1. Overview
Jun Mizukoshi (水越 潤Mizukoshi JunJapanese, born January 15, 1975) is a former Japanese association football player and manager. Throughout his career, he primarily played as a midfielder, known for his active play and abundant stamina on the right side of the field. After graduating from Tenri University, he played for several Japanese clubs including Albirex Niigata, Ventforet Kofu, New Wave Kitakyushu, and Nara Club, with a brief stint in the Netherlands. Following his playing career, Mizukoshi transitioned into coaching and managerial roles, notably with Vissel Kobe's academy and Nara Club, where he also served as a board member.
2. Early Life and Education
Jun Mizukoshi was born on January 15, 1975, in 榛原町Haibara-choJapanese, Uda-gun, Nara Prefecture, Japan, which is now part of Uda City. His early football development began at Higashihabara FC, where he played from 1983 to 1986. He then attended Haibara Junior High School from 1987 to 1989. For his high school education, Mizukoshi enrolled in Tenri High School, playing football there from 1990 to 1992. He continued his academic and athletic pursuits at Tenri University from 1993 to 1996, further honing his football skills.
3. Playing Career
Jun Mizukoshi's playing career spanned from amateur leagues to Japan's professional J-League, characterized by his consistent presence as a right-sided midfielder known for his high work rate.
3.1. Youth and Amateur Career
After graduating from Tenri University in 1996, Mizukoshi joined Prefectural Leagues club Takada FC (later Diablossa Takada FC) in March 1997. His initial stint with Takada FC lasted until September of that year. During his university years, he was also recognized, being selected for the Kansai Student Selection in 1995 and winning the Kansai Student Championship in the same year.
3.2. Professional Clubs
In October 1997, Mizukoshi moved to the Japanese Regional Leagues club Albirex Niigata. He became a key player, contributing to the club's promotion to the Japan Football League in 1998 and then to the newly formed J2 League in 1999. He played 29 matches and scored 2 goals in the 1998 Japan Football League, and 35 matches with 2 goals in the 1999 J2 League season.
In 2000, he joined Japan Football League club Jatco TT, where he played 17 matches and scored 3 goals. In January 2001, Mizukoshi ventured overseas to the Netherlands, joining EHC Hoensbroek (also known as EHC Norad). He spent six months in the Netherlands before returning to Japan in June 2001 to join J2 League club Ventforet Kofu.
At Ventforet Kofu, he established himself as a regular right midfielder. Despite the club finishing at the bottom of the J2 League in 2001, they steadily improved. Ventforet Kofu achieved third place in 2005, earning promotion to the J1 League for the 2006 season. Mizukoshi made 9 appearances in 2001, 33 in 2002, 44 in 2003 (scoring 5 goals), 29 in 2004, and 27 in 2005.
In 2006, he moved to Japanese Regional Leagues club New Wave Kitakyushu, playing many matches while also serving as a player-coach. In October 2006, he was loaned to TDK until December. He returned to New Wave Kitakyushu for the 2007 season. In 2008, he rejoined his first club, Diablossa Takada FC, which was then competing in the Regional Leagues. In November 2008, he made his final club move to Nara Club in the Prefectural Leagues. Nara Club was promoted to the Regional Leagues in 2009. Mizukoshi played for Nara Club until the end of the 2010 season, when he retired from professional playing.
His J-League debut occurred on March 14, 1999, in a J2 League match against Kawasaki Frontale at Todoroki Athletics Stadium. He scored his first J-League goal on April 4, 1999, in a J2 League match against Ventforet Kofu at Niigata City Athletic Stadium.
3.3. Playing Style
Standing at 67 in (171 cm) and weighing 152 lb (69 kg), Jun Mizukoshi was primarily deployed as a midfielder, particularly on the right side of the field. He was known for his active and dynamic play, characterized by an abundant amount of stamina, which allowed him to cover significant ground and contribute effectively to both offensive and defensive aspects of the game.
4. Managerial and Coaching Career
Following his playing career, Jun Mizukoshi transitioned into coaching and management, leveraging his experience gained from playing in the J-League and overseas.
From 2006 to 2007, while still a player for New Wave Kitakyushu, he concurrently served as a coach for the club. In 2008, he joined Vissel Kobe's academy as a school coach. His involvement with Vissel Kobe's youth development continued, becoming the U-12 coach in 2009 and the U-12 manager in 2010. From 2011 to 2012, he served as the U-15 coach for the Itami branch of the Vissel Kobe academy. During part of his tenure at Vissel Kobe (until 2010), he also concurrently played for Nara Club.
In 2013, Mizukoshi took on roles at Nara Club, his former playing club. From January to October 2013, he served as a coach for the first team. On October 10, 2013, he was appointed manager of Nara Club, succeeding Jiro Yabe who transitioned to a General Manager role. He managed the club until the end of the 2013 season, with his resignation from the managerial position announced on December 18, 2013.
5. Post-Playing Career and Other Activities
After concluding his professional playing and coaching careers, Jun Mizukoshi remained involved in football through administrative and celebratory capacities. As of 2015, he serves as a board member for Nara Club, demonstrating his continued commitment to the organization. In 2021, he participated in the All Japan O-40 Football Championship, playing for TONAN CLUB, a team whose name is inspired by the former "Tonan Club" which was a predecessor to Nara Club. He played alongside notable former professional footballers like Koichi Hashigaito and Jun Narita during this event.
6. Achievements and Awards
Jun Mizukoshi achieved several notable accomplishments during his student and professional football career:
- 1995:** Kansai Student Selection
- 1995:** Kansai Student Championship Winner
7. Career Statistics
Jun Mizukoshi's career statistics across various clubs and leagues are detailed below:
| Club performance | League | Emperor's Cup | J.League Cup | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Japan | ||||||||||||
| 1996 | Tenri University | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| 1997 | Takada FC | Nara Prefectural League Division 1 | - | |||||||||
| 1997 | Albirex Niigata | Hokushinetsu Football League | - | - | ||||||||
| 1998 | Former JFL | 29 | 2 | - | 3 | 0 | 32 | 2 | ||||
| 1999 | J2 League | 35 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 39 | 2 | |||
| 2000 | Jatco TT | Japan Football League | 17 | 3 | - | 3 | 0 | 20 | 3 | |||
| Netherlands | ||||||||||||
| 2000-01 | EHC Norad | Topklasse (Dutch 3rd tier) | ||||||||||
| Japan | ||||||||||||
| 2001 | Ventforet Kofu | J2 League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2002 | 33 | 4 | - | 3 | 0 | 36 | 4 | |||||
| 2003 | 44 | 5 | - | 3 | 1 | 47 | 6 | |||||
| 2004 | 29 | 3 | - | 1 | 0 | 30 | 3 | |||||
| 2005 | 27 | 1 | - | 1 | 0 | 28 | 1 | |||||
| 2006 | New Wave Kitakyushu | Kyushu Soccer League | 14 | 0 | - | - | 14 | 0 | ||||
| TDK (loan) | Tohoku Soccer League Division 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 2007 | New Wave Kitakyushu | Kyushu Soccer League | 16 | 3 | - | - | 16 | 3 | ||||
| 2008 | Diablossa Takada FC | Kansai Soccer League Division 1 | 9 | 1 | - | - | 9 | 1 | ||||
| 2008 | Nara Club | Nara Prefectural League Division 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2009 | Kansai Soccer League Division 2 | 2 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||||
| 2010 | Kansai Soccer League Division 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 264 | 24 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 286 | 24 | ||||