Tokyo Great Bears

Tokyo Great Bears (Japanese: 東京グレートベアーズ) is the Japanese male volleyball club in V.League Division 1, the highest volleyball league in Japan. Established in May 2022 by Nature Lab Co., Ltd. and would start competing in 2022–23 season.[1]

Tokyo Great Bears
Full nameTokyo Great Bears
東京グレートベアーズ
FoundedMay 2022 (2022-05)[1]
GroundKōtō, Tokyo, Japan
OwnerNature Lab Co., Ltd.
Great Bears Co., Ltd.
Head CoachFinland Kasper Vuorinen
CaptainJapan Koichiro Koga[2]
LeagueV.League Division 1
WebsiteClub home page

Concept

The team name means the players and supporters that are connected, comparable to the seven stars of the Big Dipper, which is part of Ursa Major. The club intend to connect people, regions, and the world through volleyball. They will envision a future that will make the volleyball world more exciting and attractive.[3]

    History

    In 2021, it was announced that FC Tokyo volleyball team would suspend the operations after the 2021–22 V. League season.[4][5] But in May 2022, It was reported that the team was transferred to Nature Lab Co., Ltd. and established as the new team Tokyo Great Bears.[6][3]

    In the same month, Great Bears Co., Ltd. was founded as the management company for the club under Nature Lab and some players from FC Tokyo was also transferred to the club.[3]

    All players are offered professional contracts.[7]

    Tokyo Great Bears broke the V.League Division 1 attendance record with 8,142 fans in attendance for the game against JTEKT Stings at Ariake Coliseum.[8]

    Team

    Current roster
    Team roster – season 2023/2024
    No. Player Name Date of birth Position
    1Japan Hidetomo Hoshino (1990-09-29) September 29, 1990Outside hitter
    2Japan Kentaro Tamaya (1992-01-30) January 30, 1992Setter
    3Japan Fukatsu Akihiro (1987-07-23) July 23, 1987Setter
    6Japan Hideyuki Kuriyama (1993-07-15) July 15, 1993Middle Blocker
    8Japan Masahiro Yanagida (1992-07-06) July 6, 1992Outside hitter
    9Japan Takahiro Tozaki (1995-06-14) June 14, 1995Outside hitter
    10Japan Taichirō Koga (c) (1989-10-04) October 4, 1989Libero
    11Japan Daigo Yamada (1998-04-11) April 11, 1998Middle blocker
    12Japan Hirotaka Odashima (1991-07-22) July 22, 1991Middle Blocker
    13Japan Hayata Yanagimachi (1996-06-17) June 17, 1996Opposite Spiker
    14Japan Shin Tehara (1993-04-14) April 14, 1993Setter
    15Japan Yuki Imahashi (2000-12-25) December 25, 2000Setter
    16Japan Takumi Kameyama (2001-02-27) February 27, 2001Outside Hitter
    17Japan Shingo Kasari (1997-01-29) January 29, 1997Outside hitter
    18Japan Tetsuya Muto (1997-11-05) November 5, 1997Middle Blocker
    20Brazil Rafael Araújo (1991-06-13) June 13, 1991Opposite hitter
    28Japan Kandai Goto (2003-01-25) January 25, 2003Libero
    Head coach: Finland Kasper Vuorinen

    Former Roster

    Head coach history
    Name Years
    Japan Koichiro Shimbo2022-2023[9]
    Finland Kasper Vuorinen2023-Present[10]

    Notable Players

    Brazil Rafael Araújo (2022)

    Results

    League result

      Champion   Runner-up

    League Position Teams Matches Win Lose
    V.League Division 1 2022–23 season8th10361026

    References
    1. "tokyo-greatbears information". tokyo-greatbears.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 June 2022.
    2. "022-23シーズン 選手契約（12選手）及びキャプテン決定のお知らせ" (in Japanese). tokyo-greatbears.com. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
    3. "バレーV１新チーム『東京グレートベアーズ』小池百合子東京都知事を表敬訪問" (in Japanese). prtimes.jp. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
    4. Li, Matthew (8 December 2021). "Espejo's team FC Tokyo to suspend V.League ops after season". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
    5. "FC東京バレーボールチーム活動休止のお知らせ ｜ニュース｜バレーボール｜FC東京オフィシャルホームページ". FC Tokyo (in Japanese). 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
    6. "応援ありがとうございました。" (in Japanese). fctokyo.co.jp. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
    7. "【東京GBインタビュー①】久保田代表取締役が感じたVリーグの可能性「我々も26年前にはなかった会社」 | 月バレ.com【月刊バレーボール】". 月バレ.com【月刊バレーボール】 | 月刊バレーボールが運営するバレー情報サイト (in Japanese). 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
    8. "東京グレートベアーズ 2023年3月5日(日)V.LEAGUE MEN 最多入場者数更新のお知らせ". プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1｜PR TIMES. 2023-03-05. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
    9. ネイチャーラボ. "真保綱一郎監督 退任のお知らせ - NEWS - ニュース｜東京グレートベアーズ公式サイト". 東京グレートベアーズ公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-05-22.
    10. ネイチャーラボ. "カスパー・ヴオリネン新監督就任のお知らせ - NEWS - ニュース｜東京グレートベアーズ公式サイト". 東京グレートベアーズ公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-06-15.
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