Japan Soccer League
 |
|
| Country |
 Japan
|
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Folded | 1992 |
| Divisions | 1 (1965–1971) 2 (1972–1992) |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 (1965–1971) 1–2 (1972–1992) |
| Relegation to | Regional Leagues |
| Domestic cup(s) |
JSL Cup Emperor's Cup |
| International cup(s) |
Asian Club Championship Asian Cup Winners' Cup |
| Last champions |
Yomiuri SC (1991–92) |
| Most championships |
Yomiuri SC and Mazda SC (5 titles each) |
Japan Soccer League (日本サッカーリーグ Nihon Sakkā Rīgu?), or JSL, was the top flight soccer league in Japan between 1965 and 1992, and was the precursor to the current professional league, the J. League. JSL was the second national league of a team sport in Japan after the professional Japanese Baseball League that was founded in 1936. JSL was the first-ever national league of an amateur team sport in Japan.
Each JSL team represented a corporation, and like Japanese baseball teams, went by the name of the company that owned the team. Unlike in baseball, however, promotion and relegation was followed, as J. League follows today. The players were officially amateur and were employees of the parent corporations, but especially in later years, top players were generally paid strictly to play soccer.
Originally the JSL consisted of a single division only, but in 1972 a Second Division was added. Clubs could join in by winning the All Japan Senior Football Championship cup competition and then winning a promotion/relegation series against the bottom teams in the JSL. From 1973 to 1980, both the champions and runners-up of the Second Division had to play the promotion/relegation series against the First Division's bottom clubs; afterwards and until 1984, only the runners-up had to play the series.
Top JSL teams included Hitachi Ltd., Furukawa Electric, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nissan Motors, Toyo Industries (Mazda) and Yomiuri Shimbun, which are now, respectively, Kashiwa Reysol, JEF United Ichihara Chiba, Urawa Red Diamonds, Yokohama F. Marinos, Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Tokyo Verdy. Furukawa/JEF United was the only one never to be relegated to the Second Division and kept this distinction until 2009.
...
Wikipedia