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| Full name | Shimizu S-Pulse | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | S-Pa | ||
| Founded | 1991[1] | ||
| Ground | IAI Stadium Nihondaira Shimizu, Shizuoka | ||
| Capacity | 20,339[2] | ||
| Chairman | Shigeo Hidaritomo | ||
| Manager | Tadahiro Akiba | ||
| League | J2 League | ||
| 2023 | 4th of 22 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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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 currently competes in the J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional league football. The club was formed in 1991 as a founding member of the J.League ("Original Ten"),[a] 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,[3] 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.
- ^ "Shimizu S-Pulse Profile at J.League Official Website". Archived from the original on 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- ^ "J-League Club Data". j-league.or.jp. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
- ^ "譛眠隧ｦ蜷域ュ蝣ｱ – 貂ｰｴ繧ｨ繧ｹ繝代Ν繧ｹ – 蜈ｬ蠑集EB繧ｵ繧､繝". s-pulse.co.jp (in Japanese). 29 May 2007. Archived from the original on 29 May 2007.
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