After a period in the first half when they were in the relegation zone, the team made a big comeback in the second half thanks to the efforts of new players acquired during the special registration period in June. The 2025 season, which was fought under the new head coach Rikizo Matsuhashi, was a year in which the team faced hardships, challenges and achievements, and achieved clear progress. While the football side of things remained gradual, there were positive topics on the business side, such as recording the highest sales in the club’s history and announcing plans for a new training facility. A season summary where President Shigeya Kawagishi looks back on such a year. In the second part, we asked about the new phase of the club’s mission to “conquer Tokyo,” including their predictions for the new irregular season, including the start of the U-21 team.
Interview and composition: Kei Sato (freelance writer)
──For the 2026 season, which requires a change in budget and organization thinking from the previous standard, the Meiji Yasuda J1 Centennial League will begin in February, followed by the Meiji Yasuda J1 League for the 2026/27 season, which will transition to an autumn-spring system in August. What do you think about this irregular schedule?
We have also exchanged various opinions with the league and other clubs, but each club has a different stance, and there are many things that make us think, “I see.” We basically believe that the Centennial Vision League and the 2026/27 season will be a continuation. There is no relegation in the Centenary League, and it is positioned as a tournament where you can try out different things if necessary. Of course, if we win, we will earn the right to participate in the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE), so of course we will aim for the championship, but I also think this is a period in which we can make solid improvements to the team’s issues, so we will go into the match with that awareness. Based on that, the idea is to enter the 2026/27 season.
──In terms of team balance, generational change has long been considered one of the issues, but I think the experienced players known as “veterans” saved the team in the second half of the 2025 season.
surely,The second half of the match was played mainly by players with long careers, and thanks to that, the team regained some composure. This does not mean that generational change is not necessary. The growth and success of young players always brings vitality to the team.Rather than waiting for this to happen naturally, I believe it is necessary to create a system and encourage young players to speed up their growth.
──In addition to the 100-year league with no relegation, there will be a new league starting from the 26/27 season.U-21 league establishedI believe this will create opportunities for the development of young people.
That’s right. In the Centenary League, I think we can take on the challenge of renewing our team as a team by actively recruiting young players. We used to have an Under-23 team and that remains a successful experience for the club. I wasn’t at the club at the time, but there were so many players who had developed there, and I knew that the club needed a similar system. Then we received a proposal from the J League to participate, and not participating was not an option for us.
──It can be said that it is ideal for a J club to form a top team consisting mainly of players from the academy.
Until nowIt is difficult to create a situation in which academy players can continue to play as regulars in the first team, so we have chosen to let them gain experience through loan transfers.Ryunosuke Sato (transferred to Fagiano Okayama for a developmental period and will return in the 2026 season)This is exactly the case. I think it’s great that he was able to play an active role at another club and prove his abilities like he did. However, even though we were always aware of their situation and information, we were still unable to confirm their growth on our own. With the establishment of the U-21 league, I think there is a high possibility that this situation will change.
──Please also tell us about the business aspects of the 2025 season. Although the financial results have not yet been finalized, is there anything you can say about sales at this point?
2024Although our sales for the fiscal year were just short of 7 billion yen, we expect sales to exceed 7 billion yen in fiscal 2025 due to solid growth in each business. This includes transfer fees left by players who transferred overseas. Kuo Matsuki left a large sum of money for the 2024 season, and multiple players similarly left money for the club for the 2025 season.
2022When I took over as CEO this season, sales were only in the 4 billion yen range due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, but since then we have rebounded and grown at a rapid pace. However, I feel that the speed of growth has slowed down now. In that sense, the challenge is how to grow the club from here.
──How can we overcome this challenge?
I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but without success on the football side, we won’t be able to advance to the next stage on the business side. Looking at the average number of attendees per game, we have reached a point of over 31,000 people. The total number was 600,000. We had a really large number of people come, but in order to increase that number, we need to let as many people as possible experience the winning games and the atmosphere of the stadium at those games. I believe that we need to not only build a team on the pitch, but also raise expectations and build relationships with our fans and supporters.
──In terms of the phases of VISION2030, which is our growth strategy, after “escape from the coronavirus pandemic” and “re-growth,” we will enter “Phase III” of “Taking Tokyo” from 2026.
As a club, we are in a three-year phase from 2026 to 2028 called “Conquering Tokyo.” Although this is a presumptuous goal for just three years, our staff members are discussing how we can achieve this goal. If I were to give one specific example of this, it would be to “become a representative of Tokyo” in the field of sports. According to a survey, the current No. 1 team is professional baseball’s Yomiuri Giants, with the runner-up being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Still, when asked, “Which sports team do you think of in Tokyo?”, young people under 30 rank FC Tokyo higher than the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. We would like to achieve even more recognition than the Giants. We don’t know how far we will go in the next three years, but we will continue to work towards this goal by positioning it as an important milestone.
──In addition to the match results, what kind of approach do you think is necessary in order to advance in “Tokyo Strategy”?
Our core value is still on the pitch, so as I explained earlier, we have to show it through results. This will increase the chances of media coverage, leading to more exposure for the players and more topics. The idea is to spread awareness throughout Tokyo while leading the club in terms of football.
On the other hand, we are also involved in many collaborations with local governments, mainly in our hometown of Tokyo, school activities, social collaboration, and sustainability-related activities. The reality of the club is much bigger than just what’s on the pitch. By showing them life-size, the value should be conveyed to more people, and it can spread from there. We have many opportunities to meet people with whom we have strong connections through soccer, but there are actually many people who are involved in the club, and I think we should be able to widen that circle even further. Unless we can get those people to watch FC Tokyo games and support us, it will be difficult for us to gain more recognition than the Giants. I would like to actively take on the challenge here.
