2011 J.League Division 1

The 2011 J.League Division 1 season was the 46th season of professional football in Japan, and the 19th since the establishment of the J.League. The season began on March 5 and concluded on December 3. The season was put on hold from March 12 to April 23 due to the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami,[1] therefore canceling a planned five-week summer break between June 27–July 29 in order to allow preparation of the Japanese national team for the 2011 Copa América.[2]

J.League Division 1
Season2011
ChampionsKashiwa Reysol
1st J. League title
2nd Japanese title
RelegatedVentforet Kofu
Avispa Fukuoka
Montedio Yamagata
Champions LeagueKashiwa Reysol
Nagoya Grampus
Gamba Osaka
FC Tokyo
Matches played306
Goals scored869 (2.84 per match)
Top goalscorerJoshua Kennedy (19 goals)
Highest attendance54,441
Reds vs Reysol
Lowest attendance4,028
Avispa vs Ardija
Average attendance15,797
← 2010
2012 →

The 2011 J.League Division 1 champion also qualified to the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup as the host team, entering the qualifying play-off round.

Kashiwa Reysol won a second league title, their first in 39 years and first in the professional J.League era. They also became the first League champions to win the title the season after being promoted as second division champions.

Clubs

FC Tokyo, Kyoto Sanga FC and Shonan Bellmare were relegated at the end of the 2010 season after finishing in the bottom three places of the table. Shonan had only played one season in Division 1 while Kyoto had enjoyed a three-year stay. FC Tokyo had been in the top flight for eleven seasons.

The three relegated teams were replaced by 2010 J.League Division 2 champions Kashiwa Reysol, runners-up Ventforet Kofu and third-placed team Avispa Fukuoka. Kashiwa had made an immediate return to the top division, while Kofu and Fukuoka ended three- and four-year absences respectively.

Locations of the 2011 J.League 1 teams
Club NameHome Town(s)Notes
Albirex NiigataNiigata & Seirō, Niigata
Avispa FukuokaFukuokaPromoted from J2 League in 2010
Cerezo OsakaOsaka2011 ACL Participant
Gamba OsakaSuita, Osaka2011 ACL Participant
Júbilo IwataIwata, Shizuoka
Kashima AntlersSouthwestern cities/towns of Ibaraki2011 ACL Participant
Kashiwa ReysolKashiwa, ChibaPromoted from J2 League in 2010
Kawasaki FrontaleKawasaki, Kanagawa
Montedio YamagataAll cities/towns in Yamagata
Nagoya GrampusNagoya, Aichi2011 ACL Participant
2010 Defending Champions
Omiya ArdijaOmiya, Saitama
Sanfrecce HiroshimaHiroshima
Shimizu S-PulseShizuoka
Urawa Red DiamondsUrawa, Saitama
Vegalta SendaiSendai, Miyagi
Ventforet KofuAll cities/towns in YamanashiPromoted from J2 League in 2010
Vissel KobeKobe, Hyōgo
Yokohama F. MarinosYokohama & Yokosuka

