2021–22 WE League season

The 2021–22 WE League, also known as the 2021–22 Yogibo WE League (Japanese: 2021–22 Yogibo WEリーグ, Hepburn: 2021–22 Yogibo WE Rīgu) for sponsorship reasons, is the 1st season of the WE League, the top Japanese women's professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 2020. The league begun on 2 September 2021 and scheduled to the end on 21 May 2022.

WE League
Season2021–22
Dates12 September 2021 – 21 May 2022
Matches played92
Goals scored204 (2.22 per match)
Top goalscorerYuika Sugasawa (Urawa Reds)
(10 goals)
Biggest home winINAC Kobe Leonessa 5–0 Omiya Ardija Ventus
(12 Sep)[1]
Biggest away winOmiya Ardija Ventus 1–4 Urawa Reds
(2 Oct)[2]
Highest scoringNojima Stella Kanagawa 2–4 Albirex Niigata
(20 Nov)[3]
(6 goals)
Longest winning run8 matches
INAC Kobe Leonessa
Longest unbeaten run16 matches
INAC Kobe Leonessa
Longest winless run9 matches
Nojima Stella Kanagawa
Longest losing run5 matches
AS Elfen Saitama
2021
(Formerly first tier Nadeshiko League)
2022–23
All statistics correct as of 1 May 2022.

Organisation

The WE League is Japan's first fully professional women's soccer league, and 2021–22 is the WE League's inaugural season.

Competition

Preseason

Preseason ran from 24 April 2021 to 19 June 2021 prior to the Tokyo Olympics. In the first preseason match, INAC Kobe Leonessa defeated AC Nagano Parceiro 3–0.[4]

Regular season

The regular season started on 12 September 2021[5] and finish on 21 May 2022.[6]

Clubs

Stadiums and locations

Personnel and kits

Club Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Kit sponsor
MyNavi Sendai Takeo Matsuda Haruka Hamada X-girl Mynavi Corporation
Urawa Reds Naoki Kusunose Hanae Shibata Nike POLUS Co., Ltd.
Omiya Ardija Ventus Takeyuki Okamoto Saori Ariyoshi X-girl ahamo
AS Elfen Saitama Etsuko Handa Emi Yamamoto X-girl Chifure Holdings Co., Ltd.
JEF United Chiba Shinji Sarusawa Kanae Hayashi X-girl Yakult Honsha
Tokyo Verdy Beleza Kazuhiko Takemoto Risa Shimizu ATHLETA Task Force Co., Ltd.
Nojima Stella Kanagawa Makoto Kitano Arisa Matsubara X-girl Television Kanagawa
AC Nagano Parceiro Tadashi Ogasahara Kyoka Goshima X-girl Hokto
Albirex Niigata Daisuke Muramatsu X-girl Kameda Seika
INAC Kobe Leonessa Kei Hoshikawa Emi Nakajima hummel Earth Corporation
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina Shin Nakamura Yukari Kinga Nike EDION

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Incoming manager Date of
appointment

Foreign players

The JFA subsidizes salaries for players from Southeast Asian member federations, while the league itself subsidizes players from top-ranked FIFA countries.[7]

Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3
MyNavi Sendai
Urawa Reds
Omiya Ardija Ventus Grace Cutler
AS Elfen Saitama Sarina Bolden
JEF United Chiba Quinley Quezada Cheng Ssu-yu
Tokyo Verdy Beleza
Nojima Stella Kanagawa Cindy König Uchechi Sunday
AC Nagano Parceiro
Albirex Niigata Lee Hyo-kyeong
INAC Kobe Leonessa Stina Johannes
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 INAC Kobe Leonessa 16 14 2 0 27 5 +22 44
2 Urawa Reds 16 10 2 4 30 18 +12 32
3 JEF United Chiba 18 8 6 4 21 16 +5 30
4 MyNavi Sendai 16 8 4 4 20 9 +11 28
5 Tokyo Verdy Beleza 16 8 2 6 26 15 +11 26
6 Omiya Ardija Ventus 18 3 9 6 15 25 10 18
7 Albirex Niigata 16 4 4 8 15 23 8 16
8 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina 16 4 3 9 16 24 8 15
9 AC Nagano Parceiro 16 3 5 8 12 22 10 14
10 AS Elfen Saitama 18 2 7 9 12 25 13 13
11 Nojima Stella Kanagawa 16 2 6 8 11 23 12 12
Updated to match(es) played on 1 May 2022. Source: WE League (in English), WE League Data Site (in English)
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored.

