commonly known as is a Japanese professional
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
Machida,
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. They currently play in the
J1 League
The , the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system.
Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation ...
, following promotion as
J2 League
The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Yasud ...
champions in
2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
.
History
Formation and election to the Prefectural League (1989–2002)
FC Machida is known as the "Brazil of Tokyo" due to the popularity of football in the city; in fact, it has produced the second-largest number of
J. League players through its football school. Originally formed in 1977, this school is well known for its development of young talents into professional players. In 1989, in order to retain talent, Machida founded its own top team, which at that time played in the Tokyo Prefectural League.
From non-League to Japan Football League (2002–2011)
In 2003, they became a multi-sport club under the name Athletic Club Machida, and in 2005 were promoted to the
Kanto League, having won the Tokyo Prefectural League (First Division). They came first in the Kanto league (Second Division) the following year and were promoted to First Division, where they stayed until promotion to the
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 ...
as champions of the
Regional Promotion Playoff Series in 2008.
In 2009, they adopted the current nickname "Zelvia", a
portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together. of the
Portuguese words ''
zelkova
''Zelkova'' (from the Georgian language, Georgian ''dzelkva'', 'stone pillar') is a genus of six species of deciduous trees in the elm family Ulmaceae, native to southern Europe, and southwest and eastern Asia. They vary in size from shrubs (''Ze ...
'' (Machida city's official tree) and ''
salvia
''Salvia'' () is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with just under 1,000 species of shrubs, Herbaceous plant, herbaceous Perennial plant, perennials, and Annual plant, annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, ''Salvia'' is part o ...
'' (Machida city's official flower).
The same year, the club declared its intent to be promoted to
J. League's 2nd division, and its status of semi-affiliate was officially approved by the J. League. However, its home stadium capacity and light specifications did not meet the J. League's requirements, average attendance did not reach 3,000, and the team's final position of 6th place did not allow for Zelvia's promotion to the J. League.
In 2010, Zelvia appointed
Naoki Soma, a former star player who played in the
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...
, as its new head coach. The stadium's lighting was renewed, and the club added several J. League players to its roster. Zelvia also announced its partnership with
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
's
D.C. United, which became the first historic partnership between a Japanese and American club. The reborn team beat
Tokyo Verdy
is a Japanese professional football club based in Inagi, Tokyo. The club currently competes in the J1 League, following promotion from the J2 League in 2023.
History
Founded as Yomiuri Football Club in 1969, Tokyo Verdy is one of the mo ...
, its arch-rival from the J. League, in the
2010 Emperor's Cup
The began on 4 September 2010 and ended on 1 January 2011 with the final at National Stadium (Tokyo), National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Gamba Osaka were the two-time defending champions, having won two previous tournaments.
Kashima Antlers won t ...
, but was knocked out by
Albirex Niigata
is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. They currently play in J1 League after being promoted from J2 League as cha ...
in the third round. Soma left at the end of the season and was replaced by
Ranko Popović, former coach of
Oita Trinita
is a Japanese football club located in Ōita, Capital of Ōita Prefecture. They currently play in J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football.
Name origin
The club's name, ''Trinita'', is the Italian translation of the word ' ...
.
Yo-yo years (2012–2022)
The stadium's capacity and conditions were still short of fulfilling J. League criteria, so the club completed another renovation between the end of the 2010 and the start of the 2011 seasons. Zelvia finished the 2011 season in third place after beating
Kamatamare Sanuki in the final match of that season, thereby granting them promotion to J. League (Second Division), but were relegated after a bottom-placed finish. They became one of the original J3 clubs after finishing in 4th place in the 2014 JFL season and returned to J2 as 2015 runners-up by beating
Oita Trinita
is a Japanese football club located in Ōita, Capital of Ōita Prefecture. They currently play in J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football.
Name origin
The club's name, ''Trinita'', is the Italian translation of the word ' ...
in the promotion/relegation play-off. In the first return to J2 in the 2016 season, Machida were able to finish in 7th position, only four points short of the play-offs spot.
In 2017, Zelvia fell off more than a half place down to 15th with fifty points, twelve points up of relegation zone. In the 2018 season, while Zelvia culminated a great campaign by finishing inside the promotion play-offs zone of 4th place, Zelvia were unable to participate in the phase because they did not have a J1 League-level license. The 2019 season also saw the club fell down far on the table as they finished in 18th position, three points up from relegation places occupied by
Kagoshima United and
FC Gifu
Football Club Gifu (フットボールクラブ岐阜, ''Futtobōrukurabu Gifu''), abbreviated as is a Japanese football club based in Gifu, capital of Gifu Prefecture, Japan. They play in the J3 League, the third tier of Japanese professional ...
. At the end of this season the club acquired a J1 license.
In 2020, Zelvia finished in 19th. While they were able to conclude their
2021 campaign by finishing in 5th position, no promotion play-offs were held in this season, mainly because no relegation in the previous season due to
COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, so Zelvia remain in J2. In
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
season, Zelvia once again fell far below their position of the previous campaign by finishing in the 15th position.
First silverware of professional era and J1 League debut (2023–present)
On 22 October 2023, after a seven-year run in J2 League, Machida eventually achieved promotion to the
J1 League
The , the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system.
Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation ...
for the first time in the club history with manager
Go Kuroda guiding Zelvia to the
2023 J2 League title with 87 points following their 3–0 away win against
Roasso Kumamoto in matchweek 39. The club also confirmed their status as champions of second division on 28 October 2023 after Kumamoto defeated
Shimizu S-Pulse
is a Japanese professional association football, football club located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka (city), Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture. S-Pulse is going to compete in the J1 League for the 2025 Season, after winning promotio ...
3–1.
Zelvia started off their debut
2024 J1 League season on 24 February 2024 against
Gamba Osaka
is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's home stadium is Panasonic Stadium Suita. They form a ...
in a 1–1 draw with
Junya Suzuki scoring their first top-tier league goal for the club. Zelvia went on to have a magnificent run in the first few matches leading at the top of the J1 League table with three wins, one draw and zero lost with 10 points. Zelvia then went on to finished in third place in their debut season where they also qualified for the
2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite.
Home Stadium

Zelvia currently competes at
Machida GION Stadium, also known as Nozuta Stadium. Until 2011, the stadium's capacity was 6,200, including grassy areas, and it has featured lighting for night games since 2009. The stadium underwent renovations between the 2010 and 2011 seasons and now offers all-seated accommodations. Although the J2 League requires a minimum seating capacity of 10,000, Nozuta initially did not meet this criterion. Nonetheless, an agreement with J-League officials allows for home games expecting large crowds to be held at alternative stadiums rented for such occasions. Meanwhile, Nozuta Stadium was upgraded to fulfill the 10,000-seat minimum. Its current capacity stands at 15,489. In the 2024 season, the club's inaugural season in the top division of Japanese football, they hosted four matches at the new
Japan National Stadium.
Kit and colours
Sponsors
Kit evolution
Current squad
.
Out on loan
Club officials
Club officials for 2024 season
Managerial history
League and cup record
;Key
Honours
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Japanese Club Football, group=clubs
Machida
CyberAgent
Machida
Machida
Football clubs in Tokyo
Multi-sport clubs in Japan
1989 establishments in Japan
Japan Football League clubs
Machida, Tokyo