2017 Japan Football League
# 2017 Japan Football League

The 2017 Japan Football League (Japanese: 第19回日本フットボールリーグ, Hepburn: Dai Jūkyū-kai Nihon Futtobōru Rīgu) was the fourth season of the nationwide fourth tier of Japanese football, and the 19th season since the establishment of Japan Football League.

## Clubs

Sixteen clubs participated in this season of Japan Football League. The list was announced on 16 January 2017.

| Club Name | Home Town | Kit Manufacturer | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| Briobecca Urayasu | Urayasu, Chiba | Nike | |
| FC Imabari | Imabari, Ehime | Adidas | J.League 100 Year Plan club status holders Promoted from Shikoku Soccer League after 1st place in 40th Regional Promotion Series |
| Honda FC | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka | Umbro | Defending champions of 2016 |
| Honda Lock | Miyazaki, Miyazaki | Kappa | |
| Maruyasu Okazaki | Okazaki, Aichi | Penalty | |
| MIO Biwako Shiga | Kusatsu, Shiga | Nike | |
| Nara Club | All cities/towns in Nara | Squadra | J.League 100 Year Plan club status and J3 license holders |
| FC Osaka | All cities/towns in Osaka | Mitre | |
| ReinMeer Aomori | Aomori, Aomori | Under Armour | |
| Ryutsu Keizai Dragons | Ryūgasaki, Ibaraki | Adidas | |
| Sony Sendai | Tagajō, Miyagi | Umbro | |
| Tokyo Musashino City | Musashino, Tokyo | Yonex | J.League 100 Year Plan club status holders |
| Tochigi Uva | Tochigi, Tochigi | Mitre | J.League 100 Year Plan club status holders |
| Vanraure Hachinohe | Eastern cities/towns in Aomori | Athleta | J.League 100 Year Plan club status and J3 license holders |
| Veertien Mie | All cities/towns in Mie | Mizuno | Promoted from Tōkai Adult Soccer League Div. 1 after 2nd place in 40th Regional Promotion Series |
| Verspah Oita | Yufu & Ōita, Ōita | Warrix Sports | |

* ↑ centering on Nara
* ↑ Hachinohe, Towada, Gonohe, Sannohe, Takko, Hashikami, Nanbu, Shingo, Oirase, Misawa, Shichinohe, Rokunohe, Tohoku, Noheji, Yokohama, Rokkasho
* ↑ centering on Kuwana & Yokkaichi

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Honda FC (C) | 30 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 72 | 20 | +52 | 70 | |
| 2 | ReinMeer Aomori | 30 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 44 | 28 | +16 | 61 | |
| 3 | Sony Sendai | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 64 | 36 | +28 | 59 | |
| 4 | FC Osaka | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 59 | 32 | +27 | 55 | |
| 5 | Vanraure Hachinohe | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 41 | 31 | +10 | 51 | |
| 6 | FC Imabari | 30 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 54 | 36 | +18 | 48 | |
| 7 | Nara Club | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 41 | 51 | −10 | 40 | |
| 8 | Honda Lock | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 36 | 46 | −10 | 34 | |
| 9 | Maruyasu Okazaki | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 35 | 46 | −11 | 34 | |
| 10 | Ryutsu Keizai Dragons | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 38 | 51 | −13 | 34 | |
| 11 | Tokyo Musashino City | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 44 | 47 | −3 | 33 | |
| 12 | Veertien Mie | 30 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 35 | 46 | −11 | 29 | |
| 13 | MIO Biwako Shiga | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 33 | 51 | −18 | 27 | |
| 14 | Verspah Oita | 30 | 5 | 12 | 13 | 27 | 46 | −19 | 27 | |
| 15 | Briobecca Urayasu (R) | 30 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 46 | −22 | 26 | Relegation to 2018 Regional Leagues |
| 16 | Tochigi Uva (R) | 30 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 22 | 56 | −34 | 24 | Relegation to 2018 Regional Leagues |

* ↑ To qualify for promotion, a club must hold a 100 Year Plan status, obtain J3 license (marked in bold in the table), and finish both in the top 4 of the JFL, and either 1st or 2nd among the promotion-eligible clubs.

## Season statistics

### Top scorers

    As of match played 13 November 2017.

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Shusuke Sakamoto | Nara Club | 18 |
| 2 | Ryota Kuwajima | FC Imabari | 17 |
| 2 | Jun Arima | Sony Sendai FC | 17 |
| 4 | Shogo Omachi | Honda FC | 16 |
| 5 | Koji Ishihara | Tokyo Musashino City FC | 15 |
| 6 | Tatsuya Furuhashi | Honda FC | 14 |
| 7 | Yuta Uchino | Sony Sendai FC | 13 |
| 8 | Makoto Kawanishi | FC Osaka | 12 |
| 9 | Taichi Nakamura | ReinMeer Aomori | 11 |
| 10 | Junki Yokono | ReinMeer Aomori | 10 |
| 10 | Shogo Fujimaki | Veertien Mie | 10 |
| 10 | Junya Kitano | Veertien Mie | 10 |

## Attendances

| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | FC Imabari | 32,724 | 5,241 | 764 | 2,182 | $n/a^†$ |
| 2 | Vanraure Hachinohe | 31,596 | 4,122 | 719 | 2,106 | $+20.1%^†$ |
| 3 | Nara Club | 21,703 | 2,868 | 763 | 1,447 | $−4.0%^†$ |
| 4 | Honda FC | 12,915 | 1,504 | 477 | 861 | $+8.4%^†$ |
| 5 | Veertien Mie | 11,879 | 1,343 | 242 | 792 | $n/a^†$ |
| 6 | ReinMeer Aomori | 10,819 | 2,098 | 353 | 721 | $+2.4%^†$ |
| 7 | Tokyo Musashino City | 10,595 | 1,438 | 307 | 706 | $−17.2%^†$ |
| 8 | MIO Biwako Shiga | 9,771 | 1,955 | 191 | 651 | $−4.3%^†$ |
| 9 | FC Osaka | 8,960 | 1,523 | 232 | 597 | $−33.4%^†$ |
| 10 | Briobecca Urayasu | 7,579 | 1,049 | 234 | 505 | $+5.0%^†$ |
| 11 | Verspah Oita | 6,108 | 746 | 223 | 407 | $−16.6%^†$ |
| 12 | Maruyasu Okazaki | 5,911 | 703 | 159 | 394 | $+3.1%^†$ |
| 13 | Tochigi Uva | 5,844 | 1,116 | 179 | 390 | $−3.0%^†$ |
| 14 | Sony Sendai | 5,298 | 566 | 171 | 353 | $−51.7%^†$ |
| 15 | Honda Lock | 4,930 | 746 | 100 | 329 | $−11.6%^†$ |
| 16 | Ryutsu Keizai Dragons | 4,644 | 691 | 137 | 310 | $−20.1%^†$ |
| | League total | 191,276 | 5,241 | 100 | 797 | $−2.4%^†$ |

Updated to games played on 3 December Source: Japan Football League (1st stage, 2nd stage) Notes: $^†$ Team played previous season in Regional Leagues.

## Promotion from Regional Leagues

Cobaltore Onagawa and Tegevajaro Miyazaki