    Results

    Positions by matchweek

    Team ╲ Round12345678910111213141516171819202122
    INAC Kobe Leonessa14111111111111111111
    Urawa Reds412223443333333322
    JEF United Chiba761010107554455554433
    MyNavi Sendai534332322224445554
    Tokyo Verdy Beleza875444235542222245
    Omiya Ardija Ventus1111998101087766666666
    Albirex Niigata98665891010998877777
    Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina2577957688899910988
    AC Nagano Parceiro323579576677788899
    AS Elfen Saitama101011111111111111111111111111101010
    Nojima Stella Kanagawa59886689910101010109111111
    Leader
    Updated to match(es) played on 1 May 2022. Source: WE League (in English)

    Results by round

    Team ╲ Round12345678910111213141516171819202122
    Albirex NiigataLDWDWADLLLLWWADDDWLWLL
    MyNavi SendaiDWDWDWWADWLDWWADLWLLWW
    AC Nagano ParceiroWDDLLLWLWWADLDWADLDLLD
    INAC Kobe LeonessaWWADWWWWWWWDDWWWADWWWW
    Sanfrecce Hiroshima ReginaWLLDLWDWADLDLLLLWADWWL
    Urawa RedsWWWADWWLLLWDWDWWLWADWW
    Nojima Stella KanagawaDLDWADWLDLLLDDLLWLWADD
    Tokyo Verdy BelezaLDWWLWWLWADDWWWWLLLWAD
    JEF United ChibaWADDLLDWWWWDDLLWWWDWDWAD
    Omiya Ardija VentusLDDLWWADLWDDDDLDLWDLLWAD
    AS Elfen SaitamaLDLLLLLWDDWADDWLLDWLDWAD
    Win
    Draw
    Lose
    WE ACTION DAY
    Updated to match(es) played on 1 May 2022. Source: WE League (in English)

    All match results

    Home \ Away MYN RED VEN ELF JEF BEL STE PAR ALB LEO REG
    MyNavi Sendai 0–0[8] 1–1[9] 1–0[10] 0–0[11] 1–1[12] 4–0[13]
    Urawa Reds 3–1[14] 2–0[15] 2–0[16] 2–0[17] 2–0[18] 0–2[19] 1–2[20]
    Omiya Ardija Ventus 0–1[21] 1–4[2] 0–0[22] 0–0[23] 1–3[24] 1–1[25] 4–1[26]
    AS Elfen 0–3[27] 1–1[28] 1–1[29] 1–0[30] 0–1[31] 0–3[2]
    JEF United Chiba 2–1[32] 1–1[33] 1–1[34] 0–3[35] 2–0[36] 0–0[37]
    Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1–2[38] 0–0[39] 4–1[3] 4–0[40] 2–0[41] 2–0[42]
    Nojima Stella Kanagawa 0–1[43] 1–0[44] 0–0[45] 2–4[46]
    AC Nagano Parceiro 0–2[47] 0–0[48] 0–2[49] 2–1[50]
    Albirex Niigata 0–3[51] 2–1[52] 0–1[53] 1–3[54]
    INAC Kobe Leonessa 5–0[1] 1–1[55] 2–0[56] 1–0[57] 1–0[58] 1–0<[59] 3–2[60]
    Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina 0–2[61] 1–1[62] 0–0[63] 1–1[64]
    Updated to match(es) played on 1 May 2022. Source: WE League (in English)
    Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

    Season statistics

    As of 30 April 2022

    Top scorers

    Rank Player Club Goals[65][66]
    1 Yuika Sugasawa Urawa Reds 10
    (1 player)
    2 Akari Shiraki MyNavi Sendai 7
    (3 player)
    Mina Tanaka INAC Kobe Leonessa
    Miyu Yakata MyNavi Sendai
    5 Ayaka Inoue Omiya Ardija Ventus 6
    (5 players)
    Haruka Osawa JEF United Chiba
    Riko Ueki Tokyo Verdy Beleza
    Ayaka Michigami Albirex Niigata
    Mami Ueno Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina
    10 Natsuki Kishikawa JEF United Chiba 5
    (2 players)
    Remina Chiba JEF United Chiba
    (11 players)

    Pre-season matches

    Overview

    • Source:[67][68]
    • Title: 2021 WE League pre-season match
    • Dates: 24 April – 19 June 2021
    • Rules and regulations: match duration; 90 minutes (45 minutes each half)
    • Number of matches: 22
    • Official website: 2021 WE League pre-season matches (in Japanese)

