Osaka Bluteon
 | |
| Founded | 1951 |
|---|---|
| Ground | Panasonic Arena(Capacity: 2,500) |
| Head Coach |  Tuomas Sammelvuo |
| Captain |  Yuji Nishida[1] |
| League | SV.League |
| 2024–25 | 3rd place |
| Website | Club home page |
Osaka Bluteon (大阪ブルテオン, Ōsaka Buruteon) is a men's volleyball team based in Hirakata City, Osaka, Japan. It plays in SV.League. The club was founded in 1951.[2] It is owned by the Panasonic Corporation.
History
Osaka Bluteon was established as a volleyball club for Matsushita Electric Industrial (now Panasonic) in 1951 and from 1992 to 2024 was known as the Panasonic Panthers.[3]
The club would become one of the participating teams of the inaugural 2024–25 season of the SV.League. It adopted its current name and branding in June 2024 ahead of their participation in the new league.[4]
Names
- Panasonic Panthers (1992–2024)
- Osaka Bluteon (2024–)
Team
Current roster
updated : 25 August 2025[5]
| Team roster – season 2025/26 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player name | Date of birth | Position | |||
| 1 | Kunihiro Shimizu | (1986-08-11) August 11, 1986 | Opposite | |||
| 3 | Shunsuke Nakamura | (1999-03-07) March 7, 1999 | Setter | |||
| 4 | Kotaro Kaneta | (2002-06-14) June 14, 2002 | Middle Blocker | |||
| 5 | Shoma Tomita | (1997-06-20) June 20, 1997 | Outside Hitter | |||
| 6 |  Antoine Brizard | (1994-05-22) May 22, 1994 | Setter[6] | |||
| 8 | Kenyu Nakamoto | (1997-11-21) November 21, 1997 | Outside Hitter | |||
| 9 |  Peng Shikun | (2000-08-26) August 26, 2000 | Middle Blocker | |||
| 10 | Akihiro Yamauchi | (1993-11-30) November 30, 1993 | Middle Blocker | |||
| 11 | Yuji Nishida (c) | (2000-01-30) January 30, 2000 | Opposite | |||
| 13 | Tomohiro Yamamoto | (1994-11-05) November 5, 1994 | Libero | |||
| 15 | Masato Kai | (2003-09-25) September 25, 2003 | Outside Hitter | |||
| 16 | Kotaro Ikeshiro | (2001-11-15) November 15, 2001 | Libero | |||
| 18 | Hiroto Nishiyama | (2003-03-04) March 4, 2003 | Outside Hitter | |||
| 19 | Keitaro Nishikawa | (2000-04-14) April 14, 2000 | Middle Blocker | |||
| 22 |  Bryan Bagunas | (1997-10-10) October 10, 1997 | Outside Hitter | |||
| 23 | Larry Evbade-Dan | (2000-08-18) August 18, 2000 | Middle Blocker | |||
| 81 |  Miguel Ángel López | (1997-03-25) March 25, 1997 | Outside Hitter | |||
| Head coach: Tuomas Sammelvuo[7] | ||||||
Former roster
| Team roster – season 2023/2024 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Player name | Date of birth | Position | |||
| 1 | Kunihiro Shimizu | (1986-08-11) August 11, 1986 | Opposite | |||
| 2 | Hideomi Fukatsu | (1990-06-01) June 1, 1990 | Setter | |||
| 3 | Shunsuke Nakamura | (1999-03-07) March 7, 1999 | Setter | |||
| 6 |  Thomas Jaeschke | (1993-09-04) September 4, 1993 | Outside Hitter | |||
| 7 | Yuga Tarumi | (2000-11-02) November 2, 2000 | Outside Hitter | |||
| 8 | Kenyu Nakamoto | (1997-11-21) November 21, 1997 | Outside Hitter | |||
| 10 | Akihiro Yamauchi (c) | (1993-11-30) November 30, 1993 | Middle Blocker | |||
| 11 | Yuji Nishida | (2000-01-30) January 30, 2000 | Opposite | |||
| 12 | Tomotake Ito | (1999-11-11) November 11, 1999 | Libero | |||
| 13 | Tomohiro Yamamoto | (1994-11-05) November 5, 1994 | Libero | |||
| 15 | Tatsunori Otsuka | (2000-11-05) November 5, 2000 | Outside Hitter | |||
| 17 | Takeshi Nagano | (1985-07-11) July 11, 1985 | Libero | |||
| 18 | Hiroto Nishiyama | (2003-03-04) March 4, 2003 | Outside Hitter | |||
| 19 | Keitaro Nishikawa | (2000-04-14) April 14, 2000 | Middle Blocker | |||
| 20 | Takahiro Shin | (1991-08-10) August 10, 1991 | Setter | |||
| 21 | Yasunari Kodama | (1994-07-24) July 24, 1994 | Middle Blocker | |||
| 22 | Yuichiro Komiya | (1992-11-16) November 16, 1992 | Middle Blocker | |||
| 23 | Larry Evbade-Dan | (2000-08-18) August 18, 2000 | Middle Blocker | |||
