JEF United Ichihara Chiba

Football club infobox
clubname = JEF United Ichihara Chiba
ジェフユナイテッド市原・千葉


fullname = JEF United Ichihara Chiba
nickname = JEF
founded = 1946
ground = Ichihara Seaside Stadium
Fukuda Denshi Arena
capacity = 16,933
19,781
chairman =
manager =
league = J. League Div.1
season = 2007
position = 13th Place
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=FFFF00|body1=FFFF00|rightarm1=FFFF00|shorts1=000080|socks1=FFFF00
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF

nihongo|JEF United Ichihara Chiba|ジェフユナイテッド市原・千葉|Jefu Yunaiteddo Ichihara Chiba is a football (soccer) club that plays in J. League. On February 1, 2005, the club changed its name from "JEF United Ichihara" to the current name after Chiba city had joined Ichihara, Chiba as its hometown in 2003. The club name, "JEF" -taken from JR East and Furukawa Electric- and "United", represents the unity of the team and its home town. The club is also known as nihongo|JEF United Chiba|ジェフユナイテッド千葉|Jefu Yunaiteddo Chiba or nihongo|JEF Chiba|ジェフ千葉|Jefu Chiba. JEF are one of only six teams to have competed in Japan's top flight of football every year since its inception in 1993.

History

The team began as the company team, nihongo|"Furukawa Electric Soccer Club"|古河電気工業サッカー部 in 1946. As the company team, it won the Japan Soccer League twice, the Emperor's Cup four times and the JSL League Cup three times. Furukawa also won the 1986/87 Asia Club Championship, the top club honor in Asia.

Since the league's inception in 1965, the team has always played in the top flight in Japan and is the only Japanese team to never be relegated from either the JSL1 or J1. They did finish the 1978 season in a relegation position (last of 10) but stayed up after beating Honda F.C. 1-0 on aggregate in a two-legged playoff. The last place was not automatically relegated until the 1980 season.

In 1991, it merged with the JR East's company team to become nihongo|"East Japan JR Furukawa Football Club"|東日本ジェイアール古河サッカークラブ and rebranded itself as JEF United Ichihara upon the J. League's founding in 1993. The team initially built itself around the former Germany national football team player Pierre Littbarski.

From 1998 to 2000, the team struggled to stay in the J1 league and it began a series of efforts to be a competitive team. Since the hiring of Ivica Osim in 2003, JEF United has contended for the league title each year despite limited resources and struggling attendance.

On July 16, 2006, Osim left the team to take over the coach of the Japan national team and was succeeded by Amar Osim, his son and assistant coach. [http://www.crisscross.com/jp/news/379023] . On December 5, 2007, it was announced that Osim had been sacked after the club's lowly 13th place finish in the 2007 season. [http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=afp-fbljpnbihasiaosim&prov=afp&type=lgns]

After 13 games in the 2008 season Josip Kuže was sacked as team manager. On 8th May 2008 it was announced that the new manager was Alex Miller. Miller was First Team Coach at Liverpool FC alongside Rafa Benitez prior to joining JEF United.

On May 13, 2008, JEF United Chiba were linked with a move for Michael Owen who's contract renewal talks at Newcastle United FC have broken down because of a pay cut.

Furukawa Electric is no longer the main sponsor of the club, a job these days taken over by Fuji Electric.

tadiums

It had played its home matches at Ichihara Seaside Stadium, but has since moved to the larger, football-specific and more conveniently located Fukuda Denshi Arena, which opened in Chiba during the 2005 season. The club had initially practiced at Urayasu, Chiba planning to base itself in Narashino, Chiba before opposition by those living around Akitsu Stadium forced it to be based in Ichihara. Since 2000, training has been held at Footpark Anesaki in Ichihara.

Affiliated clubs

Furukawa Electric Chiba

This was JEF's reserve team during the JSL years. They were formed in 1967 and were first promoted to the JSL Second Division in 1975. They still exist, although they are no longer affiliated on paper, and play in the Kanto Regional League. In 2008 they renamed themselves S.A.I. Ichihara

JEF United Ichihara Chiba B

JEF's current reserve team plays in the Japan Football League, the current third tier of Japanese football.

Team Record

J.League

External links

* [http://www.so-net.ne.jp/JEFUNITED/ JEF United Official Site] (in Japanese)
* [http://www.wldcup.com/Asia/jleague/jef.html Rising Sun News club profile]

J. League
-
Original J. League clubs