Shonan Bellmare

Did You Know?

• The club was originally founded as 'Towa Real Estate SC' in Nasu, Tochigi in 1968, not in Hiratsuka.
• In 2014, Shonan Bellmare won the J2 League with 101 points, recording 31 wins, 8 draws, and 3 losses.

History

In 1975, ownership transferred to Fujita Industries, prompting a name change to Fujita Kogyo SC; the club moved its headquarters to Tokyo and its training ground to Hiratsuka the following year. Between 1977 and 1981, Fujita Kogyo won the JSL three times, including two doubles with the Emperor's Cup. Relegation to JSL Division 2 came in 1990, and although the club won the final JSL Division 2 season in 1991–92, it did not meet the new J.League criteria, so runners-up Kashima Antlers were promoted instead.

In 1993, the club adopted the name Bellmare Hiratsuka, gained J.League associate membership, and won the Japan Football League Division 1 championship. After Hiratsuka City Council funded stadium refurbishments, J.League accepted the club. The name Bellmare Hiratsuka was required because J.League rules then mandated a single hometown in the club name. The team struggled initially, finishing 11th of 12 in the first stage of 1994, but rebounded to second in the second stage.

That momentum carried them to the 1994–1995 Emperor's Cup title, which qualified them for the 1995–96 Asian Cup Winners' Cup, where they defeated Iraq's Al Talaba in the final. Key players from that era included Hidetoshi Nakata, Wagner Lopes, and Hong Myung-bo. Four Bellmare players—Nakata, Lopes, Hong, and goalkeeper Nobuyuki Kojima—were selected for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Main sponsor Fujita ended financial support in 1999 due to its own difficulties, forcing the release of high-paid players such as Lopes, Hong, and Kojima. Bellmare finished last in J1 in 1999 and were relegated to J2.