Kashima
Antlers Overview
The
Kashima Antlers have established themselves
as the most successful team in J.League history,
with four league titles, as well as an armful
of cup titles to their name. The team's dominance
was emphasised during the 2000 season, when
Kashima won an uprecedented treble, of the league
championship, the Nabisco Cup and the Emperor's
Cup. Yet despite the team's continued success,
surely no one could have foreseen in 1992, when
the J.League was formed, that the Antlers would
dominate the league's first decade of existence.
The
team traces its history back to the formation
of the Sumitomo Metal Industries club team,
in 1947. The team remained an informal club,
taking part in inter-company competitions until1974,
when it entered the second division of the Japan
Soccer League (JSL), and relocated its home
field to Kashima Town, in Ibaraki Prevecture,
which was home to one of Sumitomo Metal's main
factories. It wasnt until 1986 that the team
managed to win promotion to the first division,
and even after that, Sumitomo Metal Industries
was a relative weakling compared to such JSL
powerhouses as Nissan Motor (later Yokohama
Marinos) and Yomiuri Club (later Verdy Kawasaki).
Kashima's
climb to the pinnacle of Japanese football can
be traced to 1991, when the leading members
of the JSL decided to form a full professional
football league, and the man whose career inextricably
linked top the Antlers success was Brazilian
sensation Zico. In March 1991, the team approached
Zico and asked if he would be willing to close
out his career in Japan. As most football fans
know, Zico was a superstar in his heyday, but
in 1991 he was in his late 30s, and contemplating
retirement. Kashima convinced Zico to join the
team for its 1992 season -- the final year of
JSL play -- to help it win a position in the
soon-to-be-created J.League. The rest, as they
say, is history.
The
team changed its name in 1992 to Kashima Antlers.
The team's name is derived from the name of
its home town -- the literal meaning of "Kashima"
is "deer island". Led by Zico and
his Brazilian teammates Alcindo and Santos,
the Antlers finished high in the JSL rankings
in 1992. But the greatest surprise was yet to
come. In the very first stage of J.League competition,
Kashima bested the league powerhouses, Yokohama
Marinos, Verdy Kawasaki and others, securing
the first-ever stage victory. Unfortunately,
Kashima was beaten by Verdy in the championship
series, and the 41-year-old Zico was unable
to carry his team to victory the following year.
Zico retired without a championship,. but with
the undying respect and gratitude of Antlers
fans.
The
bond between Zico and the Kashima Antlers was
so strong, in fact, that the team prevailed
upon him to accept the job of technical director
in 1995. Under his guidance, Kashima has built
the league's most successful franchise, featuring
a great many former and current national team
stars, as well as popular foreign players such
as Jorginho, Leonardo, Mazinho and others. That
tradition continues today, and is best represented
by coach Toninho Cerezo, as well as defenders
Fabiano and Augusto.
One
tribute to the strength of the Kashima Antlers
organisation is the large number of former Antlers
who are now starting players at other teams
in the league. Kashima has a very powerful youth
program, supported in part by Zico's keen eye
for talented young players. A great many J.League
stars have come up through the Antlers organisation,
and when they failed to find a starting position,
moved on to first-string spots on other league
clubs. The continuing influx of top players
has kept Kashima in the top ranks of the league
since 1996, when the Antlers captured their
first league title. Since then, Kashima have
won at least one piece of silverware in every
year, and in 2000 they swept all three honours.
Despite a host of injuries early last year,
the team recovered to capture their fourth league
championship in 2001.
2002
was a year of changes and transitions for the
team. Kashima soccer stadium was one of the
venues used for the World Cup in 2002. The stadium
received a facelift in 2000 and 2001, to expand
capacity and prepare it for the World Cup. The
improved facility opened in May 2001, and was
also used as a Confederations Cup venue in the
summer of 2001. 2002 was also the year that
Zico stepped down as technical director in order
to become Japan's national team coach. Other
personnel changes and injuries plagued the Antlers
during the league matches, and they finished
a disappointing fourth over the course of the
season, though the team did win the league (Nabisco)
Cup and advanced to the final of the Emperor's
Cup before losing to Kyoto Purple Sanga. The
Antlers will be hoping to bounce back in 2003
and challenge for another league title.
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Kashima
Antlers Info
Stadium:
Kashima Soccer Stadium
Honours:
League Winners:
1996,
1998, 2000, 2001
League Cup Champions: 1997, 2000,
2002
Emperor's Cup Champions: 1997,
2000
Super Cup Champions:
1997, 1998, 1999
QUICK
FACT
The
club is funded by the local government
and business.
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