BTOP Hokkaido

BTOP Hokkaido (BTOP北海道, Bi Ti O Pi Hokkaidō), formerly known as BTOP Thank Kuriyama, are a Japanese football club based in Kuriyama, Sorachi, Hokkaido. They play in the Hokkaido Soccer League. Despite playing in a league that holds an amateur status, the club's players and employees are currently signed on professional contracts.

BTOP Hokkaido
BTOP北海道
Full nameBTOP Hokkaido
Founded1998 (1998) as Sapporo Thank SC
2004 (2004) as Thank FC Kuriyama
2021 (2021) as BTOP Thank Kuriyama
13 March 2023 (2023-03-13) as BTOP Hokkaido
GroundIwamizawa City Okayama Sports Field
Iwamizawa, Hokkaido
OwnerBTOP Co., Ltd.
ChairmanTetsuya Yano
ManagerYuta Sugiyama
LeagueHokkaido Soccer League
2022Champions
WebsiteClub website

History

The club was founded in 1998 as Sapporo Thank FC. A phoenix club, the club was formed from the dissolution of another Hokkaido club, Anfini Sapporo. Initially being from Sapporo, the club changed their hometown on 2004, moving to Kuriyama, a town on Hokkaido.[1] After the hometown changed, the club became Thank FC Kuriyama. Until 2006, they played at the Hokkaido Soccer League, but got relegated after finishing on the league's 7th place.

From 2007 to 2021, they played at the Hokkaido Block Leagues, which can be considered Japan's 7th-tier league. At the start of the 2021 year, the club once again rebranded, now changing into BTOP Thank Kuriyama. Former J.League player Tetsuya Yano became the club's president, and the players were all signed into professional contracts.[2][3]

On 2022, they debuted at one of the Japan's 5th-tier league, at its respective league of the Japanese Regional Leagues (conglomerate of all 9 existent regional leagues that can vary from 5th to 6th-tier, depending on the region), Hokkaido Soccer League. After signing experienced players to help the team,[4] BTOP Thank Kuriyama immediately won the Hokkaido Soccer League title after being promoted, after a last effort was made on 25 September, beating Sapporo FC by 8–0. With this win, their got their first promotion opportunity to the Japan Football League, Japan's 4th division, via the 2022 Regional Champions League. They had qualified to the tournament by winning the Hokkaido League and by finishing as 2022 Shakaijin Cup runners-up., where they lost to Briobecca Urayasu by 5–3 on penalty shoot-outs, after a 0–0 tie in the regulation time. [5] Despite their efforts, they were eliminated in the group stage of the competition, losing all three matches by 2–1.

The club aspires to be the second team from Hokkaido to ever join the J.League in any of its current divisions, after Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo on 1998. The path to join the J1 League is much more difficult from before, as newly-founded teams have to climb from five or more leagues, to finally earn promotion for the J1 League. BTOP Thank Kuriyama, however, in high hopes, highlights their ambition to join the Japanese maximum level of professional football in back-to-back promotions by 2027.[6]

On 13 March 2023, the club officially announced another name change, becoming BTOP Hokkaido. The club stated that the reasoning behind the change was "...to convey the charm of Hokkaido, which is full of dreams and vitality, through sports. (BTOP) will strive to grow into a team that is loved by everyone by involving the whole of Hokkaido by contributing to a wider range of areas through the team's activities."[7]

Current squad
As of 19 October 2023.[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Japan JPN Ryosuke Hatakeyama
2 DF Japan JPN Kohei Ueda
3 DF Japan JPN Asahi Ishiwata
4 DF Japan JPN Hayata Fukuyama
5 DF Japan JPN Mun Hyong-jong
6 DF Japan JPN Ryo Chikamochi
7 MF Japan JPN Toshiya Motozuka
8 MF Japan JPN Takuya Iwade
10 MF Japan JPN Kota Sawada
11 MF Japan JPN Masaru Ushihara
13 FW Japan JPN Shoto Unno
14 FW Japan JPN Toyoki Yoshiyuki
15 MF Japan JPN Takuya Osawa
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 MF Japan JPN Masaya Hyodo
17 FW Japan JPN Ryoka Abe
18 FW Japan JPN Yuso Takamichi
21 FW Japan JPN Kanta Sakata
25 MF Japan JPN Takashi Yamauchi
30 GK Japan JPN Shun Sato
41 MF Japan JPN Daisei Ono
43 DF Japan JPN Taiyo Hama
45 MF Japan JPN Keishin Nakao
55 DF Japan JPN Kenta Ito
99 MF Japan JPN Shohei Kawakami
— GK Indonesia IDN Ryu Nugraha (on loan from AC Nagano Parceiro)

