReinMeer AomoriAomori, Aomori Kakuhiro Group Athletic Stadium 20,809JFL (9th)100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders [9]
Sony SendaiTagajō, Miyagi Miyagi Seikyō Megumino Soccer Stadium 10,000JFL (6th)
Suzuka Point GettersSuzuka, Mie AGF Suzuka Athletic Stadium 1,450JFL (4th)Former J3 license holders [Note 1]
FC Tiamo HirakataHirakata, Osaka Hirakata Municipal Athletic Stadium 2,500JFL (8th)
Tokyo Musashino UnitedMusashino, Tokyo Musashino Municipal Athletic Stadium 5,188JFL (15th)
Veertien MieAll cities/towns in Mie[lower-alpha 2] Asahi Gas Energy Tōin Stadium 5,142JFL (11th)100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders [9]
Verspah OitaYufu, Beppu & Ōita,[10] Ōita Shōwa Denkō Soccer/Rugby Field 4,700JFL (3rd)100 Year Plan status and J3 license holders.[11][9]
  1. ^
    Their license was previously suspended after multiple rule-breaking occurrences by the team's board, including a match-fixing scandal originating from the 2021 JFL season. In late June 2022, the J.League determined officially the revocation of their 100 Year Plan status, and then, resulting in Suzuka Point Getters being unable to be qualified for the J3 League.
    2. [12][13]

Personnel and kits
ClubManagerCaptainKit manufacturer
Criacao Shinjuku Japan Ichiro Naruyama Yu YoneharaJapan gym master
Honda FC Japan Hiroyuki Abe Yuki KusumotoEngland Umbro
Honda Lock SC Japan Yosuke Miyaji Daichi TakaharaEngland Umbro
Kagura Shimane Japan Noriaki Sanenobu Keishiro SatoJapan soccer junky
Kochi United SC Japan Takafumi Yoshimoto Tsubasa YokotakeBrazil ATHLETA
Maruyasu Okazaki Japan Hiroyasu Ibata Eitaro TsunoiBrazil ATHLETA
MIO Biwako Shiga Japan Hiroshi Otsuki Ippei KokuryoJapan JOGARBOLA
Nara Club Spain Julián Marín Bazalo Yuki KotaniJapan Squadra
FC Osaka Japan Shinya Tsukahara Shusuke SakamotoJapan bonera
ReinMeer Aomori Japan Kei Shibata Nobuhisa UrataEngland Umbro
Sony Sendai FC Japan Jun Suzuki Ren YoshinoEngland Umbro
Suzuka Point Getters Japan Yasutoshi Miura Koji HashimotoBrazil ATHLETA
FC Tiamo Hirakata Japan Yoshizumi Ogawa Shota InoueJapan JOGARBOLA
Tokyo Musashino United FC Japan Hiroki Yoda Daichi KobayashiJapan Yonex
Veertien Mie Japan Yasuhiro Higuchi Kenshiro TaniokuJapan Lwond
Verspah Oita Japan Takashi Yamahashi Hirohito ShinoharaJapan YASUDA
  1. centering on Nara
  2. centering on Kuwana & Yokkaichi

Foreign players
Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Player 6
Criacao Shinjuku North Korea Hwang Song-su
Honda FC
Honda Lock
Kagura Shimane
Kochi United South Korea Yoo Jong-min Australia Tando Velaphi
Maruyasu Okazaki
MIO Biwako Shiga South Korea Cho Hyeong-in
Nara Club Spain Arnau Riera
FC Osaka Brazil Efrain Rintaro Brazil Gabriel Pires Brazil Luiz Fernando South Korea Kim Soo-han South Korea Woo Sang-ho
ReinMeer Aomori Brazil Halef Pitbull
Sony Sendai
Suzuka Point Getters Brazil Vinícius Faria South Korea Kim Tae-woo
TIAMO Hirakata Brazil João Siqueira Brazil Yuri Messias Cameroon Noah Fortune Nigeria Emeka Basil
Tokyo Musashino United South Korea Ko Kyung-te North Korea Ryang Hyon-ju
Veertien Mie North Korea Kim Song-sun
Verspah Oita

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification
1 Nara Club[lower-alpha 1] (C, P) 30 16 11 3 48 25 +23 59 Promotion to 2023 J3 League[lower-alpha 2]
2 FC Osaka[lower-alpha 1] (P) 30 17 8 5 47 34 +13 59
3 Honda FC 30 16 8 6 47 23 +24 56
4 ReinMeer Aomori[lower-alpha 1] 30 14 9 7 35 23 +12 51
5 Maruyasu Okazaki 30 14 7 9 48 34 +14 49
6 Tokyo Musashino United 30 14 6 10 49 33 +16 48
7 Veertien Mie[lower-alpha 1] 30 12 9 9 43 29 +14 45
8 Verspah Oita[lower-alpha 1] 30 12 7 11 40 44 −4 43
9 Suzuka Point Getters 30 12 5 13 31 40 −9 41
10 Honda Lock 30 10 6 14 33 33 0 36
11 Kochi United[lower-alpha 1] 30 9 7 14 30 39 −9 34
12 Kagura Shimane 30 9 7 14 32 42 −10 34 Folded[lower-alpha 3]
13 Tiamo Hirakata 30 9 5 16 40 50 −10 32
14 Sony Sendai 30 5 13 12 23 39 −16 28
15 Criacao Shinjuku[lower-alpha 1] 30 6 6 18 30 52 −22 24
16 MIO Biwako Shiga[lower-alpha 1] 30 5 6 19 21 57 −36 21
Source: JFL Official Website (in Japanese)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) Head-to-head Results (a. Points, b. Goal difference, c. Goals scored); 5) Number of wins; 6) Disciplinary points; 7) Play-off (if necessary)
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Notes:
  1. J.League 100 Year Plan clubs
  2. Promotion is conditional on holding a valid J3 license (marked in bold in the table), finishing the season in the top 4 of the JFL, and finishing in the top 2 out of the J.League 100 Year Plan clubs. Average home attendance of at least 2,000 is also required.
  3. Withdrew after the end of the season.

