Shimizu S-Pulse

Shimizu S-Pulse
清水エスパルス

Full name	Shimizu S-Pulse
Nickname(s)	S-Pa
Founded	1991 (1991)
Ground	IAI Stadium Nihondaira Shimizu, Shizuoka
Capacity	20,339
Chairman	Shigeo Hidaritomo
Manager	Tadahiro Akiba
League	J1 League
2024	J2 League, 1st of 20 (promoted)
Website	www.s-pulse.co.jp
Home colours Away colours

Shimizu S-Pulse (清水エスパルス, Shimizu Esuparusu) is a Japanese professional football club located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture. S-Pulse is going to compete in the J1 League for the 2025 Season, after get promoted from the Japanese second tier of professional league football, the J2 League in the 2024 season. The club was formed in 1991 as a founding member of the J.League ("Original Ten"), which began the following year. The club originally consisted of players drawn exclusively from Shizuoka Prefecture, a unique distinction at the time.

Given the club's youth when compared to many of their J1 peers, S-Pulse have had a relatively large impact on Japanese football. Since the game turned professional in 1992, they are one of the most prolific and consistent performers in cup competitions, having made no less than ten final appearances: five times in the Emperor's Cup and five times in the League Cup. Only Japan's most successful professional team, Kashima Antlers, have made more final appearances. They have won both of these competitions once and have also won the Japanese Super Cup twice and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup once. The club's most recent cup final was in the 2012 J.League Cup which ended in defeat to Kashima.

Despite the club's cup competition prowess, the J.League Division 1 title has so far eluded them. The closest S-Pulse came was in 1999 when, after winning the league's second stage, they lost out on the title in a penalty shootout. When scores remained level after both legs of the title deciding match, Júbilo Iwata, S-Pulse's local rivals, prevailed. Former S-Pulse and national team player Kenta Hasegawa, who made a substitute appearance in the second leg of this title decider, became club manager in 2005. He was the longest serving manager in the club's history, in office until 2010. He resigned at the end of the season after failing to win any competitions and was replaced by Afshin Ghotbi. Ghotbi's tenure lasted over 3 years, keeping the club as a mid-table J1 team until his departure in early 2014. From that season onward the club have churned through managers & become a yo-yo club with relegation zone finishes in J1 while regularly winning promotion in J2.

History

Main article: History of Shimizu S-Pulse

Shizuoka as a football prefecture

Headquarters are established in Shizuoka Prefecture called the football kingdom in Japan. As a prefecture, Shizuoka had historically been a strong footballing area of Japan; in particular being noted for its nationally successful high school teams and the numerous national team players which had emerged from the prefecture over the years. The prefectural police force of Shizuoka actually has an anthropomorphic football as a mascot. The west of the prefecture was already home to the company team of Yamaha Motor Corporation who played in the Japan Soccer League and who would later go on to form Júbilo Iwata, but it was believed there was room for another team for the football-hungry population. An earlier attempt had been made in the 1970s with the local club belonging to Nippon Light Metal Corp., which briefly competed in the JSL Division 2 under the name Hagoromo Club. With the advent of the professional league at the start of the 1990s, the concept of creating a team to both sign and represent the local footballing talent was fomented.

Club formation

Shimizu S-Pulse was formed in early 1991 as Shimizu FC from the backing of local businesses and people. This was a beginning which made them unique among the founding clubs of the J.League, with all others ex-company teams turned professional. Two months after formation, the club name was officially changed to Shimizu S-Pulse. S-Pulse is a combination of the S from Shizuoka, Shimizu, Supporter and Soccer, and Pulse from English to mean the spirit of all those who support the team.

On February 4, 1991, S-Pulse were approved by the J.League to compete in the newly formed professional league to start the following year. The club played its first ever game against Gamba Osaka on July 4, 1992, a date which is celebrated as the club's memorial birthday. The match took place at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka. The club's first competitive game was in the 1992 League Cup against Nagoya Grampus on September 5 at the Mizuho Athletic Stadium, and ended in a 3–2 defeat. Their competitive home début was held at Nihondaira Stadium shortly after on September 9 against Yokohama Marinos, which S-Pulse won 2–1. S-Pulse's first league game was played in May 1993 away to Yokohama Flügels at Mitsuzawa Stadium. Flügels won 3–2. The first home league game was a 2–1 victory against Sanfrecce Hiroshima on May 19 of the same year.