Personnel and kits
TeamManager1Captain1Kit Manufacturer1Shirt sponsor1
Avispa FukuokaJapan Yoshiyuki ShinodaJapan Kosuke NakamachisvolmeEVERLIFE
Sanfrecce HiroshimaSerbia Mihailo PetrovićJapan Hisato SatōNike, Inc.Deodeo
Júbilo IwataJapan Masaaki YanagishitaJapan Daisuke NasuPumaYamaha
Kashima AntlersBrazil Oswaldo de OliveiraJapan Mitsuo OgasawaraNikeLIXIL
Kashiwa ReysolBrazil Nelsinho BaptistaJapan Hidekazu OtaniYonexHitachi
Kawasaki FrontaleJapan Naoki SomaJapan Yusuke IgawaPumaFujitsu
Vissel KobeJapan Masahiro WadaJapan Takayuki YoshidaASICSRakuten
Ventforet KofuJapan Toshiya MiuraJapan Hideomi YamamotoMizunoHakubaku
Nagoya GrampusSerbia Dragan StojkovićJapan Seigo NarazakiLe Coq SportifToyota
Albirex NiigataJapan Hisashi KurosakiJapan Isao HommaAdidasKameda Seika
Omiya ArdijaJapan Jun SuzukiJapan Chikara FujimotoUnder ArmourNTT DoCoMo
Cerezo OsakaBrazil Levir CulpiJapan Teruyuki MoniwaMizunoYanmar
Gamba OsakaJapan Akira NishinoJapan Tomokazu MyojinUmbroPanasonic
Vegalta SendaiJapan Makoto TeguramoriJapan Atsushi YanagisawaASICSIRIS OHYAMA
Shimizu S-PulseIran Afshin GhotbiJapan Shinji OnoPumaSuzuyo
Urawa Red DiamondsMontenegro Željko PetrovićJapan Keita SuzukiNikeMeiji Seika
Montedio YamagataJapan Shinji KobayashiJapan Katsuyuki MiyazawaPumaTsuyahime
Yokohama F. MarinosJapan Kazushi KimuraJapan Shunsuke NakamuraNikeNissan

1 Subject to change during the season.

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Kashiwa Reysol (C) 34 23 3 8 65 42 +23 72 Qualification to 2011 Club World Cup and 2012 Champions League
2 Nagoya Grampus 34 21 8 5 67 36 +31 71 Qualification to 2012 Champions League
3 Gamba Osaka 34 21 7 6 78 51 +27 70
4 Vegalta Sendai 34 14 14 6 39 25 +14 56
5 Yokohama F. Marinos 34 16 8 10 46 40 +6 56
6 Kashima Antlers 34 13 11 10 53 40 +13 50
7 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 34 14 8 12 52 49 +3 50
8 Júbilo Iwata 34 13 8 13 53 45 +8 47
9 Vissel Kobe 34 13 7 14 44 45 −1 46
10 Shimizu S-Pulse 34 11 12 11 42 51 −9 45
11 Kawasaki Frontale 34 13 5 16 52 53 −1 44
12 Cerezo Osaka 34 11 10 13 67 53 +14 43
13 Omiya Ardija 34 10 12 12 38 48 −10 42
14 Albirex Niigata 34 10 9 15 38 46 −8 39
15 Urawa Red Diamonds 34 8 12 14 36 43 −7 36
16 Ventforet Kofu (R) 34 9 6 19 42 63 −21 33 Relegation to 2012 J.League Division 2
17 Avispa Fukuoka (R) 34 6 4 24 34 75 −41 22
18 Montedio Yamagata (R) 34 5 6 23 23 64 −41 21
Updated to match(es) played on December 3, 2011. Source: J. League Division 1
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal differential; 3rd goals scored; 4th head-to-head results; 5th disciplinary points; 6th draw. The winners of the 2011 Emperor's Cup, FC Tokyo, which played in the 2011 J.League Division 2, also qualified for the group stage of the 2012 AFC Champions League. If two clubs are tied for first place, both clubs will be declared champions.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated

