2018 Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League

The 2018 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 2018, Hepburn: Takamado no Miya-hai JFA U-18 Sakkā Puremia Rīgu 2018) was the 30th season of the main competition for under-18 teams in Japan and the 9th after rebranding the competition to the current "Premier League" format.^[1]

Prince Takamado JFA U-18 Premier League

Season	2018
Dates	7 April – 9 December
Champions	Sanfrecce Hiroshima (4th title)
Relegated	FC Tokyo Toyama Daiichi Hannan Yonago Kita
Matches	180
Goals	585 (3.25 per match)
Top goalscorer	East: Riku Danzaki (16 goals) West: Kohei Hattori (15 goals)
Biggest home win	East: Aomori Yamada 5–0 Toyama Daiichi (15 April) Aomori Yamada 6–1 Júbilo Iwata (24 June) West: Sanfrecce Hiroshima 5–0 Yonago Kita (1 July) Sanfrecce Hiroshima 6–1 Kyoto Sanga (9 December)
Biggest away win	East: RKU Kashiwa 0–4 Aomori Yamada (9 September) West: Vissel Kobe 0–4 Kyoto Sanga (23 June) Vissel Kobe 0–4 Nagoya Grampus (15 July) Hannan 1–5 Gamba Osaka (16 July) Yonago Kita 0–4 Nagoya Grampus (14 November)
Highest scoring	East: FC Tokyo 1–6 Kashiwa Reysol (16 July) Kashiwa Reysol 2–5 Kashima Antlers (2 September) West: Gamba Osaka 5–5 Nagoya Grampus (8 April)
← 2017 2019 →

Kashima Antlers won the Premier League East, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima won the Premier League West. The teams met in the final, which Sanfrecce won by 2–1, being then crowned champions.^[2][3][4]

Changes from the previous season

Promoted from the Prince Leagues	Relegated to the Prince Leagues (East)	Relegated to the Prince Leagues (West)
RKU Kashiwa Júbilo Iwata Toyama Daiichi Nagoya Grampus	Omiya Ardija Yokohama F. Marinos	Kobe Koryo Gakuen Ohzu

Participating clubs

Premier League East

Team	Prefecture
Aomori Yamada High School	Aomori
Kashima Antlers	Ibaraki
Urawa Red Diamonds	Saitama
Ichiritsu Funabashi High School	Chiba
Kashiwa Reysol	Chiba
Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School	Chiba
FC Tokyo	Tokyo
Toyama Daiichi High School	Toyama
Shimizu S-Pulse	Shizuoka
Júbilo Iwata	Shizuoka

Premier League West

Team	Prefecture
Nagoya Grampus	Aichi
Kyoto Sanga	Kyoto
Hannan University High School	Osaka
Gamba Osaka	Osaka
Cerezo Osaka	Osaka
Vissel Kobe	Hyogo
Yonago Kita High School	Tottori
Sanfrecce Hiroshima	Hiroshima
Avispa Fukuoka	Fukuoka
Higashi Fukuoka High School	Fukuoka

League table

Premier League East

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Kashima Antlers	18	13	3	2	27	12	+15	42	Qualification for Premier League final
2	Aomori Yamada	18	10	7	1	47	14	+33	37
3	Shimizu S-Pulse	18	9	4	5	26	15	+11	31
4	RKU Kashiwa	18	8	4	6	16	16	0	28
5	Kashiwa Reysol	18	5	6	7	28	25	+3	21
6	Ichiritsu Funabashi	18	6	3	9	21	27	−6	21
7	Urawa Red Diamonds	18	4	8	6	14	19	−5	20
8	Júbilo Iwata	18	6	2	10	14	26	−12	20
9	FC Tokyo	18	4	7	7	19	29	−10	19	Relegation to the Prince Leagues
10	Toyama Daiichi	18	1	4	13	11	40	−29	7

Source: soccer-db.net
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	18	11	4	3	47	19	+28	37	Qualification for Premier League final
2	Gamba Osaka	18	10	5	3	56	37	+19	35
3	Nagoya Grampus	18	10	4	4	48	28	+20	34
4	Kyoto Sanga	18	10	3	5	31	31	0	33
5	Higashi Fukuoka	18	9	4	5	43	34	+9	31
6	Cerezo Osaka	18	9	2	7	28	22	+6	29
7	Vissel Kobe	18	7	0	11	25	39	−14	21
8	Avispa Fukuoka	18	6	2	10	28	38	−10	20
9	Hannan	18	4	2	12	27	43	−16	14	Relegation to the Prince Leagues
10	Yonago Kita	18	1	0	17	15	57	−42	3