Professional football

After being approved for participation in the J.League S-Pulse competed in the inaugural 1992 J.League Cup and made it to their first final. However, the dream start ended with defeat at the hands of Verdy Kawasaki. In 1993, S-Pulse became one of the ten founder members of the new J.League, and finished third after the 1st and 2nd stages were combined. Their second venture into the J.League Cup was another near miss, again losing in the final to Verdy Kawasaki. Finally, in 1996 the team got their hands on the trophy and also gained revenge on Verdy, beating them 5–4 on penalties in the final.

The year 1999 was marked with S-Pulse's first appearance in the Japanese Super Cup, replacing Yokohama Flügels after their merger with Yokohama Marinos. However, S-Pulse lost the match 2–1. After performing well in both league stages, S-Pulse were up against local rivals Júbilo Iwata in the title decider, and after a 3–3 aggregate draw, lost the tie 4–2 on penalties. The new millennium brought better results for S-Pulse. Victory in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup in 2000 and victory in the final of the Emperor's Cup in 2001 meant that the S-Pulse trophy cabinet was beginning to fill up, and victories in the 2001 and 2002 Japanese Super Cups meant that the club had won four cups in three years.

S-Pulse fans make the hundred mile trip to FC Tokyo, September 2007

In 2005, S-Pulse closed the year with a run to the Emperor's Cup final in which they did not concede a single goal. However, this changed in the final against Urawa Red Diamonds, which they lost 2–1. After a near-miss in the league, avoiding a relegation play-off by only goal difference, manager Kenta Hasegawa's work started to pay off the following year. In both 2006 and 2007 S-Pulse performed strongly in the league and finished in 4th place, followed by a fifth place standing in 2008. However, early exits in both cup competitions in 2006 and 2007, means they are currently without a trophy for five years. This is the longest barren spell in their history, although in 2008 they came close, being defeated in the final of the League Cup by Oita Trinita.

In 2011, S-Pulse made the "Signing of the Century" by making a move to complete the signing of Swedish and Arsenal F.C. legend Freddie Ljungberg. It is considered by many Japanese to be one of the greatest signings in league history. Many also believed that the signing would boost football in baseball-fanatic Japan, however Ljungberg departed, and subsequently retired, after 5+1⁄2 months with the club. Later managements would turn out to be a catalyst for S-Pulse's luck to run out in the next seasons.

S-Pulse would play four more seasons in J1, until their first-tier stay was broken in the 2015 season. The club was in good standing early in the first stage until they collapsed later, falling into the bottom three. Home fans were disappointed at the way their club was playing. S-Pulse failed to improve in the second stage, being at the relegation positions. After 23 seasons in the top flight, they were relegated to J2 (and the second tier) for the first time in their history after a 1–0 home loss to Vegalta Sendai on October 17, 2015.

S-Pulse bounced back to top flight football immediately, securing promotion to the J1 League on the final matchweek of the 2016 J2 League.

After six years at J1 League, in which they spent five of the six years on the lower half of the table, S-Pulse returned to J2 League after being confirmed relegation from the J1 on the last matchweek, having finished in 17th place, just above their rivals Júbilo Iwata.

On 27 October 2024, S-Pulse secure promotion to J1 League after defeat Tochigi SC narrowly 1-0 with goal Jelani Reshaun Sumiyoshi in 50th minute and return to top tier after two years absence.

Supporters

In common with other J.League teams, S-Pulse have a colourful and noisy collection of supporters who follow the team around the country. A supporter band is present at games home and away to help galvanise support and raise the decibel levels. The band models itself to a large degree after its Brazilian counterparts, and Latin rhythms and samba sounds predominate. For home games, S-Pulse's more vocal supporters gather in the second tier of The Kop; the stand behind the west goal at Nihondaira Stadium. Also in this area can be found S-Pulse's various organised supporter groups. These groups include fan clubs dedicated to specific players and are often identifiable by unique uniforms. These fan clubs work to organise events which include mass choreographed displays and the supporter band. Also housed in The Kop are S-Pulse's band of ultras, who each game take over a central area behind the goal which has been dubbed The Dragon Zone. Often physical, it is not uncommon for the area to descend into a mosh pit after important goals, and signs posted around the stand inform and caution general supporters of the area's lively nature. The club's official fan club has several branches around the country, and S-Pulse supporters are officially listed as the team's twelfth player.

