List of women's football clubs in Japan
This page contains a list of the women's football clubs in Japan. There are many football leagues, including Nadeshiko League, Challenge League, and regional leagues. Additionally there are leagues for University / College football clubs.
There are eight regional women's football/soccer leagues in Japan; Tohoku region does not have women's regional league.
J.League
Before the inception of the J.League, the highest level of club football was the Japan Soccer League (JSL), which consisted of amateur clubs. Despite being well-attended during the boom of the late 1960s and early 1970s (when Japan's national team won the bronze Olympic medal at the 1968 games in Mexico), the JSL went into decline in the 1980s, in general line with the deteriorating situation worldwide. Fans were few, the grounds were not of the highest quality, and the Japanese national team was not on a par with the Asian powerhouses. To raise the level of play domestically, to attempt to garner more fans, and to strengthen the national team, the Japan Football Association (JFA) decided to form a professional league.