──In terms of attendance, the average number of visitors has decreased by about 1,000 from the 32,000 level in the 2024 season. What are the possible reasons here?
Firstly, I believe this was due to the fact that there was one less game held at the National Stadium, and secondly, there were many bad weather days on the days when home games were held in the first half. At first glance, it seems like the numbers have gone down, but there was a clear reason for that. In the 2019 season, we greatly increased the number of customers as we competed for the championship, but that is the basic value we are thinking of. Currently, we have reached that level. Currently, Urawa Reds have an average attendance of 5-6,000 more people than us, but I think Tokyo can get close to that by competing for the championship. To achieve this, it is important to provide many strong experiences of success to the people who come to watch the games, where they can feel that their team won by cheering for them. Everyone will spend their own money and time to come to the stadium, so we need a team that is worth rooting for. Of course, if you look at it throughout the year, there will be joy, anger, and sadness, but I think it is necessary to accumulate results that leave you with a lot of joy and happiness.
──How do you feel about the impact of changing seasons on business and attracting customers?
This is my first case, so I haven’t fully sorted it out, but I think there are both positive and negative elements. On the positive side, we expect the number of families to increase. As more games are held in the spring and fall, the number of day games will increase, making it easier for families to watch games together. If it’s a night game, you have to think about when the kids will be home, and if it’s a Sunday game, it’s difficult to come to the game if the next day is a weekday. Therefore, from now on, we are thinking of placing even more emphasis on measures aimed at families. This will help increase the number of future fans and supporters.
On the other hand, a negative factor is that more games will be played in cold weather. Another issue is that the league will be suspended for about two months due to the winter break. Inevitably, the “line” in the season will be interrupted, so when the season resumes, both teams and viewers alike will need to be on standby once again. It’s something we won’t know until we try, but I think we have to create a state on the pitch and in the stadium where we feel like we’ve been waiting for the restart.
──As a club, this year,Big announcement of relocation of practice fieldThere was. Please tell me the reason and current situation again.
This is part of the idea I’ve been talking about earlier about how to focus on investing in football. The current clubhouse is being used with special arrangement by Tokyo Gas, and we are taking good care of the facility by taking into account our requests. However, although the pitch is great, there are some features that are desperately lacking in the clubhouse. For example, recovery equipment. We want to bring the facilities to the highest standard in J1, including the care of injured players and players undergoing rehabilitation. There is also a lack of rooms for interviews and meetings with players. Ever since I took over as president, when I thought about this, I felt a strong need to improve the clubhouse.
──How did the decision to move to Chofu City come about?
When we wanted to improve the functionality of our clubhouse, we first talked with Tokyo Gas and considered a plan to renovate the current facility. On the other hand, I have been aware of the state-owned land in Chofu city that was announced this time, and I have heard that Chofu city has an intention to develop a park and has plans to turn it into a sports park. Therefore, I made a formal offer to see if we could work together. As a result, we decided to draw up a plan to develop the facilities together, including making an investment as a club.
We were also considering an update plan for Kodaira, but due to land constraints as it would involve renovating an existing facility, we could only build a small extension and not rebuild it. In addition to convenient transportation, Chofu also had the possibility to design the clubhouse almost free-hand, incorporating the necessary items. From now on, we will not only acquire the land, but also obtain approval from the council and invest in the city’s budget for the development, so we need the understanding of the citizens. We will be working on this with the cooperation of MIXI, our largest shareholder, so we would like to make steady progress toward the move.I have heard that Chofu City is also considering a system that would allow them to receive donations from the general public, so many people, including our fans and supporters, would like to donate.We would appreciate it if you could cooperate with us.
──The relocation of the practice field may be related to the “Tokyo Strategy”, but are there any other plans you have in mind?
Although this is still in the consideration stage, something I have been thinking about since I took office is the establishment of a women’s team. FC Tokyo’s club mission and vision emphasize diversity, and of course there are girls enrolled in FC Tokyo’s school. The number of female staff is also increasing in the extension department’s coaching staff. Looking at clubs in Tokyo, Tokyo Verdy and FC Machida Zelvia both have women’s teams. We are the only J1 club in Tokyo that does not have one. Since we are competing under the name FC Tokyo, I think we should have a women’s team.
This is not limited to Japan, but we are also increasingly being asked about women’s teams, as clubs from overseas are also asking about collaborating with FC Tokyo. When I answer that I don’t have one, they are surprised and ask, “Why don’t you have one?” Many clubs around the world have women’s teams, and we feel that this is what is needed of us as well. Tokyo is a huge city that is proud of itself to the world, and even though it is a club whose hometown is the capital, Tokyo, and carries that name, it is no longer possible to say, “We don’t have girls playing.” Of course, I have heard about how difficult the WE League is, so I hope that I can also contribute to the development of women’s soccer. Due to these circumstances, we have come to think that we would like to make concrete preparations to launch a women’s soccer team as we move into the new phase of VISION 2030. We cannot shelve it forever, and we will continue to consider what form is best.
The first part ishere
♢ Click here for past management reports
2024 Financial Report and Club Current Location (Part 1)
2024 Financial Report and Club Current Location (Part 2)
2024 Season Summary Business and Football (Part 1)
2024 Season Summary Business and Football (Part 2)
2023 Financial Report and Club Current Location (Part 1)
2023 Financial Report and Club Current Location (Part 2)
