Japan Soccer League


Japan Soccer League, or JSL, was the top flight football league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936. JSL was the first-ever national league of an amateur team sport in Japan.

History

Each JSL team represented a corporation, and like Japanese baseball teams, went by the name of the company that owned the team. Unlike in baseball, however, promotion and relegation was followed, as J. League follows today. The players were officially amateur and were employees of the parent corporations, but especially in later years, top players were generally paid strictly to play soccer.
Originally the JSL consisted of a single division only, but in 1972 a Second Division was added. Clubs could join in by winning the All Japan Senior Football Championship cup competition and then winning a promotion/relegation series against the bottom teams in the JSL. From 1973 to 1980, both the champions and runners-up of the Second Division had to play the promotion/relegation series against the First Division's bottom clubs; afterwards and until 1984, only the runners-up had to play the series.
Top JSL teams included Hitachi Ltd., Furukawa Electric, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nissan Motors, Toyo Industries and Yomiuri Shimbun, which are now, respectively, Kashiwa Reysol, JEF United Chiba, Urawa Red Diamonds, Yokohama F. Marinos, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Tokyo Verdy. Furukawa/JEF United was the only one never to be relegated to the Second Division and kept this distinction until 2009.
JSL played its final season in 1991/92 and the J. League began play in 1993. Top nine JSL clubs, became the original J. League members. The others except Yomiuri Junior who merged with their parent club Yomiuri Club joined the newly formed Japan Football League.

Champions

First Division

All clubs are listed under the names they were using in 1992, when the league ceased to exist. Clubs in italic no longer exist.
ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning SeasonsRunners-up Seasons
Yomiuri SC531983, 1984, 1986–87, 1990–91, 1991–921979, 1981, 1989–90
Mazda SC511965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 19701969
Mitsubishi Motors461969, 1973, 1978, 19821970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977
Yanmar Diesel441971, 1974, 1975, 19801968, 1972, 1978, 1982
Fujita SC311977, 1979, 19811980
Nissan Motors241988–89, 1989–901983, 1984, 1990–91, 1991–92
JR East Furukawa211976, 1985–861967
Hitachi SC1119721973
Yamaha Motors101987–88
NKK SC031985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88
Nippon Steel Yawata021965, 1966
ANA SC011988–89

Second Division

All clubs are listed under the names they were using in 1992, when the league ceased to exist. Clubs in italic no longer exist.
ClubWinnersRunners-upWinning seasonsRunners-up seasons
Yomiuri SC
2
2
1974, 19771975, 1976
Sumitomo Metal Industries
2
2
1984, 1986–871983, 1991–92
Toshiba SC
2
1
1979, 1988–891982
Honda Motors
2
0
1978, 1980
NKK SC
2
0
1981, 1983
Toyota Motors
1
2
19721986–87, 1989–90
Fujitsu SC
1
2
19761974, 1980
Tanabe Pharmaceuticals
1
1
19751972
Yamaha Motors
1
1
19821979
Matsushita Electric
1
1
1985–861987–88
ANA SC
1
1
1987–881984
Hitachi SC
1
1
1990–911988–89
Eidai Industries
1
0
1973
Mitsubishi Motors
1
0
1989–90
Fujita SC
1
0
1991–92
Nissan Motors031977, 1978, 1981
Mazda SC
0
2
1985–86, 1990–91
Kofu SC
0
1
1973

League Cup

See Japan Soccer League Cup.

Konica Cup

See Konica Cup.

All-time JSL member clubs

Current J. League identity and/or standing in the Japanese football league system follows each name.

Original 8 Clubs

In order of their promotion to First Division.
Many of these clubs would only be promoted to the top flight after the J. League was created.