Shonan Bellmare is a Japanese club founded in 1968 in the city of Hiratsuka, Shonan region, Japan. The team’s name derives from Latin words ‘bellum’ and ‘mare’ which mean ‘beautiful sea’.
In 1972, the club got into top Japan Soccer League and won the championship three times (in 1977, 1979 and 1981). In 1994, Shonan Bellmare made their first run into the recently formed top-tier J. League Division 1. The late 1990s turned to be the glorious period for the team as they claimed their first major silverware Emperor’s Cup in 1994. In 1996, they won the Asian Cup Winners Cup and climbed up to the semi-final stage of the J. League Cup.
In the 2000s, Shonan Bellmare went into decline as they slumped to the second tier and couldn’t bounce back to the top flight throughout the decade. In 2010, they found themselves in the J. League once again before relegation in 2011. Following the second-place finish in the 2012 J. League Division 2, Shonan Bellmare won their ticket back to the top flight. In the following season they were relegated back to the second tier.
The team play their home games at Hiratsuka Athletics Stadium which can hold up to 18,500 people.
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