| Head coach: Laurent Tillie | ||||||
Honours
- Champions
(×6): 1971–72, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2018–19 - Runners-up (×7): 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1972–73, 2012–13, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2023–24
- Third place (×1) :2022-23
- Champions (×9): 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1981, 1998, 2009, 2014
- Runners-up (×1): 2024[8]
- Champions (×3): 2011, 2012, 2023[9]
- Runner-up (×1): 2008
- Runner-up (×1): 2025
Notable players
- Takahiro Yamamoto (2001–2013)
- Tatsuya Fukuzawa (2008–2014 and 2016–2019)
- Kunihiro Shimizu (2008–present)
- Akihiro Yamauchi (2016–present)
- Yuji Nishida (2023–present)
- Nalbert Bitencourt (2002–2004)
- Luiz Felipe Fonteles (2007–2008)
- Dante Amaral(2013–2014 and 2015–2016)
- Thiago Alves (2011–2012 and 2014–2015)
- Antoine Brizard (2025–)
- Michał Kubiak (2016–2023)
- Miguel Ángel López (2024–present)
- Thomas Jaeschke (2023–2025)
- Peng Shikun (2025–present)
League results
Champion Runner-up
| League | Position | Teams | Matches | Win | Lose | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V.League | 1st (1994–95) | 7th | 8 | 21 | 10 | 11 |
| 2nd (1995–96) | 6th | 8 | 21 | 10 | 11 | |
| 3rd (1996–97) | 5th | 8 | 21 | 10 | 11 | |
| 4th (1997–98) | 3rd | 8 | 21 | 14 | 7 | |
| 5th (1998–99) | 4th | 10 | 18 | 17 | 1 | |
| 6th (1999-00) | 6th | 10 | 18 | 9 | 9 | |
| 7th (2000–01) | 6th | 10 | 18 | 9 | 9 | |
| 8th (2001–02) | 6th | 10 | 18 | 9 | 9 | |
| 9th (2002–03) | 3rd | 8 | 21 | 13 | 8 | |
| 10th (2003–04) | 3rd | 8 | 21 | 12 | 9 | |
| 11th (2004–05) | 4th | 8 | 28 | 15 | 13 | |
| 12th (2005–06) | 5th | 8 | 28 | 16 | 12 | |
| V・Premier | 2006–07 | 3rd | 8 | 28 | 17 | 11 |
| 2007–08 | Champion | 8 | 28 | 19 | 9 | |
| 2008–09 | 3rd | 8 | 28 | 15 | 13 | |
| 2009–10 | Champion | 8 | 28 | 20 | 4 | |
| 2010–11 | 4th | 8 | 24 | 14 | 10 | |
| 2011–12 | Champion | 8 | 21 | 17 | 4 | |
| 2012–13 | Runner-Up | 8 | 28 | 20 | 8 | |
| 2013–14 | Champion | 8 | 28 | 21 | 7 | |
| 2014–15 | 6th | 8 | 21 | 13 | 8 | |
| 2015–16 | Runner-up | 8 | 30 | 16 | 14 | |
| 2016–17 | 5th | 8 | 26 | 15 | 11 | |
| 2017–18 | Champion | 8 | 28 | 23 | 5 | |
| V.League Division 1 | ||||||
| 2018–19 | Champion | 10 | 34 | 28 | 6 | |
| 2019–20 | Runner-up | 10 | 28 | 24 | 4 | |
| 2020–21 | Runner-up | 10 | 41 | 33 | 8 | |
| 2021–22 | 3rd | 10 | 36 | 25 | 11 | |
| 2022–23 | 3rd | 10 | 39 | 25 | 14 | |
| 2023–24 | Runner-up | 10 | 38 | 33 | 5 | |
| SV.League | 2024–25 | 3rd | 10 | 46 | 37 | 9 |
References
- ^"西田 有志選手 キャプテン就任のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Osaka Bluteon. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^"パナソニック パンサーズについて". パナソニックのバレーボールチーム、パナソニック パンサーズ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-10-24.
- ^"パナソニック パンサーズは リブランディングの実施を決定 「チーム名称」「エンブレム」の刷新のお知らせ" [Panasonic Panthers decides to undergo a rebranding. Notice of changing team name and emblem] (in Japanese). Panasonic Panthers. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^"「新クラブ名称」「新エンブレム」発表のお知らせ" [Announcement of "New Club Name" and "New Emblem"] (in Japanese). Osaka Bluteon. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^"Osaka Bluteon -player". osaka-bluteon.com. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
- ^"Antoine Antoine Brizard joins the team". osaka-bluteon.com. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^"トーマス・サムエルボ新監督 就任のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Osaka Bluteon. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
- ^"第７２回 黒鷲旗全日本男女選抜バレーボール大会決勝トーナメント戦 結果"(PDF). jva.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^"【バレー】西田有志が古賀紗理那と夫婦でMVP「家族で達成うれしい」パナソニック天皇杯Ｖ導く" (in Japanese). 17 December 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
External links