Friday, 29 March 2024

 FC Ryukyu was established in 2003 with the specific goal of bringing J.League football to Japan's southernmost prefecture. The goal was by no means an easy one to achieve. Okinawa prefecture is made up of numerous small islands, located hundreds of miles south of the rest of the country. And that was just the first of the hurdles facing the team. But FC Ryukyu has been a dynamic and exciting team from the very start. The club's crest alone is worthy of a spot in a professional league, with its Okinawan lion-dogs, red eyes ablaze, and the boastful inscription "since 2003". As its motto, the team selected a delightful bit of ersatz-English, declaring proudly: "They Began To Run". . . . And that motto proved to be prophetic. The team scored 93 goals in its first season in the Okinawa Prefectural league -- in a nine-game season!

 Ryukyu did not register an official mascot for several years. Fans had widely expected the team to base any mascot on the "shishi" (usually translated into English as "Okinawan Lion Dog") which features on the club crest. But the team surprised -- or rather, disappointed -- almost everyone with their selection of a creature resembling a manta ray (though officially supposed to be a "shark") as its official mascot. The shark/ray's name is "Shinbeinho". Make of that what you will. . . .  

Team Name:

Emblem

Mascot

Team Flag:

Home Uniform -- Away Uniform

Management Corporation: Football Club Ryukyu, Ltd.
Established: 2003 
President: Ichiro Yamakawa 
Investors: --
Address: 14-2 Chuo 3-Chome Okinawa, Okinawa 900-0027

Hometown Area: Okinawa Prefecture 
Home Stadium: Okinawa Prefectural Athletic Stadium (capacity: 10,189)
Joined J. League: 2014