Gainare Tottori (ガイナーレ鳥取) are a Japanese football club, based in Tottori, capital of Tottori Prefecture. They play in the J3 League, the Japanese third tier of professional football league. Their team colour is green.

Name origin

Their team name Gainare derives from the Tottori dialect word gaina meaning "great" and Italian sperare meaning "to hope". Their team mascot was a Japanese horror anime character Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro created by Shigeru Mizuki, a native of Sakaiminato, Tottori.

History

The club was founded in 1983 as Tottori Teachers' Soccer Club (鳥取教員団サッカー部　Tottori Kyōin Dan Sakkā Bu). They opened their gate to players with other professions in 1989, renaming themselves S.C. Tottori. They adopted their current name in 2007. They were promoted to the Japan Football League after finishing runners-up in the 2001 Regional League play-off. Nonprofit organisation Yamatsumi Sports Club operate the club. After defeating Arte Takasaki 1–0 on October 3, 2010, in their home stadium, at last they could secure JFL top four after failed attempts on two previous seasons. The confirmation from J. League about their promotion to J2 came on November 29. They won the JFL title on October 24, 2010, with five games remaining. On the 2013 J2–J3 promotion/relegation playoff, Gainare Tottori lost by 2–1 to Kamatamare Sanuki on aggregate score, and ended up relegated to the newly launched J3 League (from now on the 3rd tier of professional league football) ahead of the 2014 season. The club spent three seasons at the J2 League, and has not returned since their relegation. They are also one of the four teams to have competed in J3 League every year since its inception.

Stadiums

They play their home games mainly at Axis Bird Stadium in Tottori City. Tottori Soccer Stadium is the only stadium in San'in region that meets the J. League requirements. In recent years, they also play some games at Fuse Athletic Park Stadium in Tottori City, Matsue Athletics Stadium in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture and Hamayama Athletic Park Stadium in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture.

League and cup records

Honours

Current squad

Out on loan

Coaching staff

Managerial history

Kit evolution