Albirex Niigata

Football club infobox
clubname = Albirex Niigata
アルビレックス新潟


fullname = Albirex Niigata
nickname = Albi
founded = 1955
ground = Niigata Stadium Big Swan
Niigata, Niigata
capacity = 42,300
chairman = Yukio Nakano
manager = Jun Suzuki(2006 - )
league = J. League Div.1
season = 2007
position = 6th Place
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=FF8800|body1=FF8800|rightarm1=FF8800|shorts1=FF8800|socks1=FF8800
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF

nihongo|Albirex Niigata|アルビレックス新潟| is a Japanese J. League football team. Despite the club's relative youth, only joining the J. League in 1999, Albirex are one of Japan's best supported teams. In 2003, while still playing in the second tier of Japanese football (J2), Albirex attracted the best average crowd in the country of over 30000. Since promotion to J1 in 2004 they have recorded an average crowd of over 38000, and in 2005 Albirex were the first ever club in Japan to record an average gate of over 40,000.

Outline

For many years it had been a local autonomous amateur club, "Niigata 11", that could never hope to see the light of day in an old Japan Soccer League dominated almost entirely by company teams. The creation of the J. League spurred the club to rise, and in the 1990s it began climbing fast through the divisions.

Joining the J. League in 1999, its home towns are Niigata, Niigata and Seiro, Niigata. Until 2003, it used Niigata Perfectural Sport Ground as the home ground but since 2004, the team began using Niigata Stadium Big Swan as well and now plays most of its games there. In 2003, it set a record for highest attendance in the J. League with the cumulative total of around 660,000. Its practice grounds are Albirex's training facilities in Seiro and the nihongo|Ijimino Sports Park|五十公野運動公園|Ijimino Undō Kōen in Shibata.

In 1998, Albirex Niigata joined the Japan Football League, and was merged into the J2 league after its creation in 1999. The team gradually became competitive and on 2001 and 2002 it came close to getting promoted to J1 and in 2003, it became the champion of J2 and finally joined the top flight.

The team name is made from combining the star "Albireo" of the constellation Cygnus (the Swan) and the Latin word "Rex" meaning 'king'. In 1997, due to copyright issues, the team name was changed from "Albireo Niigata" to the current "Albirex Niigata".

In 2007, the uniform color will change. Until 2006, the color was orange - blue - orange, but from 2007 the color will be orange - orange - orange. This coordinate has not been adopted since 1996 when the team professionalized.

Since 2004, Albirex Niigata has selected a number of players for its satellite team in the S.League in Singapore, called Albirex Niigata Singapore. Albirex also has a women's team and joined L2 league (an equivalent of J2) in 2004.Albirex Ladies won the L2 title in 2006, and it is going to join L1 in 2007.

History

Team name transition

* Niigata eleven SC(Soccer club) in 1955
* Albireo Niigata FC in 1995
* Albirex Niigata in 1997

Titles

* 2003 J2 Championship

Season by season results and managers

Current players

"As of July 6, 2008"

Former players

*flagicon|Japan Motohiro Yamaguchi
*flagicon|Japan Naoya Kikuchi
*flagicon|Japan Tadahiro Akiba
*flagicon|Japan Hidetoshi Wakui
*flagicon|Brazil Fabinho
*flagicon|Brazil Anderson Lima
*flagicon|Brazil Marcus
*flagicon|Canada Issey Nakajima
*flagicon|North Korea Ahn Young-Hak

Topics

Influence by success of Albirex

The success in Albireccs Niigata gave a big impact to the entire Japanese sporting world including the professional baseball. It is because commercial correctness of structure of professional sports, and a regional sticking (effectiveness in Japan) was proven also in the local mainstay city. Moreover, it came for clarifying the possession of energy that it was farther larger than the expectation of the sports market in the local city without the population of the metropolitan area in the past, and local city citizens' localism feelings are very bigger to influence other a lot of sports and municipality.

The Spread of the Albirex brand

In addition to the J-1 Albirex Niigata football team, there is an Niigata Albirex basketball club in the bj league, as well as a ski, snowboard, and track and field team. Alberex also fields a soccer team in the S-league in Singapore and a ladies team in the L-league in Japan. There are also plans to have a baseball team. Though the teams share the same name, management and finances are completely separate for each team.

International match and friendly match

*July 27, 2004 The world challenge match 2004　Club Atlético Boca Juniors（ARG） Niigata Stadium　2-1
*August 1, 2004 The world challenge match 2004　Valencia CF（ESP） Niigata Stadium　5-2
*July 28, 2005 Niigata City international friendship match　Dalian Shide（CHN） Niigata Stadium　2-2
*August 4, 2006 The world challenge match Sevilla FC JAPAN TOUR 2006　Sevilla FC（ESP） Niigata City Athletic Stadium　0-6

ee also

*Albirex Niigata FC (Singapore)
*Niigata Albirex BB (Basketball)
*Albirex Cheerleaders
*Niigata Albirex Running Club
*Term Albirex Niigata (Skiing)
*Niigata Albirex Baseball Club

External links

* [http://www.wldcup.com/Asia/jleague/albirex.html Team Data: Albirex Niigata]
*jp icon [http://www.albirex.co.jp/ Albirex Niigata website]
*jp icon [http://inews.sports.msn.co.jp/football/albirex/ MSN Japan Albirex Niigata webpage]
* [http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/asia/japan/chubu/niigata_stadium.shtml Albirex Niigata Stadium At World Stadiums.com]

Albirex Niigata Squad
-
Albirex Group
-
J. League