FC Osaka 2017 Home Shirt (Match-worn)

FC OSAKA - HOME SHIRT 2017

FC Osaka are a comparatively young club, founded in 1996 and based in Higashiosaka on the eastern side of the Osaka conurbation. Their home is one of Japanese sport's great curiosities: Hanazono Rugby Stadium, the oldest purpose-built rugby ground in the country and the spiritual home of the Japanese game, an unusual address for a football side to call their own.

In 2017, FC Osaka were still grafting away in the Japan Football League, the fourth tier and the gateway to the professional pyramid. It was a strong campaign: they finished 4th out of 16, winning 16 of their 30 matches, drawing 7 and losing 7 for 55 points, with a healthy goal difference of plus 27 (59 scored, 32 conceded). This crisp home shirt was worn through a season that hinted at the promotion ambitions to come.

The story of the year was firepower. Those 59 goals made FC Osaka one of the most watchable sides in the division, and while champions Honda FC ultimately proved out of reach, a top-four finish among the country's best semi-professional clubs was a serious statement from a club still climbing.

Above all, 2017 was a building block. That commanding plus-27 goal difference, one of the best in the division, laid the groundwork for the club's eventual march into the professional J3, and shirts from this era capture FC Osaka just before they made that leap.

Follow the club on X: @FCosakaOfficial