The 1965 season in Japanese football saw the formation of the Japan Soccer League, the first national league in Japan for football clubs. Eight teams took part in the championship, playing on a home and away basis. Toyo Industries were crowned the first champions, whilst Nagoya Mutual Bank came bottom and entered and end of season promotion/relegation match to stay in the top flight. They won this, 6–3 on aggregate against Nippon Kokan.
| Season | 1965 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Toyo Industries 1st title |
| Matches played | 56 |
| Goals scored | 216 (3.86 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Mutsuhiko Nomura (15 goals) |
| Average attendance | 3,706 |
1966 → | |
Teams
editEight clubs entered the first ever edition of the Japan Soccer League; Furukawa Electric, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Motors, Nagoya Mutual Bank, Toyo Industries, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Yanmar Diesel and Yawata Steel
League tables
editJapan Soccer League
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyo Industries | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 9 | +35 | 26 | Champions |
| 2 | Yawata Steel | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 14 | +26 | 24 | |
| 3 | Furukawa Electric | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 20 | +12 | 20 | |
| 4 | Hitachi | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 35 | 19 | +16 | 17 | |
| 5 | Mitsubishi Motors | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 24 | 39 | −15 | 9 | |
| 6 | Toyoda Automatic Loom Works | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 31 | −15 | 7 | |
| 7 | Yanmar Diesel | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 41 | −32 | 5 | |
| 8 | Nagoya Mutual Bank | 14 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 16 | 43 | −27 | 4 | To promotion/relegation Series |
Source: [citation needed]
Promotion/relegation Series
edit| JSL 8th Place | 1st leg | 2nd leg | Senior Cup Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nagoya Mutual Bank | 5–1 | 1–2 | Nippon Kokan |
Nagoya Mutual Bank stays in JSL.
All-Star Game
edit| JSL XI | 2 – 2 | AIK Fotboll |
|---|---|---|