SV.League, a.k.a. the Daido Life SV.League (大同生命 SV.LEAGUE) for sponsorship reasons, is the top-level professional volleyball league for both men and women in Japan since 2024.
The league succeeded the V.League as the premier volleyball tournament in Japan.
History
The SV.League takes its root from the V.League of the Japan Volleyball League Organization. The league, which was for a long time known as the V.Premier League, was established in 1994.[1]
The Japan Volleyball League Organization would create a new top-flight volleyball league in Japan, over the existing V.League as the highest level of Japanese volleyball league. This plan was announced in January 2023.[2] The name of the league was announced to be the SV.League.[3]
Name
The "S" in the SV.League stands for "Strong, Spread and Society".[3]
Teams
S-V League as the highest level league and the necessary requirements to be licensed include:[4]
- The main arena can accommodate more than 5,000 people, and more than 80% of the home games are held there.
- Annual revenue of more than 600 million yen.
- Having youth teams under the age of 18 and under the age of 15.
- A dedicated clubhouse.
Men
| No. | Team | Affiliation | Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Voreas Hokkaido | Voreas Inc. | Asahikawa, Hokkaido |
| 2 | Tokyo Great Bears | Nature Lab Co., Ltd. | Tokyo |
| 3 | VC Nagano Tridents | VC Nagano Create Sports Co., Ltd. | Nagano |
| 4 | Toray Arrows Shizuoka | Toray Industries | Mishima City, Shizuoka |
| 5 | JTEKT Stings Aichi | JTEKT Corporation | Kariya, Aichi |
| 6 | Wolfdogs Nagoya | Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. | Nagoya |
| 7 | Osaka Bluteon | Panasonic Corporation | Osaka |
| 8 | Suntory Sunbirds Osaka | Suntory Holdings Ltd. | Osaka |
| 9 | Nippon Steel Sakai Blazers | Nippon Steel Corporation | Sakai City, Osaka |
| 10 | Hiroshima Thunders | Japan Tobacco | Hiroshima City |
Women
| No. | Team | Affiliation | Home |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aranmare Yamagata | Prestige International Inc. | Sakata City, Yamagata |
| 2 | Denso Airybees | Denso | Kōriyama City, Fukushima / Nishio City, Aichi |
| 3 | Astemo Rivale Ibaraki | Hitachi | Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki |
| 4 | Gunma Green Wings | The Gunma Bank, Ltd. | Maebashi, Gunma |
| 5 | Saitama Ageo Medics | Ageo Medical Group | Ageo City, Saitama |
| 6 | NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki | NEC | Kawasaki City, Kanagawa |
| 7 | Kurobe AquaFairies | Kurobe City Athletic Association | Kurobe City, Toyama |
| 8 | PFU BlueCats Ishikawa Kahoku | PFU Limited | Kahoku City, Ishikawa |
| 9 | Queenseis Kariya | Toyota Auto Body | Kariya City, Aichi |
| 10 | Toray Arrows Shiga | Toray Industries | Ōtsu, Shiga |
| 11 | Osaka Marvelous | Japan Tobacco | Osaka |
| 12 | Victorina Himeji | Himeji Victorina Co., LTD | Himeji, Hyogo |
| 13 | Okayama Seagulls | OKAYAMA SEAGULLS Co., Ltd. | Okayama City |
| 14 | Saga Hisamitsu Springs | Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical | Tosu, Saga |
League winners
Men
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Suntory Sunbirds Osaka | JTEKT Stings Aichi | Osaka Bluteon |
| 2025–26 | Osaka Bluteon | Suntory Sunbirds Osaka | JTEKT Stings Aichi |
Women
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Osaka Marvelous | NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki | Saga Hisamitsu Springs |
| 2025–26 | Saga Hisamitsu Springs | Osaka Marvelous | NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki |
Relation with the V.League
For teams that do not wish to join the S-V League, both men's and women's leagues will be unified into one division under the name of V.League. The East–West Conference system will be introduced.[5]
References
- ↑ Nagatsuka, Kaz (25 December 2017). "V.League hoping to shake up volleyball scene". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ↑ 只木信昭 (15 February 2023). "２０２４年発足の新Ｖリーグ構想を説明 ３０年をメドに世界最高峰リーグ目指す／バレー". サンスポ (in Japanese). Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- 1 2 "【バレー】Vリーグ機構が新リーグ構想を発表。世界最高峰を目指す「S-V.LEAGUE」を新設（バレーボールマガジン）". Yahoo! Japan News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ↑ "【バレー】Vリーグ機構 2024年からの新リーグ参加要件となるクラブライセンス概要を発表（月刊バレーボール）". Yahoo! Japan News (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ↑ "バレーVリーグ再編成「SVリーグ」来年10月発足「世界最高峰のリーグになるチャンスある」 - スポニチ Sponichi Annex スポーツ". スポニチ Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). Retrieved 28 June 2023.