Osaka_Blazers_Sakai Knowpia

Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers
Short name	Nippon Steel Sakai BZ
Founded	1939
Ground	Sakai City, Osaka, Japan.
Manager; Head Coach	Mikiyasu Tanaka; Shinya Chiba
Captain	Takashi Dekita
League	V.League Division 1
2021–22	5th place
Website	Club home page
Uniforms
Home	Away

Osaka Blazers Sakai is a men's professional volleyball team based in Sakai city, Osaka, Japan. It plays in the V.Premier League.

The club was founded in 1939 as part of the Kitakyushu, Fukuoka-based Yawata Steel athletic club which also included football club Yawata Steel F.C.^[1] In 1969 the volleyball section split and moved to Sakai.

On October 2, 2023, the club changed its name into Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers.^[2]

Honours edit

Champions (17): 1967-1968 1973-1974 1974-1975 1975-1976 1976-1977 1978-1979 1979-1980 1980-1981 1982-1983 1988-1989 1989-1990 1990-1991 1996-1997 1997-1998 2005-2006, 2010–11, 2012–13
Runners-up (4): 1994-95,1995–96, 2008–09 and 2009–10

Champions (14): 1952 1953 1957 1960 1967 1974 1975 1976 1977 1980 1984 1988 1989 1990

The following is team roster of Season 2023–2024.^[3]

No.	Player Name	Date of birth	Position
1	Yoshihiko Matsumoto	(1981-01-07) January 7, 1981 (age 43)	Middle blocker
2	Yuki Higuchi	(1996-04-27) April 27, 1996 (age 27)	Outside hitter
3	Kosuke Yasui	(2000-12-08) December 8, 2000 (age 23)	Outside hitter
4	Naoya Takano	(1993-04-30) April 30, 1993 (age 30)	Outside hitter
5	Tomohiro Horie	(1997-06-23) June 23, 1997 (age 26)	Libero
6	Aiki Mori	(1998-04-19) April 19, 1998 (age 25)	Libero
7	Takashi Dekita	(1991-08-13) August 13, 1991 (age 32)	Middle blocker
8	Naoto Akima	(2000-09-19) September 19, 2000 (age 23)	Middle blocker
9	Hiroshi Sakoda	(1996-05-01) May 1, 1996 (age 27)	Outside hitter
10	Cole Hogland	(2000-04-06) April 6, 2000 (age 24)	Middle blocker
11	Shigetome Hyuga	(1999-10-25) October 25, 1999 (age 24)	Outside hitter
13	Sharone Vernon-Evans	(1998-08-28) August 28, 1998 (age 25)	Opposite hitter
14	Shohei Yamaguchi (c)	(1994-07-21) July 21, 1994 (age 29)	Setter
18	Rintaro Umemoto	(1998-04-09) April 9, 1998 (age 26)	Middle blocker
21	Yutaro Takemoto	(1995-02-21) February 21, 1995 (age 29)	Middle blocker
22	Akahoshi Shinjo	(2000-01-19) January 19, 2000 (age 24)	Setter
23	Yukiya Uno	(1996-06-28) June 28, 1996 (age 27)	Outside hitter
Head coach: Shinya Chiba

Champion Runner-up

League		Position	Teams	Matches	Win	Lose
V.League
	1st (1994–95)	Runner-up	8	21	10	11
	2nd (1995–96)	Runner-up	8	21	13	8
	3rd (1996–97)	Champion	8	21	14	7
	4th (1997–98)	Champion	8	21	17	4
	5th (1998–99)	6th	10	18	10	8
	6th (1999-00)	4th	10	18	15	3
	7th (2000–01)	5th	10	18	10	8
	8th (2001–02)	3rd	10	18	12	6
	9th (2002–03)	6th	8	21	8	13
	10th (2003–04)	4th	8	21	12	9
	11th (2004–05)	6th	8	28	11	17
	12th (2005–06)	Champion	8	28	17	11
V・Premier	2006-07	6th	8	28	9	19
	2007-08	4th	8	28	15	13
	2008-09	Runner-up	8	28	15	13
	2009-10	Runner-up	8	28	18	10
	2010-11	Champion	8	24	19	5
	2011-12	4th	8	21	13	8
	2012-13	Champion	8	28	17	11
	2013-14	3rd	8	28	19	9
	2014-15	4th	8	21	8	13
	2015-16	6th	8	21	10	11
	2016-17	6th	8	21	8	13
	2017–18	7th	8	21	7	14
V.League Division 1	2018–19	6th	10	32	16	16
	2019–20	5th	10	28	15	13
	2020–21	7th	10	36	17	19
	2021–22	5th	10	36	24	12
	2022–23	4th	10	39	24	15

^ チーム沿革 (in Japanese). Japan Volleyball League Organization. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
^ "日本製鉄釜石シーウェイブスRFC、堺ブレイザーズの名称変更について | 日本製鉄株式会社". Digital PR Platform (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-10-02.
^ "堺ブレイザーズ2023-24シーズン体制・スローガンについて". July 3, 2023.