Results
Home \ Away ALB ANT ARD AVI CER FRO GAM GRA JÚB MON REY SFR SSP RED VEG VEN VIS FMA
Albirex Niigata 2–2 0–0 3–1 1–1 1–0 2–2 0–1 1–1 2–0 0–3 0–1 4–0 2–3 1–1 1–2 1–0 4–2
Kashima Antlers 1–2 3–3 6–0 2–1 2–2 1–4 1–1 2–0 3–1 0–1 2–0 3–0 0–0 3–0 0–1 1–1 0–3
Omiya Ardija 0–0 1–1 0–2 0–0 0–5 2–3 2–3 2–0 1–1 0–1 0–1 1–4 2–2 2–2 3–1 1–1 1–1
Avispa Fukuoka 0–3 1–2 1–0 0–3 2–1 2–3 0–3 1–2 0–2 0–2 2–1 2–2 1–2 0–3 1–0 2–2 0–1
Cerezo Osaka 1–1 1–3 0–1 7–1 3–3 1–1 2–3 2–3 6–0 5–0 5–4 4–0 3–1 1–1 0–4 0–3 0–1
Kawasaki Frontale 1–2 3–2 0–1 3–2 1–2 2–1 1–2 1–0 2–0 3–2 2–0 1–1 0–1 1–2 2–2 0–3 3–0
Gamba Osaka 2–1 1–0 2–0 2–0 2–1 6–3 2–2 2–2 3–2 2–0 5–3 2–2 1–0 1–0 0–2 3–2 2–1
Nagoya Grampus 4–0 2–1 2–2 5–2 3–1 2–0 4–1 2–1 3–0 0–0 3–2 1–1 1–1 0–1 4–1 3–1 1–1
Júbilo Iwata 1–0 1–2 1–2 4–1 0–4 2–1 1–2 0–1 4–0 6–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 3–0 1–2
Montedio Yamagata 0–1 0–2 0–1 0–5 0–0 0–1 0–5 0–2 1–1 2–1 1–3 1–1 0–0 0–1 3–1 2–0 0–2
Kashiwa Reysol 4–0 2–1 1–3 3–2 1–1 3–2 2–4 2–1 0–3 1–0 3–1 3–0 3–1 1–0 2–1 3–0 2–0
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1–0 2–1 4–2 0–0 1–3 2–3 4–1 0–3 3–1 3–2 1–3 4–0 0–0 0–0 1–1 1–0 3–2
Shimizu S-Pulse 2–1 0–0 3–0 1–0 3–3 2–3 1–3 2–0 0–0 2–1 1–2 0–1 1–0 1–0 3–0 1–5 0–0
Urawa Red Diamonds 1–1 2–2 0–1 3–0 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–0 0–3 0–1 1–3 1–1 1–3 0–0 2–0 2–3 0–2
Vegalta Sendai 2–0 0–1 0–1 1–0 2–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 3–3 2–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 4–0 2–0 1–1
Ventforet Kofu 3–0 1–1 1–1 2–1 0–2 0–1 4–3 3–1 0–1 1–1 1–4 0–2 1–2 3–2 1–2 1–1 1–2
Vissel Kobe 2–1 0–1 0–1 0–0 4–1 1–0 0–4 0–1 3–1 2–0 0–4 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 4–2 2–0
Yokohama F. Marinos 1–0 1–1 1–0 3–2 2–1 2–1 1–1 1–2 1–0 2–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–2 1–3 4–0 1–0
Updated to match(es) played on December 3, 2011. Source: J. League Division 1
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers
Rank Scorer Club Goals[3]
1 Australia Joshua Kennedy Nagoya Grampus 19
2 Japan Mike Havenaar Ventforet Kofu 17
3 Brazil Leandro Domingues Kashiwa Reysol 15
South Korea Lee Keun-ho Gamba Osaka 15
Japan Tadanari Lee Sanfrecce Hiroshima 15
6 Japan Shingo Akamine Vegalta Sendai 14
Japan Ryoichi Maeda Júbilo Iwata 14
Japan Keiji Tamada Nagoya Grampus 14
9 Brazil Bruno Lopes Albirex Niigata 13
Japan Junya Tanaka Kashiwa Reysol 13
11 Japan Hidetaka Kanazono Júbilo Iwata 12
Japan Yu Kobayashi Kawasaki Frontale 12
Japan Yūzō Tashiro Kashima Antlers 12
14 Brazil Rafinha Gamba Osaka 11
15 Japan Ryūji Bando Cerezo Osaka 10
Brazil Paulinho Ventforet Kofu 10
Brazil Rafael Marques Omiya Ardija 10
Japan Hisato Satō Sanfrecce Hiroshima 10
Brazil Jorge Wagner Kashiwa Reysol 10
20 Brazil Adriano Gamba Osaka 9
Japan Jungo Fujimoto Nagoya Grampus 9
Japan Genki Haraguchi Urawa Red Diamonds 9
Japan Hideaki Kitajima Kashiwa Reysol 9
Japan Masashi Oguro Yokohama F. Marinos 9
Japan Yoshito Ōkubo Vissel Kobe 9
Japan Takayuki Yoshida Vissel Kobe 9
27 Brazil Juninho Kawasaki Frontale 8
Japan Shu Kurata Cerezo Osaka 8
Japan Hideya Okamoto Avispa Fukuoka 8
Japan Genki Omae Shimizu S-Pulse 8

