Blaublitz Akita has officially announced its preparations for the 2025 season, including the establishment of the top team's structure and the allocation of player numbers. The club, which celebrated its promotion to J2 after winning J3 in 2020, finished 10th last season and is determined to build on its performance.
On February 5, the management revealed the coaching staff and player roster for the upcoming season. The coaching team will be led by Head Coach Ken Yoshida, alongside Hiroki Usui as the head coach, Takumi Motohashi, Kenta Arai, GK coach Hirohito Ito, and physical coach Nobuharu Takahashi, with Haruki Sasaki serving as the analysis coach.
The roster includes notable names like Goalkeeper Genki Yamada, defenders Ryohei Okazaki and Ryuta Ito, midfielders Yuto Moroaka and Takuma Mizutani, and forwards Junki Hata and Ryota Nakamura. New additions also feature the signing of Luka Radotić, who joins the team on loan from V-Varen Nagasaki.
Radotić's transfer has been confirmed as part of the preparations for the upcoming season, with the loan period extending from February 1, 2025, to January 31, 2026. During this time, he will be unable to play in any official matches against his parent club Nagasaki.
After joining Nagasaki in 2023, Radotić did not make any appearances last season, but he is eager to contribute to Blaublitz Akita's goals. He expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, stating, "Thank you for giving me the chance to play at such a wonderful club as Blaublitz Akita. I will do my best to contribute to achieving the team's objectives. I look forward to your support!"
The full list of player numbers and positions was also unveiled:
- 1 GK: Genki Yamada
- 2 DF: Ryohei Okazaki
- 4 DF: Ryuta Ito
- 5 DF: Kazuma Nagai
- 6 MF: Yuto Moroaka
- 7 MF: Takuma Mizutani
- 8 FW: Junki Hata
- 9 MF: Ryota Nakamura
- 10 FW: Ren Komatsu
- 11 FW: Masatomo Kajitani
- 13 DF: Ryuuji Saito
- 14 MF: Ryuhei Oishi
- 16 DF: Kota Muramatsu
- 17 GK: Luka Radotić
- 18 FW: Rina Kawamoto
- 19 DF: Yuuki Ozaki
- 20 MF: Masakazu Yoshioka
- 23 GK: Souta Yadakai
- 24 DF: Souichirou Fukaminato
- 25 MF: Tomofumi Fujiyama
- 29 FW: Daiki Sato
- 31 MF: Ryouta Ishida
- 32 DF: Takumi Hasegawa
- 34 FW: Shouta Suzuki
- 39 DF: Kyo-Wan Hoshi
- 40 FW: Kosuke Sagawa
- 45 MF: Haruki Suzuki
- 47 GK: Tomoaki Horiuchi
- 71 DF: Takuki Hatabashi
- 80 MF: Kazuya Onohara
With these changes, Blaublitz Akita is setting its sight on climbing the league table and establishing itself firmly within J2 for the 2025 season. Fans are optimistic as they send their support to the team for what promises to be an exciting season.