FC Machida Zelvia
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| Full name | Football Club Machida Zelvia |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Zelvia |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Ground |
Machida Municipal Athletic Stadium Machida, Tokyo |
| Capacity | 10,622 |
| Chairman | Minoru Moriya |
| Manager | Naoki Soma |
| League | J2 League |
| 2016 | 7th |
Football Club Machida Zelvia (FC町田ゼルビア Efu Shi Machida Zerubia?) is a Japanese football club based in Machida, Tokyo.
Machida is known as "Brazil of Tokyo" due to the popularity of football in the city; it has, in fact, produced the second-largest number of J. League players though its football school. Originally formed in 1977 by Machida's football federation, this school is well known for its development of young talent into professional players. In 1989, in order to retain that talent in Machida, F.C. Machida established its own top team, which, at that time, played in the Tokyo Prefecture League.
In 2003 they became a polideportivo under the name Athletic Club Machida., and in 2005 were promoted to the Kanto League, having won the Tokyo Prefectural League (First Division). They came first in the Kanto league (Second Division) the following year, and were promoted to First Division, where they stayed until promotion to Japan Football League as champions of the Regional Promotion Playoff Series in 2008.
In 2009, they adopted the current nickname Zelvia, a portmanteau of the Portuguese words zelkova (Machida city's official tree) and salvia (a grassy plant commonly used in football pitches).
The same year, the club declared its intent to be promoted to J. League's 2nd division, and its status of semi-affiliatiate was officially approved by the J. League. However, its home stadium capacity and light specifications did not meet the J. League's requirements, average attendance did not reach 3,000, and the team's final result of 6th place did not allow for Zelvia's promotion to the J.League.
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