Ownership

Although Suzuyo & Co., Ltd., which is a local major logistics company, had become a parent company just at the present, since the Shimizu S-Pulse was born as a citizen club from the start, vulnerable time suited it in the past in terms of a fund. As well as originally gathering its playing staff almost exclusively from Shizuoka prefecture, local corporation S-Lap Communications ran and financed the club. This was a company funded in part from Shimizu citizens, but in main by Shizuoka Television. After the J.League bubble burst in the late 1990s, Shizuoka Television withdrew backing, and in 1998 only a drastic restructuring kept the club afloat. Ownership of S-Pulse was reorganized between local companies under the leadership of Shimizu-based Suzuyo. It is now run under the company title of S-Pulse, Inc.

In culture

Despite their relatively short history, S-Pulse have had some impact on popular culture beyond football. Current manager and former player of some eight years and over 200 appearances, Kenta Hasegawa, makes occasional appearances in popular manga and anime series Chibi Maruko-chan. In the show a boy with his name and referred to as Kenta-kun is sometimes seen. He loves football and is a classmate of title character Chibi Maruko. The author of the manga, Momoko Sakura, created this character after Hasegawa. Sakura and Hasegawa attended the same primary school during the same period. Unique S-Pulse related Chibi Maruko goods are also produced. In another example, two fictional characters from the popular Captain Tsubasa manga, who, on becoming professional footballers, join S-Pulse.

Stadium

Main articles: Nihondaira Sports Stadium, Shizuoka "Ecopa" Stadium, Kusanagi Athletic Stadium

Mount Fuji as seen from Nihondaira Stadium

S-Pulse's main home arena is the Nihondaira Sports Stadium located in Shimizu, with a capacity of 20,248. However, over their history home games have been staged at a number of grounds. The first decade of S-Pulse's existence sometimes saw 'home' games played outside of Shizuoka prefecture, including at the National Stadium in Tokyo. The most frequently used other venue was Kusanagi Athletic Stadium. Utilised almost equally with Nihondaira over S-Pulse's earliest years, this included six home games in 1993. Kusanagi was called home while Nihondairs was enlarged in 1994, and again while the pitch relaid in 2003. With a fully functioning Nihondaira, Kusanagi was used less commonly, with the most recent first team match being held there in 2003.

The most common reason for moving games is the restrictively low capacity of Nihondaira. This has often led the club to stage fixtures against neighbouring Júbilo Iwata and other high-profile clashes, at Shizuoka "Ecopa" Stadium. This stadium was built in 2001 for the following year's World Cup and has a capacity of 51,349. Despite still being in Shizuoka Prefecture, Ecopa is over an hour's travel from Shimizu, deep within the Jubilo catchment area. For such a fiercely contested derby, much of the home advantage is lost; a factor which contributed in part to the staging of the 2007 derby at Nihondaira despite demand for tickets far outstripping supply. The decision paid off with a home victory. 2007 saw all home games staged at Nihondaira for the first time since 1999. This was repeated in 2008, although between 2009 and 2015 Ecopa was used for at least one home league game. S-Pulse have chosen not to use Ecopa since 2015, playing all home league games at Nihondaira.

The home end before a game in 2013

Naming rights

In October 2008 it was announced that naming rights would be sold for Nihondaira Stadium. In late November 2008 a deal was announced which would rename the stadium Outsourcing Stadium Nihondaira. The contract will run for four years starting from the 2009 season, and would be worth 90 000 000 per year.

A new 5-year deal sponsorship deal with IAI Corporation, a manufacturer of industrial robots, took effect on 1 March 2013. The stadium was renamed IAI Stadium Nihondaira, shortened by the club and supporters to I Sta. This sponsorship deal was extended a further five years in 2018.

Future

After filling Nihondaira on average over 81% for league games in 2008, in November of the same year the club expressed its desire for the ground, which is owned by Shizuoka City, to have its capacity expanded.

In 2020 the club restated their hope to build a new, larger home. In recent years various locations have been cited as a potential location for a new stadium, including next to Higashi-Shizuoka Station, and next to Shimizu Station.

Training ground

Located near the famous Miho no Matsubara are S-Pulse's main training facilities. Named Miho Ground, training session are sometimes open to the public for autograph hunters. The Miho Ground has also housed the club offices since the club's foundation.

