2023 Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League

Prince Takamado JFA U-18 Premier League
Season	2023
Dates	1 April – 10 December
Champions	Aomori Yamada; (4th title)
Relegated	East:; Asahikawa Jitsugyo; Yokohama F. Marinos; West:; Riseisha; Júbilo Iwata
Matches played	264
Goals scored	869 (3.29 per match)
Top goalscorer	East: Torataro Okazaki (18 goals); West: Asuma Ikari (18 goals)
Biggest home win	East:; Shoshi 9–0 Asahikawa Jitsugyo; (11 June); West:; Vissel Kobe 5–0 Kamimura Gakuen; (28 May); Vissel Kobe 5–0 Shizuoka Gakuen; (3 December)
Biggest away win	East:; Asahikawa Jitsugyo 0–9 Kawasaki Frontale; (28 May); West:; Riseisha 0–6 Ohzu; (30 September)
Highest scoring	East:; Asahikawa Jitsugyo 0–9 Kawasaki Frontale; (28 May); Shoshi 9–0 Asahikawa Jitsugyo; (11 June); West:; Ohzu 6–3 Riseisha; (7 May)
	← 2022 2024 →

The 2023 Prince Takamado JFA U-18 Football Premier League (Japanese: 高円宮杯 JFA U-18サッカープレミアリーグ 2023, Hepburn: Takamado no Miya-hai JFA U-18 Sakkā Puremia Rīgu 2023) was the 34th season of the main competition for under-18 teams in Japan, the 13th after rebranding the competition to the current "Premier League" format, and the 2nd season with 24 clubs participating in the league.^[1]

Changes from the previous season

The Premier League/Prince League play-offs gives an opportunity for teams to be promoted from the Prince Leagues (a conglomerate of regional leagues that forms the 2nd division of youth football in Japan). The two 10th-placed teams in their respective 2022 Premier League divisions participated in the play-offs, while the 11th and 12th-placed teams of each division were directly relegated. So, it not only determined the newcomers but also determined whether there will be other relegated teams from the Premier League or not.

On 2022, the number of teams that could make the jump to the top division were from four up to six.

Promoted from the Prince Leagues	Relegated by bottom-league finish (East)	Relegated by bottom-league finish (West)	Relegated through play-offs
Asahikawa Jitsugyo Shohei Shoshi Yonago Kita Kamimura Gakuen	JFA Academy Fukushima Kiryu Daiichi	Shimizu S-Pulse Gamba Osaka	Cerezo Osaka

Participating clubs

As usual, the teams were allocated to each division by the JFA based on geographical positions. Yokohama FC U-18s was the only team to be relocated, switching from the East to the West on 2023.^[2]

Premier League EAST

Team	Prefecture
Asahikawa Jitsugyo High School	Hokkaido
Aomori Yamada High School	Aomori
Shoshi High School	Fukushima
Maebashi Ikuei High School	Gunma
Shohei High School	Saitama
Omiya Ardija	Saitama
Ryutsu Keizai Kashiwa High School	Chiba
Kashiwa Reysol	Chiba
Ichiritsu Funabashi High School	Chiba
FC Tokyo	Tokyo
Kawasaki Frontale	Kanagawa
Yokohama F. Marinos	Kanagawa

Premier League WEST

Team	Prefecture
Yokohama FC	Kanagawa
Shizuoka Gakuen High School	Shizuoka
Júbilo Iwata	Shizuoka
Nagoya Grampus	Aichi
Riseisha High School	Osaka
Vissel Kobe	Hyogo
Yonago Kita High School	Tottori
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Hiroshima
Higashi Fukuoka High School	Fukuoka
Sagan Tosu	Saga
Ohzu High School	Kumamoto
Kamimura Gakuen High School	Kagoshima

League table

Premier League East

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Aomori Yamada	22	16	3	3	54	25	+29	51	Qualification for Premier League final
2	Shoshi	22	15	4	3	46	20	+26	49
3	Kawasaki Frontale	22	14	4	4	57	17	+40	46
4	Kashiwa Reysol	22	10	6	6	50	30	+20	36
5	Ichiritsu Funabashi	22	8	10	4	34	28	+6	34
6	Ryutsu Keizai Kashiwa	22	7	6	9	30	29	+1	27
7	Shohei	22	7	5	10	30	34	−4	26
8	Maebashi Ikuei	22	8	2	12	28	41	−13	26
9	Omiya Ardija	22	6	5	11	22	35	−13	23
10	FC Tokyo	22	5	7	10	26	36	−10	22
11	Yokohama F. Marinos	22	4	5	13	26	42	−16	17	Relegation to the Prince Leagues
12	Asahikawa Jitsugyo	22	3	1	18	17	83	−66	10	Relegation to the Prince Leagues

Source: JFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goal scored; 7) Fair-play points.

