FC Imabari
Last Sunday I went along to the final FC Imabari game of the season. It was a home game against Honda Lock at Yume Stadium. FC Imabari had the chance of promotion to J3 the lower tier of the J League, the top professional league here in Japan. To gain the promotion FC Imabari had to have a better result than Sony Sendai, a team playing in another game. So if Sony Sendai lost their game and we drew, we could get the promotion. If Sony Sendai drew and we won, we could get the promotion.
FC Imabari History
- The club was founded in 1976.
- In 2001 the club was promoted to the Shikoku Football League.
- Between 2009 and 2011, the club was owned by Ehime FC and acted as their reserve team.
- In 2014 the majority of FC Imabari was bought by Takeshi Okada, former coach of Japan.
- In February 2016, FC Imabari was recognised by the Japan Football Association as a J-League Hundred Year Vision Club. This was the first step towards potential admission to the J3 League.
Yume Stadium
Yume Stadium is a 5,000 seat stadium. It was built specifically for FC Imabari in 2017 when they were promoted to the JFL and had the opportunity to be promoted further into the J-League. Sunday’s attendance fell just short of a sell-out at 4,805 people. A great effort for a town the size of Imabari.
The Atmosphere
I always enjoy the atmosphere at the games. As well as the soccer there’s different food to try and merchandise you can buy. For me it’s pretty special just to see so many Japanese people out of work and spending time with their families. It is a very family friendly environment. I appreciate it that most of the food stalls are local as well. These aren’t the big national companies that have food stalls, but your small family businesses putting in a few more hours on a Sunday afternoon.
FC Imabari vs. Honda Lock
It was the worst possible start. In the first few minutes FC Imabari made a mistake at the back which resulted in a turnover just outside the box, and it was quickly 1 – 0 to the opposition. For the majority of the first half Imabari was absorbing pressure. It was solid work from our goal keeper Polish import Krakowiak to keep us only one goal down.
FC Imabari dominated the second half and had many attacking opportunities. Unfortunately they were only able to convert one of them and the game was drawn one all.
The Result
So, the match ended in a draw. It was probably the correct result. Imabari fans will be thinking about all the chances in the second half that we couldn’t capitalise on. But I’m sure Honda Lock supporters will be thinking the same thing about the first half.
What made the match disappointing for FC Imabari fans was the other game that was happening at the same time. A lot of people were following the Sony Sendai match on their phones. Unfortunately, they saw Sony Sendai take the lead in the first few minutes, and halfway through the first half it was 3 – 0. So, by halftime the fans were realising that their chances of promotion were slim to non-existent. Of course it was great that FC Imabari were able to come back after being dominated in the first half. But, I think a lot of the home crowd had pinned their hopes on promotion into the J League, so the dominant feeling was disappointment.
Next Year – JFL 2019
There’s a lot to look forward to next year. It will be their third year in the JFL. FC Imabari didn’t make the best start to the 2018 season, but they were able to finish really strongly. I hope that they now have the belief that they can do it and next year they are able to take the next step.