Coaching staff
As of 25 September 2022 [9]
Position Staff
ManagerJapan Yuta Sugiyama
StaffJapan Masada Hyodo
TrainerJapan Kohei Suzuki
General ManagerJapan Kotaro Nishino

Partners

List of partners and sponsors provided by BTOP Hokkaido:[10]

Partnership type Partners
Core PartnersSun Corporation, Varié Group, Panch, Toa
Standard PartnersEsthetic Salon Risa, Blue Tourism Hokkaido, Design Office Alina, Care Viewer, Kotobuki
Monte Carlo Shoji, Special Club, Tobira, Hokkaido Mazda, Higashikariki Osteopathy
Special PartnersFeelist, Commono, 50mm, Cototori, Sapporo Excel Hotel Tokyu, Landskip
Sapporo Tokyu Rei Hotel, Kyoritz Live Communications, HE's Project
Relationship PartnersEiris
Support PartnersPilates Studio DEP Sapporo Rouage, Alpha Giken, Kuwazawa Shoji, III Inc.

Club record

Overall record
Champions Runners-up Third place Promoted Relegated
SeasonLeaguePositionPWDLFAGDPtsEmperor's CupShakaijinRCL
2004–2021 Hokkaido Block Leagues –
2022 Hokkaido Soccer League1st1411306035736Did not qualifyRunners-upGroup stage
2023 Hokkaido Soccer LeagueTBA1400000002nd round
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

Shakaijin Cup record
Season Stage Score Opponent Team scorer
2022 Round of 32 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(11–10 p)		 Mitsubishi Mizushima Edamoto
Round of 16 3–0 Cobaltore Onagawa Kammera, Hiraoka
and Edamoto
Quarter-finals 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(5–3 p)		 Arterivo Wakayama Motozuka
Semi-finals 2–2 (a.e.t.)
(5–4 p)		 Nobeoka Agata Kammera and Kisa
Final 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–5 p)		 Briobecca Urayasu –

Regional Champions League record
Season Stage Score Opponent Team scorer
2022 Group stage 1–2 Nobeoka Agata Kammera
1–2 FC Kariya Kisa
1–2 Tochigi City Kammera

Honours
  • Hokkaido Soccer League (1): 2022
  • Hokkaido Soccer League 2nd Division (1): 2001
  • North Hokkaido Block League (2): 2008, 2009
  • Central Hokkaido Block League (3): 2015, 2016, 2018
  • Central/North Hokkaido Block League (1): 2021

References
  1. "Club Profile" (in Japanese). Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  2. "BTOPサンク栗山のオフィシャルスポンサーになりました" (in Japanese). Tobira. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  3. "プロサッカークラブ　BTOPサンクくりやま（北海道）のチームスポンサー契約の締結の知らせ" (in Japanese). Toa Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  4. "Ｊ目指し新生BTOPサンクくりやまスタート　Ｊ経験者そろえ最短４年で昇格狙う" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  5. "Shakaijin Cup's Schedule-Result" (in Japanese). Japan Football Association. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  6. "目指すは4年後のJ1昇格 BTOPサンクくりやま始動" (in Japanese). Zaikai Sapporo. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  7. "クラブ名変更のお知らせ". btop.jp (in Japanese). BTOP Hokkaido. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  8. "BTOP Players". btop.jp (in Japanese). BTOP Thank Kuriyama. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  9. "BTOP Profile" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  10. "Partners". BTOP Thank Kuriyama. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
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