Premier League West

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	22	14	4	4	50	27	+23	46	Qualification for Premier League final
2	Vissel Kobe	22	14	3	5	42	19	+23	45
3	Shizuoka Gakuen	22	12	4	6	40	33	+7	40
4	Ohzu	22	10	3	9	47	43	+4	33
5	Yokohama FC	22	9	5	8	37	40	−3	32
6	Higashi Fukuoka	22	9	4	9	34	31	+3	31
7	Yonago Kita	22	9	3	10	35	31	+4	30
8	Nagoya Grampus	22	8	6	8	30	31	−1	30
9	Sagan Tosu	22	8	3	11	31	38	−7	27
10	Kamimura Gakuen	22	8	3	11	40	49	−9	27
11	Júbilo Iwata	22	7	2	13	38	48	−10	23	Relegation to the Prince Leagues
12	Riseisha	22	3	2	17	22	56	−34	11	Relegation to the Prince Leagues

Source: JFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head goal scored; 7) Fair-play points.

Promotion/relegation play-offs

Qualified for the stage the 16 top-ranked teams of the nine Prince League divisions, with each region having its amount of qualifying slots predetermined by the JFA^[a].^[3] They were divided into four blocks, with their respective block winners (highlighted in bold) qualifying for the next season's Premier League.^[4]

^ Reserve teams, however, can not participate in the play-offs. If their final league placement sits in the qualifying zone for the play-offs, their slot will be allocated to the next best-ranked team.

Block A

8 December 1st round	Fagiano Okayama	3–1	Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo	Hiroshima
11:00	Ryota Minami 37', 64' Hideyuki Ishii 90+3'	Report	Shido Izuma 18'	Stadium: Hiroshima Regional Park No.1 Ball Game Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Taku Nagaya

8 December 1st round	Kyoto Sanga	4–3	Nissho Gakuen HS	Higashihiroshima
13:30	Yoshiki Sumi 43' Rikuto Iida 54' Kudai Kumagai 62' Reo Tozawa 87'	Report	Sota Minami 21' Rento Takaoka 31' Koga Yoshikawa 76'	Stadium: Higashihiroshima Sports Park Football Field Attendance: 120 Referee: Masaki Adachi

10 December 2nd round	Fagiano Okayama	1–0	Kyoto Sanga	Hiroshima
11:00	Kosei Narazaki 15'	Report		Stadium: Edion Stadium Hiroshima Attendance: 550 Referee: Shinya Sasaki

Block B

8 December 1st round	Vegalta Sendai	3–1	Shimizu S-Pulse	Hiroshima
11:00	Kazuma Kawano 17' Yuma Sasaki 39' Sota Yokoyama 55'	Report	Narumi Ota 11'	Stadium: Edion Stadium Hiroshima Attendance: 200 Referee: Masakazu Kato

8 December 1st round	Kashima Antlers	5–1	Setouchi HS	Hiroshima
13:30	Haruto Matsumoto 31' Yugo Okawa 42' Kosei Ogura 58', 60' Homare Tokuda 86'	Report	Yuga Arai 17'	Stadium: Hiroshima General Ground Main Stadium Attendance: 150 Referee: Yoshihito Hori

10 December 2nd round	Vegalta Sendai	0–7	Kashima Antlers	Hiroshima
11:00		Report	Junnosuke Manome 1', 7', 45+3' Koji Oyama 27', 62' Homare Tokuda 89', 90+4'	Stadium: Hiroshima Regional Park No.1 Ball Game Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Akifumi Kawakatsu

Block C

8 December 1st round	Kagoshima Josei HS	2–1	Albirex Niigata	Hiroshima
11:00	Kaito Seriu 17', 55'	Report	Koki Maruyama 38'	Stadium: Hiroshima General Ground Main Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Kakuro Hori

8 December 1st round	Hokkai HS	1–2 (a.e.t.)	Ohmi HS	Hiroshima
13:30	Koki Nomura 6'	Report	Riu Yamakado 62' Yota Kanayama 109'	Stadium: Hiroshima Regional Park No.1 Ball Game Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Yuichi Hanakawa

10 December 2nd round	Kagoshima Josei HS	1–0	Ohmi HS	Hiroshima
13:30	Kaito Seriu 63'	Report		Stadium: Edion Stadium Hiroshima Attendance: 550 Referee: Kenya Ohara

Block D

8 December 1st round	Teikyo Nagaoka HS	2–1	Okayama Gakugeikan HS	Higashihiroshima
11:00	Sota Hara 47' Takeshi Hara 58'	Report	Kenshin Kozai 90+1'	Stadium: Higashihiroshima Sports Park Football Field Attendance: 150 Referee: Shohei Ofuji