Rivalries

Main article: Shizuoka Derby

S-Pulse share Shizuoka Prefecture with fierce local rivals, Júbilo Iwata. The rivalry dates back to the formation of the J.League when the newly formed S-Pulse were chosen ahead of Júbilo to take part in the first J.League season. Jubilo, who had existed as Yamaha FC in the Japan Soccer League since 1980, had to earn promotion via the 1992 season of the new Japan Football League. This has remained a bone of contention between long standing fans.

With Shizuoka long recognised as the homeland of football in Japan, the two teams have a history of fighting over the best players produced by the region's high schools and universities. Good examples being Naohiro Takahara and Takahiro Yamanishi, who, after graduating from Shimizu Higashi High School, went on to sign for the Júbilo team which won three J.League championships between 1997 and 2002.

Alongside off-field factors, S-Pulse and Júbilo are locked in a perpetual struggle for supremacy on the field. During the J.League's infancy, it was S-Pulse who experienced the greater success and support, but they found themselves in Iwata's shadow for long periods either side of the turn of the century. Recently, S-Pulse have once again emerged as the area's premier club, finishing above Júbilo in the league every season since 2006, and often enjoying further cup runs. 2008 was also the first year since 1995 that S-Pulse succeeded in drawing more supporters through the gates than their rivals.

Also based in Shizuoka are Fujieda MYFC, Azul Claro Numazu and Honda FC. Among those 3 clubs, only Fujieda that currently play at the same level as S-Pulse in J2 League, limiting any potential rivalry development with Azul Claro, who play in J3 League and Honda FC, which compete in Japan Football League, a level below J.League, to one-off cup pairings. Despite always performing well, Honda FC have resisted professionalisation and so are unable to join the J.League. The forerunners to Avispa Fukuoka and Sagan Tosu were originally also based in Shizuoka Prefecture, but had to move to Kyushu because of the dominance and fan saturation of S-Pulse and Iwata.

Colours, crest and mascot

Colour, sponsors and manufacturers

Shimizu S-Pulse shirts.

First-choice goalkeeper colours

Since the team's inception, the same colour combination for home shirts have been used each year. The colour scheme of orange shirts, shorts and socks was selected to reflect the famous local product of Shizuoka Prefecture; the mikan. The current bright orange hue, named S-Pulse Orange by the club, is the result of a gentle evolution from a more yellow/orange shade during the team's early years. At the advent of the J.League, S-Pulse were the only top division club in the country to wear orange, a distinction which is now shared with other top flight mainstays, such as Albirex Niigata and Omiya Ardija. There is currently no third kit. Goalkeeping colours have changed more over the seasons, with the current first choice kit all black, and all green being the second choice.

Kit manufacturers have been exclusively Puma since 1997, and prior to this was shared with Mizuno. Shirt sponsors have been fairly consistent over the team's sixteen-year history (see table below). The team's current main shirt sponsor is the local Suzuyo Group, with additional sponsorship panels on the lower neck and arms from confectionery company Glico, and Japan Airlines, respectively.

Season(s)	Main Shirt Sponsor	Additional Sponsor(s)			Kit Manufacturer
1992–1996	Japan Airlines	Glico	Honen		Mizuno/Puma
1997–2001					Puma
2002–2003			Ajinomoto
2003–2005			Suzuyo
2005–2006			Star	The 3rd Planet
2006–2007	Suzuyo		Japan Airlines
2007–2008				CRS
2008–				San-Ai

Kit evolution

Home kit - 1st Puma (1992–present), Mizuno (1993–1996)
1992	1993 - 1996	1997 - 1998	1999 - 2001	2002 - 2004
2005 - 2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
2021	2022	2023	2024 -

Away kit - 2nd
1992	1993	1994 - 1996	1997 - 1998	1999 - 2001
2002 - 2004	2005 - 2006	2007	2008	2009
2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
2020	2021	2022	2023	2024 -

Third kit - Other
1992 - 1996 Cup 1st	1992 - 1996 Cup 2nd	2016 Super De S Series	2017 Super De S Series	2018 Limited
2019 120th anniversary of the opening of Shimizu port	2020 Limited	2021 Limited	2022 3rd	2022 30th Anniversary
2023 3rd

Crest

From the club's formation up to 1996, the club used an earlier version of the team crest. while different, the previous design featured the same central lettering as the present badge. Unveiled for the 1997 season, the current team crest was designed around a globe to reflect the club's ambitions as a world class professional team. The head of the badge takes the iconic shape of Mount Fuji's perfect cone to symbolise the team's representation of Shizuoka; the home of Mount Fuji. The choice of blue to accompany the team's orange evokes Shimizu's history as an industrial port town and its proximity to the sea of Suruga Bay. The team crest differs from the team logo which is often used to represent the club. The logo uses the central lettering from the crest, an example of which being the club's shop sign.