Source: soccer-db.net
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

As usual, the 16 top-ranked teams of the nine Prince League divisions entered the play-offs. They were split into four blocks, with each block winner (highlighted in bold) qualifying for the 2021 Premier League.^[5]

Block A

Yaita Chuo HS v Rissho University Shonan HS

14 December 1st round	Yaita Chuo HS	1–0	Rissho University Shonan HS	Hiroshima
11:00	Keisuke Ito 35'	Report		Stadium: Hiroshima Regional Park No.1 Ball Game Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Shuhei Ishimaru

Shizuoka Gakuen HS v Ohzu HS

14 December 1st round	Shizuoka Gakuen HS	1–3	Ohzu HS	Hiroshima
11:00	Yuta Matsumura 19'	Report	Yusei Otake 3' Rei Okuhara 40' Koki Matsubara 89'	Stadium: Mitsutoyo Sports Park Gohara Attendance: 210 Referee: Daisuke Yamaguchi

Yaita Chuo HS v Ohzu HS

16 December 2nd round	Yaita Chuo HS	1–3	Ohzu HS	Hiroshima
11:00	Tsubasa Iijima 56'	Report	Yusei Otake 43' Shun Osaki 54', 89'	Stadium: Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Hiroshima Stadium Attendance: 600 Referee: Shuhei Ishimaru

Block B

Tokai University Osaka Gyosei HS v Vegalta Sendai

14 December 1st round	Tokai University Osaka Gyosei HS	2–2 (a.e.t.) (8–7 p)	Vegalta Sendai	Hiroshima
11:00	Shuta Yano 47' Itsuki Nakamoto 57'	Report	Ryoji Yamashita 75' Naito Yoshida 90+3'	Stadium: Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Hiroshima Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Masaki Kuniyoshi
	Penalties
	Tatsuki Nakayashiki Itsuki Nakamoto Seiya Fujita Shohei Yukawa Rin Mito Takumi Maejima Kohei Shoji Takeru Masuzawa Sora Tono Kakeru Setoyama		Ryoji Yamashita Yuito Sato Kazumasa Shimizu Naito Yoshida Taku Takahashi Manato Kudo Moeto Takita Kento Awano Hiroto Yamada Aoi Kudo

Sagan Tosu v Omiya Ardija

14 December 1st round	Sagan Tosu	0–3	Omiya Ardija	Hiroshima
11:00		Report	Shoi Yoshinaga 27' Soya Takada 45+1', 55'	Stadium: Hiroshima Regional Park Auxiliary Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Yusuke Ohashi

Tokai University Osaka Gyosei HS v Omiya Ardija

16 December 2nd round	Tokai University Osaka Gyosei HS	1–3	Omiya Ardija	Hiroshima
11:00	Takumi Maejima 59'	Report	Shoi Yoshinaga 69', 77' Yutaro Hayashi 72'	Stadium: Hiroshima Regional Park No.1 Ball Game Stadium Attendance: 450 Referee: Masakazu Kato

Block C

Shoshi HS v JFA Academy Fukushima

14 December 1st round	Shoshi HS	1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3 p)	JFA Academy Fukushima	Hiroshima
13:30	Taiju Yoshida 38'	Report	Asahi Uenaka 90+4'	Stadium: Hiroshima Regional Park No.1 Ball Game Stadium Attendance: 170 Referee: Shunta Uchiyama
	Penalties
	Sukai Numata Shunsuke Ishikawa Takumi Kawamura Takeru Okawa Kota Nakakawaji Kensuke Sakashita		Kenta Kikuchi Satoru Nozue Asahi Uenaka Hijiri Kato Gijo Sehata Hayato Tamaoka

Asahikawa Jitsugyo HS v Yokohama F. Marinos

14 December 1st round	Asahikawa Jitsugyo HS	0–7	Yokohama F. Marinos	Hiroshima
13:30		Report	Naoki Tsubaki 10', 36' Shunosuke Suzuki 23' Eitaro Matsuda 51', 56' Takumi Tsukui 63' Noah Kenshin Browne 70'	Stadium: Mitsutoyo Sports Park Gohara Attendance: 93 Referee: Kentaro Uematsu

