J. League 100 Year Plan club status, Jei Rīgu hyakunen kōsō kurabu (Jリーグ百年構想クラブ) is a status given to Japanese non-league football clubs. The applicant must have an intention to become a professional club and to join the professional league, J. League, that governs the top three levels of the Japanese football pyramid. Usually clubs from the fourth level, Japan Football League, which is the top tier for amateur clubs, apply for the status; however, it is open for all amateur clubs down to Prefectural leagues. The applications are reviewed and inspected by a committee formed by the league. Since the 2014 season, the Associate Membership is the main criteria for J3 promotion. The system allows the League to identify such clubs, to provide necessary resources/advices, and to ease the transition to the professionalism.
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1993–1998
Originally, when the professional league formed in 1993 with ten clubs, the league's intention was to keep the number of clubs to 10 for at least two to three years, and then gradually increase the roster to 16 by adding a club or two in year-to-year basis. However, the league had underestimated the demands; there were far more clubs seeking top-flight football then the league have anticipated. Thus, the league adopted associate membership system for the clubs in then the second-tier Japan Football League. Just like the current system, associate clubs finishing in the top two were allowed to be promoted to the league, given that they have passed the final inspection by the league. Associate members also had right to participate in Yamazaki Nabisco Cup games and reserve league games.
This system has been abolished in 1998 with the establishment of J. League Division 2 and the dissolution of the old JFL. Three remaining associate members were admitted to the J2 and Honda FC decided to maintain amateur status and joined the newly created JFL.
2006–2013
After its establishment in 1999, J. League Division 2 became the frontier of J. League expansion, feeding from the simultaneously established Japan Football League. In their first seven years of co-existence, every club that applied for promotion was individually examined by the league. Five teams were promoted this way, but as the number of applicants increased over time, in October 2005 the JFA initiated the establishment of the new association membership system in order to provide an incentive for amateur clubs to obtain a sound economical and business basis necessary to J. League membership.
The criteria for such membership were developed by joint JFA–J. League committee in early 2006. They covered various aspects of the club development, with the particular stress on organizational stability, adequate infrastructure, and support from the local government, sponsors, and community. Unlike the previous system, this membership has been targeted not only to JFL clubs, but to all amateurs club in the football pyramid, including Regional and Prefectural leagues.
Below is a list of criteria for associate membership in their last edition as of September 1, 2012.
New associate membership system lasted for eight years and came to its logical finish after the number of J2 clubs had reached 22 (the original target) in 2012 season. The next year saw the establishment of J3 League which incorporated most of the remaining associate members.
Since 2006, 29 clubs have applied for the J. League associate member status and 25 have received it, though for many clubs more than one application was necessary. Of those 25 that received the status, 11 were promoted to J2; 9 more were admitted to J3 League in 2013; and 5 remaining members (along with three pending applications) transitioned to the new 100 Year Plan status in 2014. The table below summarizes the history of associate membership applications and J. League promotions/admissions. Promotions listed were to J2, unless indicated otherwise.
† Listed is the league the club participated at the time of application, not necessary the league that the club currently belongs to.
100 Year Plan status (since 2014)
For the short time after the establishment of J3 League in 2014, the league designated J3 clubs as "associate members," as opposed to "full members" of J1 and J2. In order to avoid confusion with associate membership system for future participants, it was decided to change the name of the latter status to "100 Year Plan" status. The J. League later abolished the associate membership naming for J3 clubs, but the new name for future members remained.
Participation Criteria
The criteria for the 100 Year Plan status are largely similar to associate membership of the past, though they are generally more relaxed because of less strict regulations for J3 participation in comparison with J2. Below are the criteria for 2014 season.
Criteria for J3 promotion
The 100 Year Plan status alone is only a prerequisite for J3 promotion, and the club must comply with additional requirements in order to receive J3 license necessary for promotion.
Application History
† Listed is the league the club participated at the time of application, not necessary the league that the club currently belongs to.