Cobaltore Onagawa Explained

Clubname:Cobaltore Onagawa
コバルトーレ女川
Fullname:Cobaltore Onagawa
Nickname:Cobaltore, Cobal
Capacity:5,000
Manager:Masahiro Kuzuno
Position:3rd of 10
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is a football (soccer) club based in Onagawa, the main and only city forming the Oshika District, which is located in Miyagi Prefecture in Japan. They play in the Tohoku Soccer League, which is part of Japanese Regional Leagues. The name Cobaltore comes from the combination of two Spanish words: cobalto, referring to cobalt blue, and floresta, meaning "forest".

History

Born in April 2006 and initially managed by former Japan NT member Nobuo Fujishima, the name of the club resembles the true nature of the region in Miyagi Prefecture and today Cobaltore is still one of the clubs aiming to J. League and professional football. It was founded by the local community, formed by people who wanted to stay in the city instead of leaving for Sendai or Tokyo. The club rapidly grew, climbing the Japanese football pyramid in five years.

The 2011 Tohoku earthquake was devastating both for the region and the club: Onagawa lost 1300 citizens, one tenth of the city's population, and the club's office was destroyed.[1] However, all players escaped death and many of them became the core of the club.[2]

Despite the strong shock and skipping the 2011 season due to damages and the impossibility of using their own stadium, which was used as a shelter, Cobaltore players - especially the Japanese - remained in town to give a hand to the city that hosted their careers. The group of Onagawa Supporters pushed back the club into the pitch and - for 2012 season - Cobaltore returned on the field.

Thanks to Fukushima United FC going to Japan Football League, Cobaltore joined Tohoku Soccer League first division for 2013 season. From then, Cobaltore is trying to reach JFL, aiming towards pro-football. They also won the division in 2016. After repeating the title in 2017 and winning the Regional Promotion Series, they were promoted to JFL but only lasted one season before going back down.

Current squad

Updated as of 23 August 2023.[3]

League record

bgcolor=goldChampionsbgcolor=silverRunners-upThird placebgcolor=palegreenPromotedbgcolor=pinkRelegated
League Shakaijin
Cup
Season League Position P W D L F A GD Pts
2006Ishinomaki Citizen Leaguebgcolor=gold1st18 18 0 0 - - - 54
2007Miyagi Prefectural Leaguebgcolor=gold1st 14 10 2 2 - - - 32
2008Tohoku Soccer League (Div. 2, South)bgcolor=silver2nd 14 11 0 3 53 9 44 33
2009bgcolor=gold1st 14 12 1 1 30 7 23 37
2010Tohoku Soccer League (Div. 1)bgcolor=pink8th 14 1 5 8 13 29 -16 8
2011Withdrew due to 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami
2012Tohoku Soccer League (Div. 2, South)bgcolor=silver2nd 14 11 2 1 48 11 37 35
2013Tohoku Soccer League (Div. 1)4th 18 10 2 6 42 29 13 32
2014bgcolor=silver2nd 18 15 2 1 59 9 51 47
20153rd 18 14 2 2 62 12 50 44
2016bgcolor=gold1st 18 13 4 1 66 9 57 43
2017bgcolor=gold1st 18 16 1 1 73 10 63 49
2018Japan Football Leaguebgcolor=pink16th 30 4 5 21 18 65 -47 17
2019Tohoku Soccer League (Div. 1)3rd 18 12 4 2 52 15 37 40
2020 3rd 9 6 3 0 31 7 24 21
2021 bgcolor=gold1st 8 7 1 0 29 7 22 22
2022bgcolor=gold1st 16 15 0 1 71 8 6345
2023bgcolor=silver2nd 18161168 11 57 49
20243rd 18 13 2 3 50 10 40 41 Round of 16
2025TBD 18
Key

Honours

Honour !!scope=col
No. !scope=colYears
scope=rowIshinomaki Citizen League12006
scope=rowMiyagi Prefectural League12007
scope=rowTohoku Soccer League (Div. 2, South)12009
scope=rowRegional Champions League12017
scope=rowTohoku Soccer League42016, 2017, 2021, 2022

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cobaltore Onagawa - a club worth fighting for. FourFourTwo. 5 October 2017. 15 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180715181946/https://www.fourfourtwo.com.au/analysis/cobaltore-onagawa---a-club-worth-fighting-for-256744. dead.
  2. Web site: 女川とともに生きる - コバルトーレ女川. www.cobaltore.com.
  3. Web site: トップチーム. www.cobaltore.com.