Nagoya Grampus (名古屋グランパス, Nagoya Guranpasu); formerly known as Nagoya Grampus Eight (名古屋グランパスエイト, Nagoya Guranpasu Eito) is a Japanese association football club that plays in the J1 League, and have for all but one season since the inauguration of the league, following promotion from the J2 League in 2017.
Grampus had its most successful season up to 1996 when it was managed by Arsène Wenger, well known for his subsequent exploits at Arsenal. They won the Emperor's Cup and finished second in the J.League, with their FR Yugoslavia captain Dragan Stojković being named J.League MVP. The 1995 success was eclipsed on November 20, 2010, when the club won its first J.League trophy, under the management of Stojković.[2]
The team's name was derived from the two most prominent symbols of Nagoya: the two golden grampus dolphins on the top of Nagoya Castle, and the Maru-Hachi (Circle eight), the city's official symbol.
Toyota Motor SC was overshadowed by its colleague Toyota Automated Loom Works SC (founded in 1946 and which was one of the founding members of the Japan Soccer League). When Toyota ALW were relegated to regional leagues in 1968, Toyota Motor saw an opportunity to rise at their expense.[3]
In 1972, the club was founding members of the JSL's Second Division and its inaugural champions. They remained in the JSL until the J.League's founding in 1993. They were relegated to the JSL Division 2 in 1977. In 1990, the club name was changed to "Nagoya Grampus Eight".
After a brief return in 1987–88, they were promoted for good in 1989–90 and remained in the top flight for 26 years, until 2016.
J.League era
Grampus Eight was an original member ("Original Ten"[a]) of the J.League in 1993. In 1996, future Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger led Grampus to the 1996 Emperor's Cup and a runners-up finish in the J.League, the club's best finish.
The team's name "Nagoya Grampus Eight" was changed to just "Nagoya Grampus" at the start of the 2008 season.[3] In 2008, Nagoya appointed former player Dragan Stojković as manager. They finished in third place and qualified for the AFC Champions League for the first time.[4] Stojković has since led the club to winning the J.League in the 2010 season, featuring a squad consisting of Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Mu Kanazaki, Seigo Narazaki, Yoshizumi Ogawa, Keiji Tamada and Joshua Kennedy.[2]
After a poor 2016 season, Grampus were relegated to J2 League for the first time in their history.[5]Boško Gjurovski left his post as manager.[6] On 4 January 2017, Yahiro Kazama was appointed as the club's new manager.[7] On 3 December 2017, Grampus drew 0-0 against Avispa Fukuoka in the promotion playoff final, securing promotion back to J1 League at the first time of asking due to their higher regular season position than Avispa Fukuoka.[8]
On 23 September, 2019, Massimo Ficcadenti was appointed as the club’s new manager. The Italian manager led the club the winner of the J.League Cup in 2021. However, Grampus didn’t renew a contract with Ficcadenti, and appointed Kenta Hasegawa as their new manager.
On 25 November 2022, Nagoya Grampus sign partnership with Serie A club, AS Roma. The collaboration will see the two clubs go beyond just an exchange of knowledge in football and business operations to unite on key issues such as sustainability and social responsibility. Both club have pledged to support each other in making an impact in their communities and beyond. Through their social responsibility initiatives, both organisations share a track record of promoting inclusivity in the world of football. As part of this partnership, the two clubs have pledged to further harness the unifying power of the sport to implement new initiatives designed to encourage and involve those with disabilities. The clubs will work closely with strategic partners to implement these efforts, while using their platforms to enhance the reach of partner organisations.
On the pitch, the partnership will enable the clubs to share insights and knowledge related to football competition, with a particular focus on scouting, sports science, data analytics and other methodologies.
The collaboration will have deep roots in the youth development system as well. Knowledge-sharing will provide the academy sectors of both clubs with additional tools to enhance the development of the next generation of talent. By taking advantage of shared insights, the clubs can maximise performance gains for young players.
Plans are also in place for players and staff from each club to visit the other to learn from a different perspective, while also testing themselves in a variety of tournaments and friendly matches.
In popular culture
In the Captain Tsubasamanga series, one character was player of Nagoya Grampus and is the goalkeeper Ken Wakashimazu which was player of Yokohama Flügels before the closing of the Yokohama team. In 2013, the midfielder Shingo Aoi wear the Nagoya Grampus jersey in a Yoichi Takahashi tribute to the 20 years of J.League.
The U-18 team of Nagoya Grampus currently plays in the Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League, the top-flight league for U-18 clubs in the country. Only the registered players for the competition will be displayed.[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
P – Total of played matches
W – Won matches
D – Drawn matches
L – Lost matches
GS – Goal scored
GA – Goals against %W – Percentage of matches won
‡ As caretaker manager
Nationality is indicated by the corresponding FIFA country code(s).
^ ab"ボスコ・ジュロヴスキー監督、契約満了のお知らせ". nagoya-grampus.jp (in Japanese). Nagoya Grampus. 6 November 2016. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
^ ab"名古屋グランパス新監督に風間 八宏氏就任決定のお知らせ". nagoya-grampus.jp (in Japanese). Nagoya Grampus. 4 January 2017. Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
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