Shoshi HS v Yokohama F. Marinos

16 December 2nd round	Shoshi HS	2–1	Yokohama F. Marinos	Hiroshima
13:30	Own goal 60' (o.g.) Itsuki Someno 90'	Report	Keigo Sakakibara 29'	Stadium: Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Hiroshima Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Akifumi Kawakatsu

Block D

Sakuyo HS v Ehime FC

14 December 1st round	Sakuyo HS	0–1	Ehime FC	Hiroshima
13:30		Report	Masaya Yanashita 76'	Stadium: Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Hiroshima Stadium Attendance: 250 Referee: Akitsugu Funabashi

Niigata Meikun HS v Konko Osaka HS

14 December 1st round	Niigata Meikun HS	2–0	Konko Osaka HS	Hiroshima
13:30	Naoya Inami 13' Taketo Ochiai 31'	Report		Stadium: Hiroshima Regional Park Auxiliary Stadium Attendance: 250 Referee: Takahiro Ogata

Ehime FC v Niigata Meikun HS

16 December 2nd round	Ehime FC	1–0	Niigata Meikun HS	Hiroshima
13:30	Aoi Okada 9'	Report		Stadium: Hiroshima Regional Park No.1 Ball Game Stadium Attendance: 350 Referee: Yuichi Hanakawa

Final

15 December

13:00

Kashima Antlers	1–2	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Manato Sugiyama 64'	Report	Shun Ayukawa 37' Ryonosuke Ohori 53'

Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama

Attendance: 9,818

Referee: Ryo Tanimoto

GK 1 Taiki Yamada DF 2 Yuki Masataka DF 3 Daigo Masuzaki DF 5 Takatoshi Sato DF 6 Shuto Kumada  57' DF 7 Shogo Sasaki DF 15 Yohan Namaizawa  57' MF 8 Tatsuki Onuma MF 10 Taira Maeda (c) FW 9 Kotaro Arima  90' FW 19 Mikhael Akatsuka Substitutes: GK 16 Koki Matsuzaki DF 14 Kotaro Kobari  90' DF 23 Soshi Koda DF 34 Kenta Nemoto MF 28 Kaiyo Yanagimachi  57' 86' MF 30 Sora Okita  86' FW 11 Manato Sugiyama  57' Manager: Koji Kumagai

GK 1 Kaito Sato DF 5 Naoki Suzu DF 8 Taichi Yamasaki MF 4 Hiroya Matsumoto (c) MF 7 Chota Nakatani MF 10 Rikuto Katsura MF 11 Shunki Higashi MF 12 Kodai Dohi MF 14 Ryonosuke Ohori  90+2' FW 9 Kaito Watanabe FW 19 Shun Ayukawa  86' Substitutes: GK 16 Kota Ono DF 6 Hiroto Okoshi  86' DF 33 Taichi Matsumoto MF 24 Kohei Hosoya  90+2' MF 36 Takato Takeuchi FW 20 Hayate Tanada FW 23 Ryosei Fukuzaki Manager: Kentaro Sawada

Assistant referees: Takeshi Asada Yusuke Shiotsu Fourth official: Takuma Yanaoka

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[6]
1	Riku Danzaki	Aomori Yamada	16
2	Mikhael Akatsuka	Kashima Antlers	7
	Kaito Mori	Kashiwa Reysol
4	Byron Vásquez	Aomori Yamada	6
	Taira Maeda	Kashima Antlers
	Hisatoshi Nishido	Ichiritsu Funabashi
	Sena Saito	Shimizu S-Pulse
	Norihiro Shoda	Kashiwa Reysol
9	Rikuto Sano	Shimizu S-Pulse	5
	Ginji Sasaki	Aomori Yamada
	Ryosuke Yamazaki	Shimizu S-Pulse

West

Rank	Player	Club	Goals[7]
1	Retsushi Harada	Gamba Osaka	15
	Kohei Hattori	Kyoto Sanga
3	Ryonosuke Ohori	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	14
4	Kento Hyodo	Nagoya Grampus	11
5	Tsubasa Adachi	Gamba Osaka	10
6	Hagumi Wada	Hannan	9
7	Rikuto Katsura	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	8
	Yuto Otani	Gamba Osaka
9	Hiroya Matsumoto	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	7
	Shingo Omori	Higashi Fukuoka

See also

• Asia portal
• Japan portal
• Sports portal
• Association football portal

• Japan Football Association (JFA)

League

• Japanese association football league system
• Prince Takamado Cup