Kawasaki Frontale

Establishment and earlier years (1955–1977)

The club was founded in 1955 as Fujitsu Soccer Club, the company team of Fujitsu. For several decades, the club competed in the regional and lower tiers of Japanese football, gradually establishing itself within the corporate football structure. It was one of many city clubs that comprised the Japan Soccer League (JSL), including Yomiuri (later Tokyo Verdy 1969), Toshiba (later Consadole Sapporo) and NKK SC (now defunct). They first made the JSL Division 1 in 1977, only to be relegated the next season.

Professional transition and relegations (1993–2000)

With the professionalisation of Japanese football and the establishment of the J.League in 1993, the club began transitioning towards a professional identity. In 1997, Fujitsu Soccer Club was reorganised and rebranded as a professional club with a new name, 'Kawasaki Frontale', adopting its current name and relocating to Kawasaki, which means "frontal" in Italian. The club old crest and colours are based on those of Brazilian side Grêmio, because both clubs have cooperated since 26 March 1997.

Frontale joined the newly formed second division, the J2 League, in 1999. In their debut season, the club won the 1999 J2 League title and secured promotion to the top flight. However, their first stint in the J1 League was short-lived, as they were relegated after one season. Frontale would not return to the top flight until 2000, when they were promoted to the newly rebranded J1 League. But they were once again dropped to the J2 League at the end of the season.

Top flight return and AFC Champions League debut (2004–2007)

In the 2004 season, Frontale crowned champions of J2 League and won promotion to J1 for the second time. With the former rival city clubs out of the way due to relocation or liquidation, they began building their power base in the city of Kawasaki.

In 2006, Frontale achieved runners-up position in J1, their highest league position up to that time. As a result, they entered the AFC Champions League for the first time in the 2007 edition. They were drawn in Group F alongside Korean club Chunnam Dragons, Indonesian club Arema Malang and Thailand club Bangkok University. Frontale went on to have an undefeated campaign in the group stage finishing as group leaders to advanced to the knockout stage. However, Frontale lost 5–4 on penalties shootout to Iranian club Sepahan thus knocking out from the tournament.

During this period, Frontale became known for their attacking philosophy and consistent performances. They also reached the final of the Emperor's Cup in 2007, although they were defeated 0–2 to Kashima Antlers. Despite regular top finishes, the club gained a reputation for falling just short in decisive moments, leading to a prolonged wait for major silverware.

Domestic domination under Toru Oniki (2017–2024)

Frontale’s fortunes changed dramatically in 2017 under the helms of manager, Toru Oniki. The club went on to win its first-ever J1 League title in the 2017 season, finishing ahead of rivals after years of near misses. After two second-place finishes in 2008 and 2009, Kawasaki finally won the league, coming from behind to upstage bitter rivals Kashima Antlers after they were held to a draw at Júbilo Iwata, 16 seasons and 40 years after their first promotion to the top division.

Kawasaki became the first team to win four J1 titles in a five-year span. They came up short multiple times (2000, 2007, 2009 and 2017) but won their first J.League Cup in 2019, beating Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo on penalties. In 2020, they successfully won their third J1 League title with 83 points, staying 17 points clear off the runners-up, Gamba Osaka. They made sure of the title with four games to spare, which was a record under the 34-match league format. With a player depth not being restricted to the starting XI, Frontale managed to get the best out of the five substitutions allowed by the J. League, per FIFA recommendation, instated after the COVID-19 outbreak. A good example was a breakout season by Kaoru Mitoma, who started more matches on the bench than in the starting XI.

In 2021, Frontale won their first title of the year in the opening match of the season, beating Gamba Osaka 3–2 in the 2021 Japanese Super Cup.

Raised standards, eye-catching performances, and increase of national team level players coming from Frontale led foreign clubs to pay attention to their players. Among the most significant departures, Frontale saw two major talents leaving the club mid-season. Kaoru Mitoma was included in the 2020 J.League Best XI in his first full season as a professional despite playing less than half of his matches as a starter for Frontale, being signed by Brighton & Hove Albion of the Premier League. The second one was midfielder, Ao Tanaka. The 2020 J.League Rookie of the Year which quickly earned his spot on the starting XI after turning professional, transferring to Fortuna Düsseldorf of 2. Bundesliga on loan, which later would have his deal turning permanent. They weren't the only departures leaving a mark on the team, as they followed Hidemasa Morita to Europe, as the latter went on to sign for Santa Clara of the Primeira Liga.

However, despite Frontale having their future performances being apparently threatened after these departures, the club went on to win the 2021 J1 League with a record-breaking season, which saw them: Winning the most points on a single J1 League season ever, with 92 points won on 38 matches; Achieving the fewest number of losses on a J1 League season, registering only two losses in total (the first J1 loss only came six months after the season opening); Being the joint unbeaten team at home matches in a J1 League season, equalling Urawa Red Diamonds's tally in 2006; Being the first ever J1 team to win more than 80 points on consecutive seasons.