 | |||
| Full name | Tokushima Vortis | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Vortis | ||
| Founded | 1955; 70 years ago (1955) | ||
| Ground | Pocarisweat Stadium Naruto, Tokushima | ||
| Capacity | 17,924 | ||
| Chairman | Kazuhiro Kishida | ||
| Manager | Kosaku Masuda | ||
| League | J2 League | ||
| 2024 | J2 League, 8th of 20 | ||
| Website | vortis | ||
Tokushima Vortis (徳島ヴォルティス,Tokushima Vorutisu) is a Japanese professionalfootball club located inTokushima, capital ofTokushima Prefecture. The club currently playing in theJ2 League, the Japanese second tier of professional football league.
The name, "Vortis" was named in 1997 (see below), and it was explained as a coinage of Italian "Vortice" (meaningwhirlpool, after the famousNaruto whirlpool inNaruto Strait). The name was chosen to exhibit the dynamics of a whirlpool in the hope of swallowing up the whole audience in excitement by its power, speed and unity.[1]
Founded in 1955 asOtsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Soccer Club, VORTIS joined the J-League in 2005. They are still sponsored by Otsuka's best-known brand,Pocari Sweatsports drink.[1]
They were first promoted to the oldJapan Soccer League Division 2 in 1989, but the company's reluctance to professionalize the team forced it to compete in theformer JFL and currentJFL. In the 1997 old JFL season, they first sported aVortis Tokushima name, but the lack of fan interest at the time forced them to go back to the corporate identity. They finally adopted theTokushima Vortis name for good after winning the new JFL championship in 2004 and being promoted.[2]
The first season in J2 was naturally a difficult one for Vortis, but they surprised many sceptics with their determination and quality of play. The team rose as high as fourth place, at one point, before slipping down the table later in the season to finish ninth. In 2006, the team was forced to rebuild, as the players who took the team into the J.League began to hit the ceiling of their abilities and made way for younger replacements. As a result, despite the encouragement of a local rivalry with Ehime FC, Tokushima drifted down-table, and they followed it up with a last-place finish in 2007 and 2008.[2]
In 2013, they earned fourth place in J2, matching the same placement they had two years before in the division and twenty years before in the old JFL Division 1; this time they won the playoff, defeatingKyoto Sanga F.C. in the final round at theNational Stadium in Tokyo, thus becoming the first professional Shikoku football club to compete in the top division of their national league.[3]
Until their promotion, they were the only former JSL member currently a member of the J.League which has never competed in the top tier of Japanese football. With promotion and the creation of theJ3 League in 2014, the distinction was taken over byBlaublitz Akita.
In the 2019 season, they finished 4th again and were one win away from a return to J1 in the playoffs, but ultimately failed to beatShonan Bellmare away in the final game. In 2020, despite theCOVID-19 pandemic, they did one better and were promoted asJ2 champions.
Their home stadium isNaruto Otsuka Sports Park Pocari Sweat Stadium, inNaruto, Tokushima.
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| League | J.League Cup | Emperor's Cup | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Div. | Teams | Pos. | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Attendance/G | ||
| Otsuka Pharmaceuticals | ||||||||||||||
| 2003 | JFL | 16 | 1st | 30 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 65 | 21 | 44 | 72 | 781 | Not eligible | 3rd round |
| 2004 | 16 | 1st | 30 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 74 | 20 | 54 | 78 | 3,046 | 2nd round | ||
| Tokushima Vortis | ||||||||||||||
| 2005 | J2 | 12 | 9th | 44 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 60 | 76 | -16 | 52 | 4,366 | Not eligible | 4th round |
| 2006 | 13 | 13th | 48 | 8 | 11 | 29 | 43 | 92 | -49 | 35 | 3,477 | 4th round | ||
| 2007 | 13 | 13th | 48 | 6 | 15 | 27 | 31 | 67 | -36 | 33 | 3,289 | 4th round | ||
| 2008 | 15 | 15th | 42 | 7 | 8 | 27 | 40 | 72 | -32 | 29 | 3,862 | 3rd round | ||
| 2009 | 18 | 9th | 51 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 67 | 52 | 15 | 72 | 4,073 | 2nd round | ||