    Nara Club and FC Osaka have been promoted to J3 League, so there will be no relegation from the 2022 JFL.

    Season statistics

    Top scorers
    As of 20 November 2022.[14]
    RankPlayerClubGoals
    1 Japan Hayato Asakawa Nara Club 16
    2 Japan Hiroki Maeda Verspah Oita 14
    Japan Himan Morimoto Tiamo Hirakata
    Japan Tatsuma Sakai Maruyasu Okazaki
    5 Japan Kaito Miyake Suzuka Point Getters 13
    Japan Shota Tamura Veertien Mie

    Hat-tricks

    As of 20 November 2022.[15]

    Name For Against Result Date
    Tatsuma Sakai3 Maruyasu Okazaki Suzuka Point Getters 4–2 20 March 2022
    Tomoki Hino4 Honda Lock Kagura Shimane 5–1 3 April 2022
    Yuhi Hayashi3 Maruyasu Okazaki Kochi United 5–3 3 July 2022
    Daiki Kawato3 Tokyo Musashino United Criacao Shinjuku 4–2 31 July 2022
    Himan Morimoto3 Tiamo Hirakata Honda Lock 3–0 20 November 2022

    Awards

    The awards were announced and presented on 6 December 2022.[16]

    Team awards
    AwardTeam
    Fair Play AwardHonda Lock
    Special PrizeCriacao Shinjuku

    Individual awards
    AwardWinnerTeam
    Best Player (MVP)Hayato AsakawaNara Club
    Top Scorer (16 goals)Hayato AsakawaNara Club
    Rookie of the YearRyusei KusakariHonda FC
    Best Manager AwardJulián Marín BazaloNara Club
    Special AwardKazuyoshi MiuraSuzuka Point Getters
    Fighting Spirit AwardTakanori KanamoriTokyo Musashino United
    Excellent Referee AwardKoki Yasukawa–

    Team of the Year
    Goalkeeper (GK) Defenders (DF) Midfielders (MF) Forwards (FW)
    Spain Arnau Riera (Nara Club) Japan Hayato Horiuchi (Honda FC)
    Japan Shusuke Sakamoto (FC Osaka)
    Japan Wataru Ise (Nara Club)
    Japan Kazuya Mima (FC Osaka)    		 Japan Yuya Suzuki (Honda FC)
    Japan Rikuto Kubo (FC Osaka)
    Japan Kazuki Matsumoto (Honda FC)
    Japan Ryusei Kusakari (Honda FC)    		 Japan Hayato Asakawa (Nara Club)
    Japan Tatsuma Sakai (Maruyasu Okazaki)

    See also
    League
    Cup(s)

    References
    1. "About the JFL 2022 slogan". Retrieved 22 June 2022.
    2. "Informations about 2022 JFL broadcasting system". Retrieved 22 June 2022.
    3. "第２４回日本フットボールリーグ表彰式をライブ配信！". JFL (in Japanese). 5 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
    4. "JFL/Regional Leagues play-offs results". www.jfl.or.jp. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
    5. "About the competition's extension period". Retrieved 22 June 2022.
    6. "Recommendation on permanent five-substitute option supported at IFAB Annual Business Meeting". FIFA. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
    7. "About the JFL". Retrieved 22 June 2022.
    8. "J3クラブライセンス申請のお知らせ". Criacao Shinjuku. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
    9. J3 Licenses - "２０２３シーズンＪ３クラブライセンス判定結果について（Ｊ３入会を希望するクラブ）". jleague.jp (in Japanese). Japan Professional Football League. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
    10. "Addition of Oita City as Hometown". verspah.jp/. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
    11. "J3クラブライセンス申請のお知らせ" (in Japanese). 4 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
    12. "【規律委員会】 2022年4月5日付 公表". 5 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
    13. "鈴鹿ポイントゲッターズのＪリーグ百年構想クラブの資格について" [About Suzuka's 100-Year Plan Status]. J.League. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
    14. "第２４回 日本フットボールリーグ(2022)".
    15. "日本フットボールリーグオフィシャルWebサイト|2022年|試合日程・結果". www.jfl.or.jp. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
    16. "Assists". Japan Football League. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
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