Kagoshima United FC (鹿児島ユナイテッドFC) is a Japanese professional football club based in Kagoshima City, formed in 2014 through the merger of two predecessor clubs, Volca Kagoshima and FC KAGOSHIMA. The club’s visual identity was created to reflect this union and the region’s most recognizable landmark, the active volcano Sakurajima.
Design and History
The club was established for the 2014 season when Volca Kagoshima and FC KAGOSHIMA merged to form Kagoshima United FC. The club name itself expresses the union of the two teams, the cooperation of Kagoshima Prefecture residents across the Satsuma and Ōsumi peninsulas and outlying islands, and the solidarity of people who love Kagoshima both domestically and worldwide. The club’s operating company, Kagoshima Pro Sports Project, was founded in December 2013. [1]
The current emblem, in use since the club’s founding in 2014, is a circular design featuring a cross and Sakurajima emitting smoke. The vertical line of the cross is split into two colors: red, representing Volca Kagoshima, and light blue, representing FC KAGOSHIMA. [2]
The club’s official explanation states that the red and light blue carry the determination to preserve the history of both predecessor clubs and carry it into the future. The emblem also expresses the ambition to become a club that, like Sakurajima, can broadcast Kagoshima’s identity across Japan and the world. [1]
Meaning and Symbolism
Sakurajima, the active volcano located in Kagoshima Bay near the city, is the central motif of the emblem. It serves as the prefecture’s definitive symbol and appears prominently in the crest’s circular composition. [1]
The club’s official colors are white and navy. White represents the resolve to create a new Kagoshima and a new history, while navy evokes the mountain surface of Sakurajima and Kinko Bay, symbolizing strength that respects history while not fearing change. [1]
The cross motif within the emblem has historical resonance in the region. The predecessor club Volca Kagoshima’s emblem, designed by the Japanese design firm El Design Plus, placed the “circle with the character ten” (丸に十の字), a crest associated with the Satsuma domain, at its center. That earlier design also depicted Sakurajima and the waves of Kinko Bay. [3]
Typography and Design
The emblem is circular in form, containing a cross and an erupting Sakurajima. The vertical bar of the cross is divided into two colors, with red on one side and light blue on the other, directly referencing the two predecessor clubs. [2] The club name appears in text around or within the circular badge, though no official documentation specifies the exact typeface used in the crest.
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