| 2010 | 19 | 8th | 36 | 15 | 6 | 15 | 51 | 47 | 4 | 51 | 4,614 | 3rd round | ||
| 2011 | 20 | 4th | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 51 | 38 | 13 | 65 | 5,207 | 2nd round | ||
| 2012 | 22 | 15th | 42 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 45 | 49 | -4 | 51 | 3,991 | 3rd round | ||
| 2013 | 22 | 4th | 42 | 20 | 7 | 15 | 56 | 51 | 5 | 67 | 4,348 | 2nd round | ||
| 2014 | J1 | 18 | 18th | 34 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 16 | 74 | -58 | 14 | 8,884 | Group stage | 3rd round |
| 2015 | J2 | 22 | 14th | 42 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 35 | 44 | -9 | 53 | 5,019 | Not eligible | 4th round |
| 2016 | 22 | 9th | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 46 | 42 | 4 | 57 | 4,565 | 3rd round | ||
| 2017 | 22 | 7th | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 71 | 45 | 26 | 67 | 4,979 | 2nd round | ||
| 2018 | 22 | 11th | 42 | 16 | 8 | 18 | 48 | 42 | 6 | 56 | 4,997 | 3rd round | ||
| 2019 | 22 | 4th | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 67 | 45 | 22 | 73 | 5,736 | 3rd round | ||
| 2020† | 22 | 1st | 42 | 25 | 9 | 8 | 67 | 33 | 34 | 84 | 3,100 | Semi-finalist | ||
| 2021 | J1 | 20 | 17th | 38 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 34 | 55 | -21 | 36 | 5,664 | Group stage | 3rd round |
| 2022 | J2 | 22 | 8th | 42 | 13 | 23 | 6 | 48 | 35 | 13 | 62 | 4,224 | Group stage | 3rd round |
| 2023 | 22 | 15th | 42 | 10 | 19 | 13 | 43 | 53 | -10 | 49 | 5,976 | Not eligible | 3rd round | |
| 2024 | 20 | 8th | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 42 | 44 | -2 | 55 | 6,054 | 1st round | 3rd round | |
| 2025 | 20 | TBA | 38 | TBD | TBD | |||||||||
| Honour | No. | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shikoku Football League | 4 | 1978,1979,1981,1989 | as Otsuka Pharmaceutical |
| Japan Football League | 2 | 2003,2004 | as Otsuka Pharmaceutical |
| J2 League | 1 | 2020 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
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| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager |  Kosaku Masuda |
| First-team coach | Masaya Yamaguchi Tsuyoshi Furukawa |
| Goalkeeper coach | Masahiko Nakagawa |
| Analyst | Akira Nakajima |
| Physical coach |  Wellington |
| Rehabilitation fitness coach | Atsushi Nagatani |
| Chief trainer | Shoji Suzuki |
| Trainer | Hisaaki Maehara Masaya Furukawa Kenta Saito |
| Interpreter | Masahiro Fukasawa Masayuki Hatamoto Ferreira Hiroki Nunome |
| General manager | Yusuke Abe |
| Assistant general manager | Yuya Ishii Daiki Sugawara |
| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Finish | ||
| Kunio Yamade | Japan | 1988 | 31 January 1993 |
| Hajime Ishii | Japan | 1 February 1993 | 31 January 1996 |
| Edinho | Brazil | 1 February 1996 | 31 December 1998 |
| Shinji Tanaka | Japan | 1 January 1999 | 28 September 2006 |
| Yutaka Azuma | Japan | 28 September 2006 | 31 January 2007 |
| Masataka Imai | Japan | 1 January 2007 | 31 January 2008 |
| Naohiko Minobe | Japan | 1 February 2008 | 31 January 2012 |
| Shinji Kobayashi | Japan | 1 February 2012 | 31 January 2016 |
| Hiroaki Nagashima | Japan | 25 November 2015 | 31 January 2017 |
| Ricardo Rodríguez |  Spain | 1 February 2017 | 31 January 2021 |
| Takeshi Komoto (Interim) | Japan | 1 February 2021 | 16 April 2021 |
| Dani Poyatos | Spain | 1 February 2021 Actual start date 16 April 2021[5] | 31 January 2023 |
| Beñat Labaien | Spain | 1 February 2023 | 22 August 2023 |
| Tatsuma Yoshida | Japan | 23 August 2023 | 31 March 2024[6] |
| Kosaku Masuda | Japan | 1 April 2024 (Interim) 7 May 2024 (Official)[7] | Current |
| Home kits - 1st | ||||
         2005-2006 |     2007-2008 |     2009-2010 |    2011-2012 |      2013 |
    2014 |     2015 |      2016 |      2017 |      2018 |
     2019 |      2020 |      2021 |      2022 |      2023 |
    2024 |      2025 - | |||
| Away kits - 2nd | ||||
    2005-2006 |     2007-2008 |     2009-2010 |     2011-2012 |      2013 |
    2014 |     2015 |      2016 |      2017 |      2018 |
     2019 |      2020 |      2021 |      2022 |      2023 |
     2024 |      2025 - | |||
| Other kits - 3rd | ||||
     2017 Summer 3rd |      2019 15th Anniversary Summer Only |      2021 Summer |      2024 20th Anniversary | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
