With an over-capacity crowd of 36,609 attending Saturday night’s 2015 J.League championship final second leg between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Gamba Osaka, the league welcomed over 10 million attendees for the first time in its 23-year history.

“The MEIJI YASUDA J1 League saw 68 matches fill to over 80 per cent of their capacity, an increase of 23 per cent from 2014,” J.League chairman Mitsuru Murai commented. 

“This record is testament to the work that J.League clubs are doing to building their local fanbases.

“With Kagoshima United joining the J3 League next season, 2016 will see the J.League expand to 38 of Japan’s 47 prefectures. 

“The construction of new stadiums is also proceeding across the country.

“We hope to continue providing one of the world’s safest and most enjoyable stadium experiences for fans both young and young at heart, regardless of gender or nationality.”

Top 5 J.League Seasonal Attendances (as of Saturday, December 5):

1. 2015 (10,000,820)
2. 2009 (9,571,079)
3. 2014 (9,539,714)
4. 2013 (9,165,092)
5. 2008 (9,104,221)