    Results

    24 April 2021 (2021-04-24) Match 1 INAC Kobe Leonessa 3–0 AC Nagano Parceiro Sakai, Osaka
    13:00 UTC+9
    • Yui Narumiya 23', 41'
    • Fukina Mizuno 90+2'
    Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Natural Grass Main Field S1
    Attendance: 262
    Referee: Haruna Kanematsu
    24 April 2021 (2021-04-24) Match 2 Urawa Reds 1–1 MyNavi Sendai Saitama, Saitama
    14:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Urawa Komaba Stadium
    Attendance: 1,504
    Referee: Asaka Koizumi
    25 April 2021 (2021-04-25) Match 3 Albirex Niigata 6–0 Nojima Stella Kanagawa Niigata, Niigata
    14:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Denka Big Swan Stadium
    Attendance: 678
    Referee: Azusa Sugino
    29 April 2021 (2021-04-29) Match 4 JEF United Chiba 0–1 Omiya Ardija Ventus Ichihara, Chiba
    13:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: ZA Oripri Stadium
    Attendance: 362
    Referee: Miu Sone
    29 April 2021 (2021-04-29) Match 5 AC Nagano Parceiro 1–2 Albirex Niigata Saku, Nagano
    13:00 UTC+9
    • Hinako Murakami 73'
    Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Saku Athletic Stadium
    Attendance: 280
    Referee: Kazue Kusadokoro
    29 April 2021 (2021-04-29) Match 6 Nojima Stella Kanagawa 1–5 Urawa Reds Sagamihara, Kanagawa
    14:00 UTC+9
    • Minami Ishida 49'
    Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Sagamihara Gion Stadium
    Attendance: 485
    Referee: Fusako Kajiyama
    4 May 2021 (2021-05-04) Match 7 AS Elfen Saitama 0–1 INAC Kobe Leonessa Kumagaya, Saitama
    14:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Kumagaya Athletic Stadium
    Attendance: 991
    Referee: Emi Chiba
    8 May 2021 (2021-05-08) Match 8 AC Nagano Parceiro 1–0 Nojima Stella Kanagawa Saku, Nagano
    13:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Saku Athletic Stadium
    Attendance: 277
    Referee: Asaka Koizumi
    8 May 2021 (2021-05-08) Match 9 Omiya Ardija Ventus 0–1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina Saitama, Saitama
    14:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: NACK5 Stadium Omiya
    Attendance: 2,834
    Referee: Yoshimi Yamashita
    8 May 2021 (2021-05-08) Match 10 Tokyo Verdy Beleza 0–1 JEF United Chiba Chōfu, Tokyo
    14:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    • Yuka Anzai 8'
    Stadium: AGF Field
    Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors)
    Referee: Haruna Kanematsu
    9 May 2021 (2021-05-09) Match 11 MyNavi Sendai 0–0 AS Elfen Saitama Kakuda, Miyagi
    13:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Kakuda athletic field
    Attendance: 478
    Referee: Azusa Sugino
    22 May 2021 (2021-05-22) Match 12 INAC Kobe Leonessa 2–0 Urawa Reds Kobe, Hyōgo
    13:00 UTC+9
    Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Noevir Stadium Kobe[69]
    Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors)[69]
    Referee: Fusako Kajiyama
    22 May 2021 (2021-05-22) Match 13 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina 2–0 JEF United Chiba Hiroshima, Hiroshima
    13:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Hiroshima Koiki Park Football Stadium No.1
    Attendance: 1,075
    Referee: Saki Nakamoto
    22 May 2021 (2021-05-22) Match 14 Omiya Ardija Ventus 0–4 Tokyo Verdy Beleza Saitama, Saitama
    14:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: NACK5 Stadium Omiya
    Attendance: 2,856
    Referee: Mariko Iwaki
    22 May 2021 (2021-05-22) Match 15 Albirex Niigata 3–1 AS Elfen Saitama Niigata, Niigata
    14:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Denka Big Swan Stadium
    Attendance: 586
    Referee: Saori Takahashi
    29 May 2021 (2021-05-29) Match 16 JEF United Chiba 1–2 MyNavi Sendai Chiba, Chiba
    12:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Fukuda Denshi Arena
    Attendance: 550
    Referee: Minako Asakura
    29 May 2021 (2021-05-29) Match 17 Nojima Stella Kanagawa 0–1 Omiya Ardija Ventus Sagamihara, Kanagawa
    13:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Sagamihara Gion Stadium
    Attendance: 485
    Referee: Haruna Kanematsu
    29 May 2021 (2021-05-29) Match 18 Urawa Reds 2–2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina Saitama, Saitama
    14:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Urawa Komaba Stadium
    Attendance: 1,431
    Referee: Junko Kirihara
    30 May 2021 (2021-05-30) Match 19 Tokyo Verdy Beleza 4–0 Albirex Niigata Kita, Tokyo
    14:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka
    Attendance: 1,888
    Referee: Mari Miyazaki
    5 June 2021 (2021-06-05) Match 20 MyNavi Sendai 2–1 Tokyo Verdy Beleza Ishinomaki, Miyagi
    13:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Ishinomaki football field
    Attendance: 488
    Referee: Azusa Sugino
    5 June 2021 (2021-06-05) Match 21 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina 0–1 INAC Kobe Leonessa Hiroshima, Hiroshima
    14:00 UTC+9[70] Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Hiroshima Koiki Park Football Stadium No.1
    Attendance: 1,573
    Referee: Michiko Fujita
    19 June 2021 (2021-06-19) Match 22 AS Elfen Saitama 1–2 AC Nagano Parceiro Kumagaya, Saitama
    14:00 UTC+9 Report
    (WE League)

    (in Japanese and English)
    Stadium: Kumagaya Athletic Stadium
    Attendance: 701
    Referee: Hisae Yoshizawa

    See also

    National association
    National league(s)
    • 2022 J1 League (Men's first tier)
    • 2022 Nadeshiko League (Women's second / third tier)
    National cup(s)
    National team(s)

    References

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