| Season | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Kashiwa Reysol 1stJ.League title 2ndJapanese title |
| Relegated | Ventforet Kofu Avispa Fukuoka Montedio Yamagata |
| Champions League | Kashiwa Reysol Nagoya Grampus Gamba Osaka FC Tokyo |
| Matches | 306 |
| Goals | 869 (2.84 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Joshua Kennedy (19 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 54,441 Reds vsReysol |
| Lowest attendance | 4,028 Avispa vsArdija |
| Average attendance | 15,797 |
←2010 2012 → | |
The2011 J.League Division 1 season was the 46th season of professionalfootball inJapan, and the 19th since the establishment of theJ.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 the2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami,[1] therefore canceling a planned five-week summer break between June 27–July 29 in order to allow preparation of theJapan national team for the2011 Copa América.[2]
The 2011 J.League Division 1 champion also qualified to the2011 FIFA Club World Cup as the host team, entering the qualifying play-off round.
Kashiwa Reysol won a secondleague title, their first in 39 years and first in the professional J.League era. They also became the first champions to win the title the season after being promoted assecond division champions.
FC Tokyo,Kyoto Sanga andShonan Bellmare were relegated at the end of the2010 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 by2010 J.League Division 2 championsKashiwa Reysol, runners-upVentforet Kofu and third-placed teamAvispa Fukuoka. Kashiwa had made an immediate return to the top division, while Kofu and Fukuoka ended three- and four-year absences respectively.
| Club name | Home town(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Albirex Niigata | Niigata &Seirō, Niigata | |
| Avispa Fukuoka | Fukuoka | Promoted from J2 League in2010 |
| Cerezo Osaka | Osaka | 2011 ACL participant |
| Gamba Osaka | Suita, Osaka | 2011 ACL participant |
| Júbilo Iwata | Iwata, Shizuoka | |
| Kashima Antlers | Southwestern cities/towns ofIbaraki | 2011 ACL participant |
| Kashiwa Reysol | Kashiwa, Chiba | Promoted from J2 League in2010 |
| Kawasaki Frontale | Kawasaki, Kanagawa | |
| Montedio Yamagata | All cities/towns inYamagata | |
| Nagoya Grampus | Nagoya, Aichi | 2011 ACL participant 2010 Defending champions |
| Omiya Ardija | Omiya, Saitama | |
| Sanfrecce Hiroshima | Hiroshima | |
| Shimizu S-Pulse | Shizuoka | |
| Urawa Red Diamonds | Urawa, Saitama | |
| Vegalta Sendai | Sendai,Miyagi | |
| Ventforet Kofu | All cities/towns inYamanashi | Promoted from J2 League in2010 |
| Vissel Kobe | Kobe,Hyōgo | |
| Yokohama F. Marinos | Yokohama &Yokosuka |
1 Subject to change during the season.
| 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 to2011 Club World Cup and2012 Champions League |
| 2 | Nagoya Grampus | 34 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 67 | 36 | +31 | 71 | Qualification to2012 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 to2012 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 |
| 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 |
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| GK |  Seigo Narazaki |
| DF | Hiroki Sakai |
| DF | Marcus Tulio Tanaka |
| DF | Naoya Kondo |
| MF |  Jorge Wagner |
| MF | Leandro Domingues |
| MF | Hiroshi Kiyotake |
| MF | Jungo Fujimoto |
| MF | Yasuhito Endō |
| FW |  Joshua Kennedy |
| FW | Mike Havenaar |
| 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 | 274,6551 | 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.
This particular season was used as reference in the movieDetective Conan: The Eleventh Striker. Many players in real life actually provide cameo roles for the film, includingKazuyoshi Miura (Yokohama FC),Yasuhito Endō (Gamba Osaka),Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka),Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), andSeigo 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.
