, formerly , with "Biwako" being a reference to

Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. It is located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13 ...

, is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club based in

Hikone is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 111,958 in 49,066 households and a population density of 570 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Hikone is located in central Shig ...

Shiga Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,398,972 as of 1 February 2025 and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to th ...

. They currently play in

Japan Football League The , also known as simply the JFL, is the 4th tier of the Japanese association football league system, positioned beneath the three divisions of the J.League. The league features fully professional teams that hold J.League 100 Year Plan club sta ...

, Japanese fourth tier of football league.

History

The club was formed in 2005 from the former Sagawa Express SC Kyoto. They were first called FC Mi-O Biwako Kusatsu. In 2007, upon promotion to the JFL, they renamed themselves simply MIO Biwako Kusatsu until 2011.

Regional League and Promotion to JFL (–2007)

In 2007, they secured third place in the regional playoffs of the regional playoffs, earning promotion to the JFL for the 2008 season. This marked their first promotion to the

at the end of 2007.

JFL (2008–)

The club played their first season in 2008 where they finished 14th. In 2012, they renamed themselves MIO Biwako Shiga, in order to extend their fanbase to the entire extent of Shiga Prefecture, particularly the area around southern Lake Biwa, in where they mostly have played matches. In 2022, MIO Biwako Shiga finished in the last place out of the 16 participating teams in the season. The club, however, was not relegated back to the Kansai League, as JFL's top 2 teams were promoted to the J3. Under the league system, MIO Biwako would only be relegated as the last-placed team if no team or only one team had earned promotion to the J3 during the season, which was not the case. On 27 January 2023, MIO Biwako Shiga announced a name change, becoming Reilac Shiga FC from 2023. On 1 February 2023, the new identity was fully introduced with the new crest release. On 28 November 2023, At the J League Board of Directors meeting held on this day, Reilac Shiga was decided to issue J3 club licenses for the 2024 season. They will play their 18th consecutive season of JFL football in 2025 in its new home stadium of Heiwado HATO Stadium in Hikone.

Changes in club name

* Sagawa Express Kyoto Soccer Club : 2005 * FC Mi-O Biwako Kusatsu : 2006–2007 * MIO Biwako Kusatsu : 2008–2011 * MIO Biwako Shiga : 2012–2022 * Reilac Shiga FC : 2023–present

League and cup record

;Key

Honours

Current squad

''As of 1 July 2024.''

Coaching staff

Club coaching staff

Managerial history

References

External links

* {{Japanese Club Football, group=clubs Reilac Sports clubs and teams in Shiga Prefecture 2005 establishments in Japan Japan Football League clubs Association football clubs established in 2005