The Japan Professional Football League or also known as J.League has been admitted as most famous and successful professional footbal leagues in Asia.
Before it become J.League, the highest level of club football was the Japan Soccer League (JSL).
Fans were few, the grounds were not the best quality, and the national team was apart from the Asian powerhouses.
To make those things better, the Japan Football Association (JFA) decided to develop a professional league and become a major success until today.
Asian economic growth during the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the clubs were flush with cash.
As a result, most clubs were able to get famous players from european clubs to play in the J.League, including Zico, Ramon Diaz and Pierre Littbarski. In future years Zico managed the Japanese national team to 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany but failed in the group stage.
When the league was first started, the most of the organizers worries were that Japanese fans would difficult to taste the sport.
So to make the matches more interesting, J.League made some quite unusual rules. All matches got to have a winner.
If there was no winner until 90 minutes of normal time, there will be two 15 minutes extra time periods with a "golden goal" rule with the first team who score first will be the winner.
And if still was no winner at the end of the extra time periods, the match would go to PKs.
The J.League has made a huge impact on the Japanese sports culture such as professional baseball and sumo - the only sport with big based supporters and widely-watched sports in Japan.
But when the economic crisis smashed down the country in 1998, most clubs suffered as their sponsors were affected. Apparently clubs still depended on financial support from sponsors, who were essentially their parent companies.
Many other clubs acroos the league were having possibilty of bankruptcy, as the clubs continued paying high salaries for the foreign players. Without a change, it would be just a matter of time before the league turned down.
The league's organizer finally realized that they were on the wrong direction.
As solution, first they announced the J.League Hundred Year Vision.
The league aim to make 100 professional football clubs in Japan by 2093.
They also suggested the clubs to promote football or non-football related sports and health activities, to gain local sponsorships and build good relationship with their grass root.
They believe the clubs will be able to rely on locals sponsors instead, rather than major national sponsors.
Secondly, they changed the league infrastructure in 1999. The league approved nine clubs from the semi-professional JFL and one club from J.League to develop a two division system.
The first division became the J.League Division 1 (J1) with 16 clubs while J.League Division 2 (J2) was launched with ten clubs in 1999.
Today J.League has 18 clubs in J1 and 15 clubs in J2.
The league want to expand to fulfill the demands of lower-level clubs becoming professional.
They plans to have 22 clubs in a decade but they will not allow promotion if the non-league clubs doesn't meet the criteria.
The league believe this system will allow them to retain the standard as a professional league.
Also see:
Before it become J.League, the highest level of club football was the Japan Soccer League (JSL).
Fans were few, the grounds were not the best quality, and the national team was apart from the Asian powerhouses.
To make those things better, the Japan Football Association (JFA) decided to develop a professional league and become a major success until today.
Asian economic growth during the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the clubs were flush with cash.
As a result, most clubs were able to get famous players from european clubs to play in the J.League, including Zico, Ramon Diaz and Pierre Littbarski. In future years Zico managed the Japanese national team to 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany but failed in the group stage.
When the league was first started, the most of the organizers worries were that Japanese fans would difficult to taste the sport.
So to make the matches more interesting, J.League made some quite unusual rules. All matches got to have a winner.
If there was no winner until 90 minutes of normal time, there will be two 15 minutes extra time periods with a "golden goal" rule with the first team who score first will be the winner.
And if still was no winner at the end of the extra time periods, the match would go to PKs.
The J.League has made a huge impact on the Japanese sports culture such as professional baseball and sumo - the only sport with big based supporters and widely-watched sports in Japan.
But when the economic crisis smashed down the country in 1998, most clubs suffered as their sponsors were affected. Apparently clubs still depended on financial support from sponsors, who were essentially their parent companies.
Many other clubs acroos the league were having possibilty of bankruptcy, as the clubs continued paying high salaries for the foreign players. Without a change, it would be just a matter of time before the league turned down.
The league's organizer finally realized that they were on the wrong direction.
As solution, first they announced the J.League Hundred Year Vision.
The league aim to make 100 professional football clubs in Japan by 2093.
They also suggested the clubs to promote football or non-football related sports and health activities, to gain local sponsorships and build good relationship with their grass root.
They believe the clubs will be able to rely on locals sponsors instead, rather than major national sponsors.
Secondly, they changed the league infrastructure in 1999. The league approved nine clubs from the semi-professional JFL and one club from J.League to develop a two division system.
The first division became the J.League Division 1 (J1) with 16 clubs while J.League Division 2 (J2) was launched with ten clubs in 1999.
Today J.League has 18 clubs in J1 and 15 clubs in J2.
The league want to expand to fulfill the demands of lower-level clubs becoming professional.
They plans to have 22 clubs in a decade but they will not allow promotion if the non-league clubs doesn't meet the criteria.
The league believe this system will allow them to retain the standard as a professional league.
Don't forget to check us out on Twitter and Facebook for more soccer updates!
Also see:
