Ōita Trinita is a Japanese football club currently playing in J1 League, having been promoted in 2018 after a 5-year absence from Japan's top flight. The club's home town is Ōita city, but the club draws support from Beppu, Saiki, and the entire Ōita Prefecture. The club's name, Trinita, is the Italian translation of the wordtrinity , which was the club's original name before being changed in 1999, and Ōita, the club's home town. The combined word expresses the will of the local citizens, companies, and government to support the team. Others connection to the italian culture can be found in the city nickname Azzurro. The club's home ground is Ōita Bank Dome, also known as the "Big Eye", which was one the venues built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The club practices at the adjacent football and rugby field, and Ōita City Public Ground.
History
The club was formed as Ōita Trinity in 1994 and advanced through the Ōita Prefectural League and the Kyushu League before finishing as the runner-up of the 1996 National League, resulting in promotion to the JFL. In 1999, the club changed its name to Trinita due to copyright infringement concerns. The same year, the club joined J.League Division 2, the second-highest flight in Japanese football, and placed third. The club also placed third in 2000, and despite being in contention for promotion until the final game of the season in 2001, finished sixth. The following year, the club won J.League Division 2 and finally earned promotion to the top-flight Division 1. In 2008, the club won the J.League Cup, the first major title won by a Kyūshū club since Yawata Steel SC shared the 1964 Emperor's Cup. In 2009, the club suffered their worst-ever results in their seven-year history in the top flight, including 14 straight losses in league matches, which is the current worst record in the J.League since the golden goal system was eliminated. The club even fired cup-winning manager Pericles Chamusca in mid-July. On October 25, the club's relegation was confirmed after being held to a 1–1 draw by ten-man Kyoto Sanga F.C., although the club would have faced relegation anyway as they had outstanding loans from the JFL's emergency fund and league rules prohibit clubs with such loans from participating in the top flight. During the 2012 J.League Division 2 season, Oita Trinita finished in sixth place, qualifying for the promotion playoffs in the first year of its introduction in Japan's second flight as the club had also paid back all its emergency loans that October. Despite being the lowest seed, Oita Trinita defeated Kyoto Sanga F.C. 4–0 in the semi-final and JEF United Ichihara Chiba 1–0 in the final, earning promotion to 2013 J.League Division 1, returning to the top flight after a 5-year absence This time, however, their top flight stay lasted only one season. In 2015 they were further relegated to J3 League after losing in the promotion playoffs to Machida Zelvia on December 6, becoming the first major trophy winner to be relegated to the third tier. The club immediately gained promotion back to J2 League by winning the J3 League title in 2016.
Tomohiro Katanosaka