2001 J.League Division 1
CompetitionJ.League Division 1
Season2001
WinnersKashima Antlers
4th J.League title
4th Japanese title
PromotedUrawa Red Diamonds
Consadole Sapporo
RelegatedAvispa Fukuoka
Cerezo Osaka
Continentalcup 1AFC Champions League
Continentalcup1 qualifiersKashima Antlers
Shimizu S-Pulse (as Emperor's Cup winner)
League topscorerWill (24 goals)
Matches240
Total goals788
Highest attendance60,553 - Reds vs. Marinos (13 October)
Lowest attendance4,014 - JEF Utd. vs. Gamba (31 October)
Average attendance16,548
Prevseason2000
Nextseason2002

The 2001 J.League Division 1 season was the ninth season since the establishment of the J.League Division 1. The league began on March 10 and ended on November 24. At the end of the season, the second stage winner Kashima Antlers won the Suntory Championship against Júbilo Iwata who won the first stage.

Clubs

The following sixteen clubs participated in J.League Division 1 during 2001 season. Of these clubs, Consadole Sapporo and Urawa Red Diamonds were promoted from Division 2.

Personnel

ClubHead coach
Avispa FukuokaNestor Omar Piccoli
Cerezo OsakaAkihiro Nishimura
Consadole SapporoTakeshi Okada
FC TokyoKiyoshi Okuma
Gamba OsakaKazuhiko Takemoto
JEF United IchiharaZdenko Verdenik
Júbilo IwataMasakazu Suzuki
Kashima AntlersToninho Cerezo
Kashiwa ReysolSteve Perryman
Nagoya Grampus EightTetsuro Miura
Sanfrecce HiroshimaValery Nepomnyashchy
Shimizu S-PulseZdravko Zemunović
Tokyo Verdy 1969Yukitaka Omi
Urawa Red DiamondsPita
Vissel KobeRyoichi Kawakatsu
Yokohama F. MarinosSebastião Lazaroni

Foreign players

ClubPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Non-visa foreignType-C contractFormer players
Avispa FukuokaClaudio BiaggioDavid BiscontiNoh Jung-yoonMartín Vilallonga
Pavel Badea
Cerezo OsakaCláudioWágnerYoon Jong-hwanMarcelo Rosa
Washington
Kim Do-keun
Noh Jung-yoon
Consadole SapporoAdaltoBijuWillAlmir
FC TokyoAmaralKellySandro
Gamba OsakaReginaldoMirko HrgovićNino BuleClaude Dambury
JEF United IchiharaEdin MujčinŽeljko MilinovičChoi Yong-sooKim Myung-hwi
Júbilo IwataAleksandar ŽivkovićArno van Zwam
Kashima AntlersAugusto CésarBismarckFabiano
Kashiwa ReysolHong Myung-boHwang Sun-hongYoo Sang-chul
Nagoya Grampus EightMarcelo RamosUesleiTarik OulidaKo IshikawaAdriano PimentaDragan Stojković
Sanfrecce HiroshimaSteve CoricaSerhiy SkachenkoOleg PashininMarcus Tulio Tanaka
Ri Han-jae		Tony Popovic
Shimizu S-PulseFernando OlivaBaronAlexAlair
Tokyo Verdy 1969EdmundoEmersonMarquinhos
Urawa Red DiamondsAdriano GerlinEmerson SheikTutoHarisonDonizete Oliveira
Vissel KobeDanielSantosSidiclei
Yokohama F. MarinosDutraMarco BritoNasaLeandro Simioni
Marcelo Lipatín

Overview

First stage

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Results

Second stage

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Results

Suntory Championship

Kashima Antlers won 3–2 on aggregate.

Awards

Individual

AwardRecipientClub
Player of the YearToshiya Fujita[1]Júbilo Iwata
Young Player of the YearKoji Yamase[1]Consadole Sapporo
Manager of the YearMasakazu Suzuki[1]Júbilo Iwata
Top ScorerWill[1]Consadole Sapporo

Best Eleven

PositionFootballerClubNationality
GKArno van Zwam (1)Júbilo IwataNetherlands
DFYutaka Akita (4)Kashima AntlersJapan
DFAkira Narahashi (1)Kashima AntlersJapan
DFGo Oiwa (1)Júbilo IwataJapan
MFToshiya Fujita (2)Júbilo IwataJapan
MFTakashi Fukunishi (2)Júbilo IwataJapan
MFToshihiro Hattori (1)Júbilo IwataJapan
MFKōji Nakata (1)Kashima AntlersJapan
MFMitsuo Ogasawara (1)Kashima AntlersJapan
FWWill (1)Consadole SapporoBrazil
FWAtsushi Yanagisawa (2)Kashima AntlersJapan

* The number in brackets denotes the number of times that the footballer has appeared in the Best 11.

References

  1. ^ "J League History: 2001". www.jsoccer.com. Retrieved 2025-06-05.