Club mascot Palchan and co performing at the 2007 All Star game.

Mascot

Named Palchan and sporting big, winglike ears, S-Pulse's mascot supports the team and entertains fans by performing choreographed, and often acrobatic, dance routines during the buildup to home games. He often performs with the help of his two younger siblings. Designed by professional cartoonist Guy Gilchrist, Palchan's name is taken from the English pal and the pul of S-Pulse. The suffix chan is an affectionate title commonly used in Japan. Sporting team number zero, Palchan goods are a consistent best seller with various merchandise available. S-Pulse also have a cheer leading team named Orange Wave. The team perform routines prior to kick off and half time as well as making various appearances at S-Pulse themed events in and around Shizuoka.

Brand

S-Pulse Dream plaza is on the site of a former Shimizukō Line station.

In and around the team's native Shizuoka City there are eight official club shops. Six of these are known as S-Pulse Dream House and serve as both club merchandise stores and match ticket offices. These can be found in Shizuoka, Shimizu, Fujieda, Suntō and Parche shopping centre, part of Shizuoka Station. The Shimizu Dream House also includes a projection screen and viewing area for the broadcasting of away games. The sixth, and newest, Dream House opened in March 2008 in Fuji City. There are two further S-Pulse shops, with one located in Yaizu, and one in S-Pulse Dream Plaza.

S-Pulse Dream Plaza is a shopping and entertainment complex in Shimizu, housing various attractions including restaurants, a ferris wheel, cinema and a football museum. From the nearby Shimizu Port, the S-Pulse Dream Ferry service runs daily to Izu. The team also lends its name to a series of futsal courts named, perhaps predictably, S-Pulse Dream Fields. These facilities are located in Fujieda, Fuji, Sunto and in Shimizu.

Dream Plaza can be found in a redeveloped part of Shimizu Port near the appropriately named S-Pulse Street. This is a road running into the city from the port area of Shimizu and is lined with various statues, monuments and art works related to and inspired by the city's strong association with football. This includes foot and hand prints cast into metal of former notable players, and several S-Pulse-related statues. S-Pulse Street is also home to the Shimizu Branch of the S-Pulse Dream House.

The S-Pulse brand also extends into motorcycle racing, with the S-Pulse Dream Racing Team bearing the football team's name, logo and mascot. The team competes in the All Japan Road Race ST600 class.

League and cup record

Champions

Runners-up

Third place

Promoted

Relegated

Season	Div.	Teams	Pos.	Attendance/G	J.League Cup	Emperor's Cup	Asia
1992					Runners-up	Quarter final
1993	J1	10	3rd	18,462	Runners-up	Semi-finals
1994		12	4th	19,726	1st round	1st round
1995		14	9th	19,747		1st round
1996		16	10th	12,962	Winner	Quarter-finals
1997		17	5th	9,888	Group stage	Quarter-finals
1998		18	3rd	12,298	Semi-final	Runners-up
1999		16	2nd	12,883	Quarter-finals	Quarter-finals
2000		16	8th	12,422	Quarter-finals	Runners-up	CWC	Winner
2001		16	4th	15,973	2nd round	Winner	CWC	3rd place
2002		16	8th	14,963	Semi-finals	Quarter-finals	CWC	Quarter-finals
2003		16	11th	16,284	Semi-finals	Semi-finals	CL	Group stage
2004		16	14th	13,568	Quarter-finals	4th round	-	-
2005		18	15th	12,752	Quarter-finals	Runners-up
2006		18	4th	14,302	Group stage	Quarter-finals
2007		18	4th	15,952	Group stage	Quarter-finals
2008		18	5th	16,599	Runners-up	Quarter-finals
2009		18	7th	17,935	Semi-finals	Semi-finals
2010		18	6th	18,001	Semi-finals	Runners-up
2011		18	10th	15,801	Semi-finals	Quarter-finals
2012		18	9th	15,121	Runners-up	4th round
2013		18	9th	14,137	Group stage	4th round
2014		18	15th	14,210	Group stage	Semi-finals
2015		18	17th	14,083	Group stage	2nd round
2016	J2	22	2nd	11,274	Not eligible	Round of 16
2017	J1	18	14th	15,116	Group stage	Round of 16
2018		18	8th	14,671	Group stage	3rd round
2019		18	12th	15,043	Group stage	Semi-finals
2020 †		18	16th	5,235	Group stage	Did not qualify
2021 †		20	14th	7,454	Play-off stage	4th Round
2022		18	17th	15,256	Group stage	3rd round
2023	J2	22	4th	14,393	Group stage	2nd round
2024		20	1st	17,750	2nd Round	3rd Round
2025	J1	20	TBD

