In an era when there was no professional statement in Asian soccer, a strong green army appeared in Japanese football as one entered the last decade of the 20th century. It was a famous Yomiuri soccer team, founded in 1969 and winning the Asian Club Cup in the late 1980s.
In 1993, the Japan Football Association announced the start of professionalization and Yomiuri changed its name to Kawasaki Green, becoming one of the 10 founders of the J-League. Because they couldn't find a suitable home in Tokyo at the time, they had to settle in the nearby city of Kawasaki, which can also be called Kawasaki Beldi.
In the first season of the league's existence, Kawasaki Green's overall performance was quite impressive. Famous Asian players at the time, such as Chirashi Miura, Ramos Weiwei, Hiroshi Kitazawa, and Shuhiro Takeda, among others. , swept the first year of Japan's professionalized top league and the first Japan League Cup.
In 1994, Kawasaki Green completed a strong defense of its J1 League title by winning it again. It has become the most symbolic club of the new era of development in Japanese soccer that ushered in the new professionalization, and seems to be on its way to becoming an old giant.
Not only was Kawasaki Green FC famous in Asian soccer at the time, but star Chira Miura managed to shine as well. in 1993, at the age of 26, he managed to win the J-League's Most Valuable Player and the Asian Footballer of the Year 1993.
During the period 1990-1998, Chira Miura was the first Japanese player to be voted Asian Footballer of the Year, scoring 100 goals for Kawasaki Green in the 1992 round of the league. He scored 100 goals for Kawasaki Green in the 1992 round of the league. Chira was an epoch-making player for the development of Japanese professional soccer.
After the birth of the J-League, Kawasaki Midorin became the first league king, and later became the runner-up of the J1 League in 1995 and the winner of the Emperor's Cup in 1996.
Kawasaki Green, in addition to Chira Miura and Ramos Miaowei, have players such as Tetsuji Jutani, Daisuke Takagi, Masashi Oguro, Nihiro Hattori and Makoto Maenori. A super green team of Japanese professional soccer, they have achieved good results both domestically and in Asia. in the early days of the J-League, Kawasaki Midorin was regarded as the symbol of Japanese professional soccer clubs by outsiders.
Kawasaki Midorin, as the first two champions of the J-League since its inception, should have had better prospects than other clubs. However, he had no choice but to be relegated in 2008 due to a variety of reasons including business failure. The last time he played in the top flight was 15 years ago.
By that year, the giants of the JLF had changed. after a name change in 2008, Tokyo Green no longer held the top spot in Japanese professional soccer. Although they finally managed to get promoted after 15 years in the J2 League, they haven't been idle for a few years.
Although playing in the second tier league, Tokyo Green has always developed according to the rules of the J-League, with a well-established youth training system and ladder building, which has produced many soccer youth and later professional players.
In addition to the continued development of youth soccer, the Tokyo Green women's soccer team NTV Beauties (NTV Tokyo Green Women's Soccer Team) has become a superpower of women's soccer teams in Japan. winning the first AFC Women's Soccer Championship in 2019, formerly known as the Yomiuri Beauties in 1981.
Notably, the NTV Beauties currently play in the WELeague, Japan's professional women's football league, which is believed to be the first women's football league in Asia to go fully professional when it officially begins to be re-branded in 2021. And the Women's Super League, founded in 1997, is still considered semi-professional after 26 years.
After poor management, Tokyo Green had no choice but to be relegated. Instead, it took a diversified path, relying on the rich resources of the capital city of Tokyo, and accumulated as much as the J1 giants of the same era in all aspects.
What's even more outrageous is that Tokyo Green has grown even beyond regular soccer, not only a soccer club, but also triathlon, volleyball, beach soccer, e-sports, cheerleading and dancing, baseball, skateboarding, 3V3 basketball, golf, and more. , which is also amazing!
Tokyo Green has been able to diversify so much not only because it's a veteran club with many 30-year old fans, but also because of the Hometown concept implemented by the J-League.
The club, which was once only a men's soccer team, has branched out into different areas and has become a link that can connect people of all ages and walks of life, and the club has a huge fan base.
To this day, a fan can still be seen in the home stands of Tokyo Green, still cheering for the team in a classic Gen 1 championship home jersey.
The economic base determines the superstructure, which is vividly reflected in the world of soccer. However, at the time, many people did not realize that the famous professional kings of Asia, who once dominated the Japanese soccer world, had been losing their financial backing in the sub-league for 15 years.
When Tokyo Green, who have had a good little run, appear in the J1 League next season after 16 years, I'm sure they'll be even more determined to keep fighting in the top flight.
Late to the party, but eventually upgraded. Ladder building, women's football strength, clubs, etc. Far more than what happened 15 years ago when they were relegated. Now, Tokyo Green, the first year champions of Japanese professional soccer, are still pretty lucky.
