Chūgoku Soccer League
| Country | Japan (Chūgoku region) |
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC |
| First season | 1973 |
| Divisions | 1 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 5 |
| Promotion to | Japan Football League |
| Relegation to | Prefectural Leagues |
| Domestic cup(s) | Emperor's Cup |
| League cup(s) | All Japan Senior Football Championship |
| Current champions | Matsue City FC (2015) |
| Most championships | Matsuda SC (9 times) |
| Website | Chugoku Soccer League Official Site |
 2015 Japanese Regional Leagues
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The Chūgoku Soccer League (中国サッカーリーグ?) is a Japanese football league covering the five prefectures of the Chūgoku region; Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi. It is one of the nine Japanese Regional Leagues, the fifth league level in the Japanese association football league system.
The league formed in 1973 with six teams from the Chūgoku region: Mazda Auto Hiroshima SC, Hiroshima Teachers, Mitsui Shipbuilding Soccer Club, Mitsubishi Oil, Mitsui Oil and Hitachi Works Kasado SC. The format was in a round-robin tournament with teams playing each other twice; once at home and once away. Winning teams earned two points, one point was given to each team in a draw, and losing teams earned no points. League position was determined by the number of points.
The following season, the number of teams increased to eight and generally stayed at that number for some time. However the Mitsui Oil team withdrew from the competition in 1975 because of an oil spill accident at their parent company, leaving the league with seven teams briefly. In the late 1980s, Kawasaki Seitetsu Mizushima SC and Mazda Auto Hiroshima SC achieved promotion to the then Japan Soccer League. Although Kawasaki Seitetsu Mizushima SC were able to avoid relegation back to the Chūgoku League, Mazda Auto Hiroshima SC were relegated the season following promotion twice.
In 1991 the league format changed, awarding three points for a league win, rather than just two.
From 1997 a penalty kick system was introduced so matches could be firmly decided instead of having a draw. If at the end of 90 minutes the game ends in a draw, a penalty shoot out is held. The winning team is awarded two points (instead of three) and the losing team is awarded one point (instead of zero).
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