4 Dec 2006(Mon)

Tokyo, December 2, 2006: On the one hand, it does not seem that long ago when the tearful and angry Yokohama Flugels players said farewell to the J.League.

It was at the end of 1998, down at Mitsuzawa Stadium, and followed the bursting of the financial bubble which had enabled the J.League to soar into the Japanese sports stratosphere.

But, on the other hand, it seems an age away. At that time, remember, the J.League was still in two stages, still with one division, clubs were paying ridiculous amounts of money for over-the-hill players (Paulo Futre at Flugels in 1998), or showing a complete lack of business sense by investing a fortune (US$10 million for the admittedly talented trio of Cesar Sampaio, Zinho and Evair to Flugels in 1995) when income from attendances was miniscule in comparison.

So the Flugels ceased to be, and the Yokohama Marinos became the Yokohama F Marinos in 1999.

From the ashes of the Flugels came Yokohama FC, and in 2001 they joined the J.League second division from the JFL.

In 2007, Yokohama FC will be in J1, playing local derby matches against Yokohama F Marinos, and, in my mind, this is an incredible success story.

The race for the J2 championship has been fast and furious, with Reysol and then Vissel Kobe seemingly in control, only for both clubs to stall and see Yokohama FC sweep past them and clinch the title. On this day, the last day of the 2006 season, Yokohama FC can bask in the glory, while Kobe and Kashiwa will be scrapping for the second automatic promotion place, and trying to avoid the two-leg play-off against Cerezo or Avispa next week.

The rise of Yokohama FC is not only a triumph for the club and the supporters who refused to go away on the demise of the Flugels; it is also a triumph for the J.League and for football in general.

It proves that, with good management on and off the field (Takuya Takagi deserves enormous credit, of course), and with a mixture of hungry players and seasoned, honest professionals, a club can reach its goal modestly.

Everyone at the club will tell you, though, that the work has just begun. The foundations have been laid but nothing more, and there will be many tough decisions to be made for next season and the future as Yokohama FC attempt to consolidate their position in the top flight and keep building for the long-term.

The collapse of the Flugels, when Sato Kogyo pulled out and ANA switched to Marinos, was a bitter lesson for the J.League. Yokohama FC have proved that those lessons have been learned, and the future of the league will be better for it.

ends