Key

• Pos. = Position in league
• Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
• † 2020 & 2021 season's attendances reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
• Source: J.League Data Site

League history

• Division 1 (J1 League) : 1993–2015
• Division 2 (J2 League) : 2016
• Division 1 (J1 League) : 2017–2022
• Division 2 (J2 League) : 2023–2024
• Division 1 (J1 League) : 2025–

Honours

Shizuoka branch of the S-Pulse Dream House chain

Shimizu S-Pulse honours

Honour	No.	Years
J.League Cup	1	1996
Asian Cup Winners' Cup	1	1999–2000
Emperor's Cup	1	2001
Japanese Super Cup	2	2001, 2002
J2 League	1	2024

Players

Current squad

As of 31 July 2024.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	JPN	Yuya Oki
3	DF	JPN	Yuji Takahashi
4	DF	JPN	Sodai Hasukawa
5	DF	JPN	Kengo Kitazume
9	FW	GHA	Abdul-Aziz Yakubu
10	FW	BRA	Carlinhos Júnior
11	FW	BRA	Lucas Braga (on loan from Santos)
13	MF	JPN	Kota Miyamoto
14	DF	JPN	Reon Yamahara
16	MF	JPN	Kenta Nishizawa
18	FW	JPN	Takumi Kato
19	MF	JPN	Kai Matsuzaki
20	GK	JPN	Ryoya Abe
21	MF	JPN	Shinya Yajima
22	DF	JPN	Takumu Kenmotsu
23	FW	JPN	Koya Kitagawa
25	MF	JPN	Hikaru Naruoka
27	FW	JPN	Riku Gunji

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
28	DF	JPN	Yutaka Yoshida
31	GK	JPN	Togo Umeda
32	DF	JPN	Sen Takagi
33	MF	JPN	Takashi Inui
36	MF	JPN	Zento Uno (on loan from Machida Zelvia)
37	FW	JPN	Yosuke Morishige
39	MF	JPN	Nagi Kawatani
43	FW	JPN	Aoi Ando
44	MF	JPN	Motoki Nishihara
45	MF	JPN	Ryunosuke Yada Type 2
46	MF	JPN	Sean Kotake Type 2
51	GK	JPN	Yui Inokoshi
57	GK	JPN	Shūichi Gonda
66	DF	USA	Jelani Reshaun Sumiyoshi (on loan from Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
70	MF	JPN	Teruki Hara
71	MF	JPN	Ryotaro Nakamura (on loan from Kashima Antlers)
99	FW	BRA	Douglas Tanque

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
17	FW	JPN	Riyo Kawamoto (at Thespa Gunma)
30	FW	JPN	Kanta Chiba (at Fujieda MYFC)
41	MF	JPN	Ryohei Shirasaki (at Machida Zelvia)
83	DF	JPN	Shuta Kikuchi (at Montedio Yamagata)
—	GK	JPN	Kengo Nagai (at Yokohama FC)

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	DF	JPN	Taketo Ochiai (at Okinawa SV)
—	MF	JPN	Yasufumi Nishimura (at AC Nagano Parceiro)
—	FW	KOR	Oh Se-hun (at Machida Zelvia)
—	FW	JPN	Sena Saito (at Thespa Gunma)

Noted players

Players who have been named Player of the Year or Young Player of the Year in the J.League:

Japan Alex Jungo Fujimoto Kenta Hasegawa Daisuke Ichikawa Teruyoshi Ito Ryuzo Morioka Shinji Okazaki Shinji Ono Toshihide Saito Masaaki Sawanobori Naohiro Takahara Kazuaki Tasaka Kazuyuki Toda

