Dating back to the early days of Asian soccer, before the terminology of soccer became commonplace, the end of the 20th century saw the emergence of a green and powerful team in Japanese football. Named after Yomiuri, the team was founded in 1969 and won the Club Asia Cup in the late 1980s.
In 1993, the Japan Football Association (JFA) sounded the call for professionalism, and the Yomiuri team was transformed into "Kawasaki Green", one of the first ten teams in the J-League. Due to the difficulty of finding a site in Tokyo, the team eventually chose the neighboring city of Kawasaki, which is also known as "Kawasaki Beldi".
In the inaugural season of the J-League, Kawasaki Midorin had an impressive overall performance. Well-known Asian stars such as Chira Miura, Ramos Weiwei, Hiroshi Kitazawa and Shuhiro Takeda combined to win the first title in Japan's top flight since professionalization and the inaugural Japan League Cup.
In 1994, Kawasaki Midorin built on its success and won the J1 League title, accomplishing a brilliant defense of its title. In the new wave of professionalization, it has become a symbolic club of the new era of Japanese soccer, as if it is on its way to the throne of the old giants.
Chira Miura not only shone in Asian soccer for Kawasaki Green, but also won the J-League's Most Valuable Player and Asian Footballer of the Year in 1993 at the age of 26. Between 1990 and 1998, he became the first Japanese player to be named Asian Footballer of the Year, scoring 100 goals in 92 league matches for Kawasaki Green, and is regarded as an iconic figure in the history of Japanese professional soccer.
After the establishment of the J-League, Kawasaki Midorin jumped to become the first league king, followed by a runner-up finish in the J1 League in 1995 and the Emperor's Cup in 1996. In addition to Chirashi Miura and Ramos Weiwei, the team also boasted a number of outstanding players such as Tetsuji Jutani, Daisuke Takagi, Masashi Oguro, Nihiro Hattori, and Makoto Maenori. This Super Green Army has achieved impressive results in both domestic and international competitions and has become a symbol of Japanese professional soccer.
As the first two champions of the J-League, Kawasaki Midorin should have had a bright future. However, due to business failures and many other reasons, they were relegated in 2008. The last time they competed in the top league was 15 years ago.
By then, the landscape of Japan's soccer giants had changed, and Tokyo Green, which changed its name in 2008, was no longer in the top tier. Despite 15 years of hibernation in the J2 League, the team has not been idle in recent years.
Even when competing in the second-tier league, Tokyo Green still follows the rules of the J-League, building a perfect youth training system and ladder construction, and nurturing many soccer youth and professional players.
In addition, Tokyo Green Women's Soccer Team NTV Beauties (日视东京绿色女子足球队) have become a superpower in Japanese women's soccer.In 2019, they won the inaugural AFC Women's Soccer Championship, formerly known as Yomiuri Beauties in 1981.
The NTV beauties play in the WELeague (Japan's professional women's soccer league), which has been touted as Asia's first fully professional women's soccer league since its official name change to professional in 2021. The Women's Super League, on the other hand, founded in 1997, is still considered semi-professional.
With business difficulties, Tokyo Green had to be relegated. However, they have come out of a diversified development path, and with Tokyo's rich resources, they have accumulated strength no less than the J1 giants.
Tokyo Green has grown even beyond the regular realm of soccer, not only as a soccer club, but also in an amazing variety of fields such as triathlon, volleyball, beach soccer, eSports, cheerleading and dance, baseball, skateboarding, 3V3 basketball, golf, and more.
Tokyo Green has been able to achieve such diversification not only because it is a club with a large number of 30-year-old fans, but also because of the "hometown" philosophy of the J-League.
The club, which once only had a men's soccer team, has spun off into multiple areas and has become a link between people of all ages and walks of life, and the club has a huge fan base.
To this day, loyal fans wearing the home jerseys of the classic Genesis champions can still be seen in the home stands of Tokyo Green, cheering on their team.
The economic foundation determines the superstructure, which is also applicable in the soccer world. However, no one could have predicted that the famous professional king of Asia, who once dominated the Japanese soccer world, would lose financial support in the secondary league for 15 summers.
When Tokyo Green returns to the J1 League next season after 16 years, I'm sure they'll be even more determined to fight to achieve top-flight glory.
Despite a late start, the team eventually managed to get promoted. The team has far surpassed the situation it was in when it was relegated 15 years ago in terms of ladder construction, women's soccer strength, and club strength. Now, Tokyo Green is lucky to be the first-year champion of professional soccer in Japan.
