Description
FC Machida Zelvia are a professional soccer club in the J. League, currently playing in the J2 league. Their home town is Machida city in Tokyo metropolis and their home stadium is the Machida Municipal Athletic Stadium in Machida.
The team was originally founded in 1977 as a youth soccer team under the name FC Machida Training Center and in 1989 their top team founded FC Machida Top to start in Tokyo from the 4th division of the Tokyo Amateur League’s 4th division.
In 1997, they changed their name to the present FC Machide Zelvia and in the same year promoted to the 1st division of the Tokyo Amateur League. They vigorously stepped up from the Kanto Regional League’s 2nd and 1st division, all the way to the Japanese Football League (JFL).
In JFL they fought for the championship title for 3 years in a row and in 2011 they finished the season in 3rd place, which was in range for the promotion to J2. They were accepted into the J. League and from the 2012 season they started in J2.
Before the start of the J2 season, they hired former Argentina National Team player Osvaldo Ardiles, who had once led the Shimizu S-Pulse, as manager. They also supplemented the team with J. League players like former Japan National Team member Kazuyuki Toda and others to face the new season. Sadly, they sank to last place and dropped back to JFL in just one year to be replaced by the JFL champions V-Varen Nagasaki.
In 2014, they joined the newly formed J3 league and after 4 years their previous manager Naoki Soma, who was a former Japan National Team player and also active in the Kashima Antlers, returned to lead the charge. Regrettably, they finished the league in 3rd place that year without promoting back to J2. Still, they managed to get 2nd place the following year, in 2015.
In the relegation matches between J2 and J3, they faced J2’s Oita Trinita and after two consecutive victories, Zelvia returned to J2 after 4 years. After that they have been fighting in J2 and aiming for a promotion to J1.
FC Machida Zelvia’s home jersey is blue and their supplier from 2009 has been Svolme. Their shirts have logos of their sponsors like EAGLE KENSO, odakyu and others.