Awards

MVP

Best XI
Position Player
GKJapan Seigo Narazaki
DFJapan Naoya Kondo
DFJapan Hiroki Sakai
DFJapan Marcus Tulio Tanaka
MFBrazil Jorge Wagner
MFBrazil Leandro Domingues
MFJapan Jungo Fujimoto
MFJapan Yasuhito Endō
MFJapan Hiroshi Kiyotake
FWAustralia Joshua Kennedy
FWJapan Mike Havenaar

Attendance
Pos Team Total High Low Average Change
1 Urawa Red Diamonds 576,477 54,441 20,240 33,910 −15.1%†
2 Albirex Niigata 442,836 37,830 13,644 26,049 −14.7%†
3 Yokohama F. Marinos 357,647 37,725 7,104 21,038 −18.1%†
4 Kawasaki Frontale 294,776 20,973 13,111 17,340 −6.6%†
5 Nagoya Grampus 284,590 28,515 6,793 16,741 −16.2%†
6 Gamba Osaka 278,981 20,991 11,364 16,411 −1.5%†
7 Kashima Antlers 274,655 1 25,061 7,810 16,156 −22.9%†
8 Shimizu S-Pulse 268,614 21,524 10,745 15,801 −12.2%†
9 Vegalta Sendai 266,144 19,224 11,356 15,656 −9.7%†
10 Cerezo Osaka 240,465 37,172 5,351 14,145 −5.9%†
11 Vissel Kobe 224,962 19,913 6,151 13,233 +3.2%†
12 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 224,447 18,788 7,099 13,203 −9.3%†
13 Ventforet Kofu 205,808 21,589 6,893 12,106 −2.4%†
14 Kashiwa Reysol 202,593 30,807 6,855 11,917 +47.2%†
15 Júbilo Iwata 200,525 30,516 6,386 11,796 −2.8%†
16 Avispa Fukuoka 177,054 19,421 4,028 10,415 +18.1%†
17 Montedio Yamagata 158,527 18,008 5,053 9,325 −20.4%†
18 Omiya Ardija 154,681 12,221 5,627 9,099 −17.8%†
League total 4,833,782 54,441 4,028 15,797 −14.3%†

Updated to games played on December 3, 2011
Source: J. League Division 1
Notes:
† Team played previous season in J2.

Notes

This particular season was used as reference in the movie Detective Conan: The Eleventh Striker. Many players in real life actually provide cameo roles for the film, including Kazuyoshi Miura (Yokohama FC), Yasuhito Endō (Gamba Osaka), Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), and Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus). In the movie, a bomber threatens to bomb all the stadiums unless certain conditions are met. The main character, Conan Edogawa, must solve the case and find the culprit. In the movie, two additional fictional teams are added to the squad: Tokyo Spirits and Big Osaka, making the league with 20 teams.

References
  1. "J.League agrees to resume games on April 23". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  2. "2011 J.League tournament details" (in Japanese). J.League official website. Archived from the original on 2010-12-24.
  3. "J1 Top Scorers". j-league.or.jp. J-League. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2010.
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