also known as RKD Ryūgasaki are a Japanese football club based in Ryūgasaki, Ibaraki Prefecture. They currently compete in the Kantō Soccer League Division 1, an amateur league in the country that corresponds to Japan's 5th-tier league. Their team colours are grey and navy after the colours of Ryutsu Keizai University, the institution they are affiliated with as satellite team.
History Founded in 2001 as Ryugasaki FC, the team started competing in the lower divisions of the Ibaraki Prefecture Leagues. Although established as an independent NPO, the club was mainly made up of student players from Ryutsu Keizai University and acted as a farm team for Ryutsu Keizai University, which at the time played in the Kanto University League and joined the JFL in 2005.
In 2003, the club renamed itself Club Dragons (クラブ・ドラゴンズ). In 2005, they earned promotion to the Kantō Soccer League Division 2, won the championship right away, and have been competing in Kantō League D1 since 2006. They were relegated twice, in 2010 and 2013, but both times spent only one season in Division 2 before bouncing back.
In 2014, the Dragons made it to the final of the Shakaijin Cup, earning a spot in the Regional League promotion series , even though they had played the season in the second division of the Kantō League. They secured third place in the promotion tournament and were officially promoted to the 2015 Japan Football League. With their promotion, the club decided to rename themselves Ryutsu Keizai Dragons Ryugasaki starting in 2015.
In 2019, RKU Dragons Ryugasaki were relegated to the Japanese Regional Leagues starting in 2020, following a five-year run in the JFL.
In 2023, after finishing in 10th place in Kanto Division 1, they were relegated to Kanto Division 2. They spent only the 2024 season in Division 2, earning promotion back to Division 1 as champions. However, after finishing in ninth place in the 2025 season, they were relegated once again to Division 2.
League and cup record ChampionsRunners-upThird placePromotedRelegated League Emperor'sCupSeasonDivisionPos.PWDLFAGDPtsAttendance/G2005Ibaraki Prefecture Division 4th 14 7 4 3 24 14 10 25 20061st 12 9 2 1 43 17 26 29 2007Kantō Soccer League (Div.2) 1st 14 10 2 2 47 16 31 32 2008Kantō Soccer League (Div.1) 4th 14 5 3 6 33 27 6 18 20093rd 14 9 1 4 27 16 11 28 20107th 14 5 2 7 15 29 -14 17 2011Kanto Division 2 3rd 14 9 1 4 23 14 9 28 2012Kanto Division 1 8th 18 6 2 10 29 36 -7 20 20139th 18 3 0 15 23 54 -31 9 2014Kanto Division 22nd 18 10 3 5 42 31 11 33 2015JFL14th 30 6 3 21 27 62 -35 21 365 20162nd 30 16 6 8 53 38 15 54 388 201710th 30 8 10 12 38 51 -13 34 310 201815th 30 4 7 19 20 52 -32 19 460 2nd round201916th 30 5 6 19 35 75 -40 21 309 2020 †Kanto Division 17th 9 3 0 6 18 14 4 9 20217th 22 8 2 12 24 34 -10 26 20229th 18 4 6 8 21 29 -8 18 202310th 18 0 1 17 6 48 -42 1 2024Kanto Division 2 1st 18 13 3 2 37 14 23 42 2025Kanto Division 19th 18 4 2 12 22 35 -13 14 2026Kanto Division 2 TBD 18 Key
Honours +Ryutsu Keizai Dragons Ryugasaki honoursHonour No. YearsIbaraki Prefecture Division 112006Kantō Soccer League Division 222007, 2024Japan Football League Apertura Champions12016Ibaraki Prefectural Football Championship Emperor's Cup Ibaraki Prefectural Qualifiers12018
Current squad Updated to October 21st, 2024.
References
External links Official Website