Osaka Bluteon

Osaka Bluteon
Founded	1951
Ground	Panasonic Arena; (Capacity: 2,500)
Head Coach	Laurent Tillie
Captain	Akihiro Yamauchi
League	V.League Division 1
2021–22	3rd place
Website	Club home page

Osaka Bluteon (大阪ブルテオン, Ōsaka Buruteon) is a men's volleyball team based in Hirakata City, Osaka, Japan. It plays in V.League Division 1. The club was founded in 1951.^[1] It is owned by the Panasonic Corporation.

History

Osaka Bluteon was established as a volleyball club for Matsushita Electric Industrial (now Panasonic) in 1951 and from 1992 to 2024 was known as the Panasonic Panthers.^[2]

The club would become one of the participating teams of the inaugural 2024–25 season of the SV.League. It adopted its current name and branding in June 2024 ahead of their participation in the new league.^[3]

Names

Panasonic Panthers (1992–2024)
Osaka Bluteon (2024–)

Team

Current roster

Team roster – season 2023/2024
No.	Player name	Date of birth	Position
1	Kunihiro Shimizu	(1986-08-11) August 11, 1986 (age 38)	Opposite
2	Hideomi Fukatsu	(1990-06-01) June 1, 1990 (age 34)	Setter
3	Shunsuke Nakamura	(1999-03-07) March 7, 1999 (age 25)	Setter
6	Thomas Jaeschke	(1993-09-04) September 4, 1993 (age 31)	Outside Hitter
7	Yuga Tarumi	(2000-11-02) November 2, 2000 (age 24)	Outside Hitter
8	Kenyu Nakamoto	(1997-11-21) November 21, 1997 (age 27)	Outside Hitter
10	Akihiro Yamauchi(c)	(1993-11-30) November 30, 1993 (age 30)	Middle Blocker
11	Yuji Nishida	(2000-01-30) January 30, 2000 (age 24)	Opposite
12	Tomotake Ito	(1999-11-11) November 11, 1999 (age 25)	Libero
13	Tomohiro Yamamoto	(1994-11-05) November 5, 1994 (age 30)	Libero
15	Tatsunori Otsuka	(2000-11-05) November 5, 2000 (age 24)	Outside Hitter
17	Takeshi Nagano	(1985-07-11) July 11, 1985 (age 39)	Libero
18	Hiroto Nishiyama	(2003-03-04) March 4, 2003 (age 21)	Outside Hitter
19	Keitaro Nishikawa	(2000-04-14) April 14, 2000 (age 24)	Middle Blocker
20	Takahiro Shin [ja]	(1991-08-10) August 10, 1991 (age 33)	Setter
21	Yasunari Kodama	(1994-07-24) July 24, 1994 (age 30)	Middle Blocker
22	Yuichiro Komiya	(1992-11-16) November 16, 1992 (age 32)	Middle Blocker
23	Larry Evbade-Dan	(2000-08-18) August 18, 2000 (age 24)	Middle Blocker
Head coach: Laurent Tillie

Honours

Japan Volleyball League/V.League/V.Premier League

Champions (×6): 1971–72, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2018–19
Runners-up (×7): 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73, 2012–13, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2023–24
Third place (×1) :2022-23

Kurowashiki All Japan Volleyball Tournament

Champions (×9): 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1981, 1998, 2009, 2014
Runners-up (×1): 2024^[4]

Emperor's Cup

Champions (×3): 2011, 2012, 2023^[5]
Runner-up (×1): 2008

Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship

Runner-up (×1): 2019
Third place (×1) : 2010

Notable players

Japan

Takahiro Yamamoto (2001-2013)
Tatsuya Fukuzawa (2008-2014 and 2016-2019)
Kunihiro Shimizu (2008-Present)

Brazil

Nalbert Bitencourt (2002-2004)
Luiz Felipe Fonteles (2007-2008)
Dante Amaral(2013-2014 and 2015-2016)
Thiago Alves (2011-2012 and 2014-2015)

Poland

Michał Kubiak (2016-2023)

League results

Champion Runner-up

League		Position	Teams	Matches	Win	Lose
V.League	1st (1994–95)	7th	8	21	10	11
	2nd (1995–96)	6th	8	21	10	11
	3rd (1996–97)	5th	8	21	10	11
	4th (1997–98)	3rd	8	21	14	7
	5th (1998–99)	4th	10	18	17	1
	6th (1999-00)	6th	10	18	9	9
	7th (2000–01)	6th	10	18	9	9
	8th (2001–02)	6th	10	18	9	9
	9th (2002–03)	3rd	8	21	13	8
	10th (2003–04)	3rd	8	21	12	9
	11th (2004–05)	4th	8	28	15	13
	12th (2005–06)	5th	8	28	16	12
V・Premier	2006–07	3rd	8	28	17	11
	2007–08	Champion	8	28	19	9
	2008–09	3rd	8	28	15	13
	2009–10	Champion	8	28	20	4
	2010–11	4th	8	24	14	10
	2011–12	Champion	8	21	17	4
	2012–13	Runner-Up	8	28	20	8
	2013–14	Champion	8	28	21	7
	2014–15	6th	8	21	13	8
	2015–16	Runner-up	8	30	16	14
	2016–17	5th	8	26	15	11
	2017–18	Champion	8	28	23	5
V.League Division 1
	2018–19	Champion	10	34	28	6
	2019–20	Runner-up	10	28	24	4
	2020–21	Runner-up	10	41	33	8
	2021–22	3rd	10	36	25	11
	2022–23	3rd	10	39	25	14

References

^ "パナソニックパンサーズについて". パナソニックのバレーボールチーム、パナソニックパンサーズ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-24.
^ "パナソニックパンサーズはリブランディングの実施を決定「チーム名称」「エンブレム」の刷新のお知らせ" [Panasonic Panthers decides to undergo a rebranding. Notice of changing team name and emblem] (in Japanese). Panasonic Panthers. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
^ "「新クラブ名称」「新エンブレム」発表のお知らせ" [Announcement of "New Club Name" and "New Emblem"] (in Japanese). Osaka Bluteon. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
^ "第７２回黒鷲旗全日本男女選抜バレーボール大会決勝トーナメント戦　結果" (PDF). jva.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 July 2024.
^ "【バレー】西田有志が古賀紗理那と夫婦でMVP「家族で達成うれしい」パナソニック天皇杯Ｖ導く" (in Japanese). 17 December 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2024.

External links

Official Website

[1] "パナソニックパンサーズについて". パナソニックのバレーボールチーム、パナソニックパンサーズ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-24.

[2] "パナソニックパンサーズはリブランディングの実施を決定「チーム名称」「エンブレム」の刷新のお知らせ" [Panasonic Panthers decides to undergo a rebranding. Notice of changing team name and emblem] (in Japanese). Panasonic Panthers. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.

[3] "「新クラブ名称」「新エンブレム」発表のお知らせ" [Announcement of "New Club Name" and "New Emblem"] (in Japanese). Osaka Bluteon. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.

[4] "第７２回黒鷲旗全日本男女選抜バレーボール大会決勝トーナメント戦　結果" (PDF). jva.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 July 2024.

[5] "【バレー】西田有志が古賀紗理那と夫婦でMVP「家族で達成うれしい」パナソニック天皇杯Ｖ導く" (in Japanese). 17 December 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2024.

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