A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Nickname(s) | Nara | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1991 | ||
| Stadium | Rohto Field Nara, Nara[1] | ||
| Capacity | 30,600 | ||
| Coordinates | 34°41′54″N 135°49′45″E / 34.69833°N 135.82917°E | ||
| Chairman | Mitsuru Hamada[2] | ||
| Manager |  Julián Marín Bazalo[3] | ||
| League | J3 League | ||
| 2023 | J3 League, 5th of 20 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
|
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Nara Club (奈良クラブ, Nara Kurabu) is a Japanese football (soccer) club based in the city of Nara, capital of Nara Prefecture. They currently play in J3 League, the third tier professional in the Japanese football league system.
History
The club was originally established in Nara in 1991 under the name Tonan Club (都南クラブ, Tonan Kurabu) and it became a member of the Football Association of Nara. The club went up to the top division in 1997.
It was renamed to its current name in 2008, and was promoted to the regional league in 2009. In 2014, they won the Regional League promotion series, earning promotion to the Japan Football League, where they played from 2015 to 2022.
On 5 November 2022, Nara was promoted to the J3 League for the first time in their history, after beating Veertien Mie in a narrow 1–0 win, with Sotaro Yamamoto scoring the winning goal in the 86th minute, to confirm their early access to the J3, a few rounds before the end of the season. The Nara-based club was promoted after eight consecutive seasons in the JFL. 15 days later at the same month, Nara secured their first JFL title, after drawing 1–1 with Sony Sendai at the last round of the competition. A ten-goal difference in Nara's favor them and FC Osaka was the determining factor that gave Nara the league title.
On 24 October 2023, Nara Club announcement officially granted J2 License after approval of Club Licensing Board.[4]
Stadium
Nara Club currently plays its home matches at the Rohto Field Nara. The stadium is confirmed to host every Nara Club home match at the 2023 J3 League, after its schedule was revealed on 20 January 2023.
League and cup record
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| League | Emperor's Cup | J.League Cup | Shakaijin Cup | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Division | Tier | Teams | Pos. | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |||
| Tonan Club | |||||||||||||||
| 1992 | Nara Pref. League Edu. | 11 | * | 3rd | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | Not eligible | * |
| 1993 | Nara Pref. League Div. 5 | 10 | 1st | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||
| 1994 | Nara Pref. League Div. 4 | 8 | 1st | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||
| 1995 | Nara Pref. League Div. 3 | 7 | 1st | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||
| 1996 | Nara Pref. League Div. 2 | 6 | 1st | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||
| 1997 | Nara Pref. League (Div. 1) |
5 | 6th | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||
| 1998 | 4th | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||||
| 1999 | 6 | 3rd | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | |||||
| 2000 | 2nd | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||||
| 2001 | 1st | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | * | ||||||
| 2002 | 11 | 7th | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 12 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | |||
| 2003 | 5th | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 18 | ||||||
| 2004 | 1st | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 8 | 17 | 25 | ||||||
| 2005 [* 1] | 3rd | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 25 | 11 | 14 | 19 | ||||||
| 2006 [* 2] | 1st | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 11 | 20 | 25 | ||||||
| 2007 | 12 | 3rd | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 10 | 12 | 22 | |||||
| Nara Club | |||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Nara Pref. League (Div. 1) |
6 | 12 | 2nd | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 9 | 30 | 27 | Did not qualify | Not eligible | 1st round |
| 2009 | Kansai Soccer League (Div. 2) | 5 | 8 | 1st | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 47 | 18 | 29 | 30 | 2nd round | Did not qualify | |
| 2010 | Kansai Soccer League (Div. 1) |
4 | 4th | 14 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 36 | 24 | 12 | 24 | 1st round | |||
| 2011 | 1st | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 13 | 29 | 35 | 1st round | |||||
| 2012 | 2nd | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 11 | 17 | 29 | 2nd round | |||||
| 2013 | 5th | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 22 | −11 | 14 | 2nd round | |||||
| 2014 | 5 | 1st | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 11 | 19 | 33 | 3rd round | Quarter-finals | |||
| 2015 | JFL | 4 | 16 | 7th | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 33 | 28 | 5 | 46 | 1st round | Not eligible | |
| 2016 | 10th | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 41 | 48 | -7 | 37 | 1st round | |||||
| 2017 | 7th | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 41 | 51 | -10 | 40 | 1st round | |||||
| 2018 | 8th | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 33 | 32 | 1 | 42 | 2nd round | |||||
| 2019 | 14th | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 27 | 32 | -5 | 34 | 1st round | |||||
| 2020 | 13th | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 18 | 2nd round | |||||
| 2021 | 17 | 10th | 32 | 10 | 13 | 9 | 39 | 36 | 3 | 43 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2022 | 16 | 1st | 30 | 16 | 11 | 3 | 48 | 25 | 23 | 59 | 1st round | ||||
| 2023 | J3 | 3 | 20 | 5th | 38 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 45 | 32 | 13 | 57 | 1st round | ||
| 2024 | TBD | 38 | 2nd round | 2nd 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
- Source: http://naraclub.jp/club
Honours
| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Nara Prefecture League Division 5 | 1 | 1993 |
| Nara Prefecture League Division 4 | 1 | 1994 |
| Nara Prefecture League Division 3 | 1 | 1995 |
| Nara Prefecture League Division 2 | 1 | 1996 |
| Nara Prefecture League Division 1 | 3 | 2001, 2004, 2006 |
| Kansai League Division 2 | 1 | 2009 |
| Kansai League Division 1 | 2 | 2011, 2014 |
| Japan Football League | 1 | 2022 |
Players
Current squad
As of 19 April 2024[update].[7] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