8 December 1st round	Tokushima Vortis	5–5 (a.e.t.) (2–4 p)	Urawa Red Diamonds	Hiroshima
13:30	Shuto Maekawa 6', 90+3' Reo Hironaga 51' Neo Nagamura 98' Yusei Onoe 110+5'	Report	Keigo Fukata 27' Kazuki Seyama 90+2' Hibiki Kawaragi 90+4' Seiryu Shimizu 91' Minaho Abe 107'	Stadium: Edion Stadium Hiroshima Attendance: 200 Referee: Yu Tezuka
	Penalties
	Neo Nagamura Kojiro Shibata Muku Fukuta Yusei Onoe		Go Aoyagi Minaho Abe Seiryu Shimizu Hibiki Kawaragi

10 December 2nd round	Teikyo Nagaoka HS	2–1	Urawa Red Diamonds	Hiroshima
13:30	Sota Hori 18', 44'	Report	Seiryu Shimizu 66'	Stadium: Hiroshima Regional Park No.1 Ball Game Stadium Attendance: 250 Referee: Hiroki Murata

Final

10 December

13:00

Aomori Yamada	2–1	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Own goal 90' Takumi Tsushima 90+4'	Report	Aren Inoue 49'

Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama

Attendance: 4,113

Referee: Toshiki Tomomasa

Aomori Yamada

Sanfrecce Hiroshima


GK	1	Shoei Suzuki
DF	2	Takuto Kobayashi
DF	3	Soju Konuma
DF	4	Tora Yamamoto (c)
DF	5	Kaito Koizumi
DF	6	Toki Sugasawa
MF	8	Ryosuke Kawahara	74'
MF	10	Rei Shibata
MF	13	Kenta Fukushima	58'
MF	14	Hidetaka Sugimoto
FW	11	Soji Yoneya
Substitutes:
GK	12	Tatsuya Hasegawa
MF	16	Raichi Goto	74'
MF	19	Ikuma Beppu
MF	23	Yuki Ikeda
MF	25	Kazunori Saito
FW	9	Takumi Tsushima	58'
FW	24	Tokiya Yamashita
Manager:
Masanori Masaki


GK	1	Koshin Yamada
DF	3	Isshin Kuroki
DF	6	Milan Ishihara (c)
DF	18	Shota Kohui
MF	7	Zento Torii	90+5'
MF	8	Yotaro Nakajima
MF	14	Shin Takeyama
MF	15	Hinata Hashimoto
FW	9	Jo Tsunokake	78'
FW	10	Hagumu Nakagawa
FW	19	Aren Inoue	78'
Substitutes:
GK	16	Shunsuke Sawada
DF	2	Mikio Yamane
DF	22	Fuga Kotani
MF	11	Yuki Kimura	78'
MF	13	Seiya Ishibashi
MF	28	Shimon Kobayashi	90+5'
FW	29	Moki Sota	78'
Manager:
Satoru Noda

Assistant referees:
Kenji Wakamiya
Yuta Ono
Fourth official:
Yasuhiro Udagawa

Match rules

90 minutes.
Extra-time if scores still level at the end of regulation time.
Penalty shoot-out if scores still level at the end of extra time.
Seven named substitutes.
Maximum of five substitutions during regulation time, with one more substition allowed if the match needs to go into extra-time.

Top scorers

East

Rank	Player	Club	Goals^[5]
1	Torataro Okazaki	Kawasaki Frontale	18
2	Soji Yoneya	Aomori Yamada	15
3	Nobuhiro Konno	Kashiwa Reysol	13
4	Riku Gunji	Ichiritsu Funabashi	12
5	Taiyo Yamaguchi	FC Tokyo	10
6	Hiyu Ajiro	Shoshi	8
7	Asahi Nakada	Ryutsu Keizai Kashiwa	7
	Junki Osa	Shohei
	Shun Sakuramatsu	Shoshi
	Kento Shirasu	Yokohama F. Marinos
	Haruhi Taneda	Omiya Ardija
	Akito Toda	Kashiwa Reysol
	Mohamed Sadiki Wade	Kashiwa Reysol
	Tora Yamamoto	Aomori Yamada

West

Rank	Player	Club	Goals^[6]
1	Asuma Ikari	Ohzu	20
2	Kyota Funahashi	Júbilo Iwata	14
2	Minto Nishimaru	Kamimura Gakuen	14
4	Soma Kanda	Shizuoka Gakuen	12
4	Hagumu Nakagawa	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	12
6	Tsubasa Inada	Ohzu	10
7	Gaku Nawata	Kamimura Gakuen	9
	Shoi Sakamoto	Vissel Kobe
	Daichi Suzuki	Sagan Tosu
	Takumi Yoshioka	Higashi Fukuoka