AFC/OFC/CAF Alex Brosque Eddy Bosnar Kang Song-ho Ahn Jung-Hwan Cho Jae-Jin Choi Tae-uk Kim Dong-sub Kim Hyun-sung Lee Ki-je Teerasil Dangda

CONMEBOL Fernando Oliva Alair Alexandre Anderson Araújo Baré Baron Dias Djalminha Fabinho Fernandinho Gomes Paulo Jamelli Juninho Jymmy Dougllas Marcelo Marco Marcos Aurélio Marcos Paulo Marquinhos Mirandinha Rogério Corrêa Ronaldão Santos Sidmar Toninho Tuto

UEFA Srđan Pecelj Igor Cvitanović Stuart Thurgood Daniele Massaro Dženan Radončić Frode Johnsen Milivoje Novaković Freddie Ljungberg Mark Bowen

World Cup players

World Cup 1994

• Ronaldão

World Cup 1998

• Teruyoshi Ito
• Toshihide Saito

World Cup 2002

• Daisuke Ichikawa
• Ryuzo Morioka
• Alex
• Kazuyuki Toda

World Cup 2006

• Cho Jae-Jin

World Cup 2010

• Shinji Okazaki

Club officials

For the 2024 season.

Role	Name
Manager	Tadahiro Akiba
Assistant manager	Mitsumasa Yoda Daisuke Ichikawa Ichizo Nakata
Goalkeeper coach	Masaaki Furukawa
Conditioning coach	Ryo Nitta
Analyst	Tomofumi Kuriyama
Chief doctor	Mitsuhito Doi
Chief trainer	Takayuki Nakayama
Physiologist	Felipe Olive
Physiotherapist	Keisuke Ishihara
Trainer	Ryuichiro Maezawa Tomotaka Kato
Athletic trainer	Ryohei Shimura
Interpreter (English / Portuguese)	Daigo Terasaki Kota Kurosu
Interpreter (Korean)	Kang In-yeop
Interpreter (Portuguese)	Luiz Uehara
Chief secretary	Satoru Matsunaga
Secretary	Takahiro Nishiyama Kazuma Ishihara

Managers

Manager	Nationality	Tenure
Émerson Leão	Brazil	Jan 1, 1992 – Dec 31, 1994
Rivellino	Brazil	Jan 1, 1994 – Dec 31, 1994
Masakatsu Miyamoto	Japan	1995–96
Osvaldo Ardiles	Argentina	Jan 1, 1996 – Dec 31, 1998
Steve Perryman	England	1999–2000
Zdravko Zemunović	FR Yugoslavia	Dec 15, 2000 – Dec 31, 2002
Takeshi Oki	Japan	2002–03
Koji Gyotoku	Japan	2003
Antoninho	Brazil	2003–04
Nobuhiro Ishizaki	Japan	June 26, 2004;– Nov 28, 2004
Kenta Hasegawa	Japan	Jan 1, 2005 – Dec 31, 2010
Afshin Ghotbi	Iran United States	Feb 1, 2011 – July 30, 2014
Katsumi Oenoki	Japan	July 30, 2014 – Aug 1,2015
Kazuaki Tasaka	Japan	Aug 1,2015 – Dec 31, 2015
Shinji Kobayashi	Japan	Jan 1, 2016 – Dec 31, 2017
Jan Jönsson	Sweden	Jan 1, 2018 – June 11, 2019
Yoshiyuki Shinoda	Japan	May 14, 2019 – December 13, 2019
Peter Cklamovski	Australia	December 14, 2019 – November 2020
Miguel Ángel Lotina	Spain	February 1, 2021 – November 3rd 2021
Hiroaki Hiraoka	Japan	November 4, 2021 – May 30, 2022
Yoshiyuki Shinoda (caretaker)	Japan	May 31, 2022 – June 6, 2022
Zé Ricardo	Brazil	June 7, 2022 – April 3, 2023
Tadahiro Akiba	Japan	April 3, 2023 –

External links

• (in English) Shimizu S-Pulse – official website. Archived 2012-02-24 at the Wayback Machine.
• (in Japanese) Shimizu S-Pulse official site
• (in Japanese) S-Pulse Dream Ferry official site Archived 2007-10-12 at the Wayback Machine
• (in Japanese) S-Pulse Plaza – official site