- Hits: 1694
Yokohama F.Marinos rank as one of the traditional powers of Japanese football, with a long tradition that dates back to their formation in the 1960s, as the club team of the Nissan Motor Corporation. The Nissan team battled with Yomiuri Club (the forerunner of Tokyo Verdy) and Mitsubishi Motors (Urawa Reds) for dominance of the JSL, and these three remained near the top of the heap right up until the formation of the J.League. Although Kashima Antlers' near-upset of Verdy in the 1993 season came as quite a surprise, no one batted an eyelash when Marinos knocked Verdy off their perch in 1995 and became the first team other than Verdy to win a league championship.
When the J.League dawned, Nissan FC adopted the name "Marinos" -- Spanish for "sailors" -- as an allusion to Yokohama's long history as one of the nation's top ports. The team's mascot - a seagull - reflects the same port-city theme, and the logo mark also has many nautical symbols. The "F" in the team's name reflects a merger with the financially troubled Yokohama Flugels, in 1999. Yokohama enjoyed several runs of success over the first quarter-century, winning the league title again in 2003 and 2004, then securing a final title in 2019.
|
||||||||
