1. Overview
Atsuto Oishi is a former Japanese professional football player and a prominent football manager. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he began his playing career as a midfielder after progressing through the Gamba Osaka youth academy and Komazawa University. He made his professional debut with Ventforet Kofu in the J2 League in 1999. After a brief playing tenure, Oishi transitioned into coaching, starting at high school and university levels. His professional coaching career includes significant managerial roles at J3 League clubs such as Fujieda MYFC and Vanraure Hachinohe, demonstrating his progression from a player to a seasoned football tactician.
2. Personal Information
Atsuto Oishi (大石 篤人Oishi AtsutoJapanese) was born on October 24, 1976, in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He is a Japanese national. During his playing career, Oishi played as a midfielder. He stands 69 in (176 cm) tall and weighs 152 lb (69 kg).
3. Playing Career
Atsuto Oishi's journey in football began in his youth, leading him to a professional debut and a brief but notable playing tenure before he transitioned into coaching.
3.1. Youth and University Career
Oishi developed his football skills within the youth system of Gamba Osaka, a prominent Japanese football club, from 1992 to 1994. Following his time at the Gamba Osaka youth academy, he continued his collegiate football career at Komazawa University from 1995 to 1998, where he further honed his abilities as a midfielder.
3.2. Professional Playing Career
In 1999, after graduating from Komazawa University, Oishi joined Ventforet Kofu, a club newly promoted to the J2 League, on an amateur contract. He made his professional debut on April 18, 1999, coming on as a substitute midfielder in the 75th minute against Montedio Yamagata. He appeared in several matches as an offensive midfielder until May of that year. However, he did not play any matches from June onwards and retired at the end of the 1999 season. After leaving Ventforet Kofu, he briefly played for Gunma FC Horikoshi from 2000 to 2001 before fully retiring from his playing career.
3.3. Playing Statistics
The following table summarizes Atsuto Oishi's professional playing statistics:
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | J.League Cup | Total | |||||||
| 1999 | Ventforet Kofu | J2 League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2000 | Gunma FC Horikoshi | Gunma Prefectural League | - | - | |||||||
| 2001 | - | - | |||||||||
| Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
4. Coaching Career
Atsuto Oishi transitioned from a professional player to a football manager, building a diverse coaching career that spans high school, university, and professional club levels.
4.1. Early Coaching Career
Following his playing retirement, Oishi embarked on a coaching career, initially focusing on youth and university football. From 2000 to 2006, he served as a coach at Maebashi Ikuei High School. He then moved to Osaka Gakuin University, where he worked as a coach from 2006 to 2008. His experience expanded significantly at Daiichi Gakuin High School, where he was the head of the football department and a coach from 2008 to 2009, before taking on the role of manager from 2009 to 2013. During his tenure at Daiichi Gakuin High School, Oishi laid the groundwork for the team's first appearance in the 93rd National High School Soccer Championship the following year. In February 2020, he returned to Osaka Gakuin University as a coach, a position he held until 2021. In February 2022, he became the head coach at Osaka Keizai University, and in February 2023, he was promoted to manager of the university's football team.
4.2. Professional Coaching Career
In 2013, Oishi joined Fujieda MYFC as a head coach. He acquired his JFA S-class coaching license in 2014. In 2015, he was promoted to manager of Fujieda MYFC, succeeding Musashi Mizushima. In the 2015 J3 League season, the club finished 10th out of 13 teams. Under his leadership, the club's performance improved in the 2016 J3 League and 2017 J3 League seasons, consistently ranking in the middle of the league table. However, the club experienced poor results in 2018, leading to his resignation in July of that year when the team was in 14th place out of 17 clubs.
In December 2018, Oishi was appointed manager of Vanraure Hachinohe, a club newly promoted to the J3 League for the 2019 J3 League season. He managed the team throughout the 2019 season. On November 16, 2019, it was announced that his contract with Vanraure Hachinohe would not be renewed, and he subsequently left the club.
4.3. Managerial Statistics
The following table provides a statistical overview of Atsuto Oishi's managerial performance:
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Fujieda MYFC | 2015 | 2018 | 115 | 43 | 21 | 51 | 37.39% |
| Vanraure Hachinohe | 2019 | 2019 | |||||
| Total | 115 | 43 | 21 | 51 | 37.39% | ||
5. Episodes
Atsuto Oishi is known for some unique interactions during post-match press conferences in the J3 League. On May 25, 2016, following a J3 League match between Fujieda MYFC and SC Sagamihara at Fujieda Sports Park Football Stadium, Oishi appeared at the official press conference of the opposing manager, Ryohei Sakakawa of Sagamihara. In an unprecedented move for a J.League setting, Oishi asked Sakakawa, "How can I win?" This unusual scene garnered attention from sports media. He repeated a similar action on November 13, 2016, during the 29th matchday of the J3 League, when Sagamihara hosted Fujieda at Gion Stadium Sagamihara. On this occasion, Oishi attended the press conference of Sagamihara's manager, Sotaro Yasunaga, and inquired, "What instructions did you give at halftime?" These episodes highlight Oishi's direct and unconventional approach to learning from his peers.