The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese numeral for three, San and an Italian word frecce or ‘arrows’. This is based on the story of Mori Motonari who told his three sons that while an arrow might be easily snapped, three arrows would not be broken and urged them to work for the good of the clan and its retainers.

he team was a former company team of Toyo Kogyo Soccer Club (東洋工業サッカー部?) in 1938 and played in the semi-professional Japan Soccer League. They dominated the JSL’s early years, winning the title 4 times in a row – a feat that was later equaled by Yomiuri S.C./Verdy Kawasaki. The name change was made at Mazda SC (マツダSC?) in 1981. When JSL disbanded and became the J. League in 1992, it dropped the company name and became “Sanfrecce Hiroshima”. Alongside JEF United Ichihara Chiba and Urawa Red Diamonds they co-founded both leagues.

During the 1969 season they participated in the Asian Club Cup, forerunner to today’s AFC Champions League; at the time, the tournament was done in a single locale (in that year it was Bangkok, Thailand), and they ended up in third place, the first participation of a Japanese club in the continental tournament. This also cost them the league title to Mitsubishi/Urawa, and although they won another title in 1970, since then the club has been out of the running for the title, with exceptional seasons such as 1994 when they won runner-up.

Visit official website: http://www.sanfrecce.co.jp/