2002 J.League Division 2
| Season | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Oita Trinita 1st J2 title 1st D2 title |
| Promoted | Oita Trinita Cerezo Osaka |
| Matches played | 264 |
| Goals scored | 671 (2.54 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Marcus (19 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 42,211[1] Albirex Niigata 0-0 Cerezo Osaka (10 August 2002) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,136[1] Mito HollyHock 0-2 Sagan Tosu (7 August 2002) |
| Total attendance | 1,806,392 |
| Average attendance | 6,842[1] |
← 2001 2003 → | |
The 2002 J.League Division 2 season is the 31st season of the second-tier club football in Japan and the 4th season since the establishment of J2 League.
Starting this season, extra-time rule was abolished and the league adopted the traditional 3-1-0 points system. The twelve clubs competed in the quadruple round-robin format. The top two received promotion to the J.League Division 1. There were no relegation to the third-tier Japan Football League.
Clubs
Following twelve clubs played in J.League Division 2 during 2002 season. Of these clubs, Cereso Osaka and Avispa Fukuoka were relegated from J1 League last year.
- Montedio Yamagata
- Mito HollyHocks
- Omiya Ardija
- Kawasaki Frontale
- Yokohama F.C.
- Shonan Bellmare
- Ventforet Kofu
- Albirex Niigata
- Cerezo Osaka
- Avispa Fukuoka
- Sagan Tosu
- Oita Trinita
League format
Twelve clubs will play in quadruple round-robin format, a total of 44 games each. A club receives 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked by points, and tie breakers are, in the following order:
- Goal differential
- Goals scored
- Head-to-head results
A draw would be conducted, if necessary. However, if two clubs are tied at the first place, both clubs will be declared as the champions. The top two clubs are promoted to J1.
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oita Trinita (C, P) | 44 | 28 | 10 | 6 | 67 | 34 | +33 | 94 | Promotion to 2003 J.League Division 1 |
| 2 | Cerezo Osaka (P) | 44 | 25 | 12 | 7 | 93 | 53 | +40 | 87 | |
| 3 | Albirex Niigata | 44 | 23 | 13 | 8 | 75 | 47 | +28 | 82 | |
| 4 | Kawasaki Frontale | 44 | 23 | 11 | 10 | 71 | 53 | +18 | 80 | |
| 5 | Shonan Bellmare | 44 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 46 | 43 | +3 | 64 | |
| 6 | Omiya Ardija | 44 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 52 | 42 | +10 | 59 | |
| 7 | Ventforet Kofu | 44 | 16 | 10 | 18 | 51 | 55 | −4 | 58 | |
| 8 | Avispa Fukuoka | 44 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 58 | 69 | −11 | 42 | |
| 9 | Sagan Tosu | 44 | 9 | 14 | 21 | 41 | 64 | −23 | 41 | |
| 10 | Mito HollyHock | 44 | 11 | 7 | 26 | 45 | 73 | −28 | 40 | |
| 11 | Montedio Yamagata | 44 | 6 | 17 | 21 | 29 | 57 | −28 | 35 | |
| 12 | Yokohama FC | 44 | 8 | 11 | 25 | 43 | 81 | −38 | 35 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Final results
Top scorers
| Pos | Footballer | Club | Goals | PK | GP | Shots | Goals Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st |  Marcus |
Albirex Niigata | 19 | 4/5 | 36 | 139 | 0.55 |
| 2nd |  Yoshito Okubo |
Cerezo Osaka | 18 | 1/2 | 29 | 65 | 0.91 |
| Andradina |
Oita Trinita | 18 | 1/1 | 39 | 117 | 0.50 | |
| 4th | Bentinho |
Kawasaki Frontale | 16 | 3/3 | 36 | 176 | 0.44 |
| 5th | Takayoshi Ono |
Mito HollyHock | 14 | 2/2 | 36 | 85 | 0.46 |
| Hiroshi Morita |
Sagan Tosu | 14 | 0/0 | 38 | 86 | 0.45 | |
 David Bisconti |
Sagan Tosu | 14 | 4/4 | 39 | 92 | 0.42 | |
| 8th | Yasuo Manaka |
Cerezo Osaka | 13 | 1/1 | 28 | 67 | 1.05 |
 Jorge Dely Valdés |
Omiya Ardija | 13 | 2/2 | 32 | 72 | 0.46 | |
| 10th | Hiroaki Morishima |
Cerezo Osaka | 12 | 0/0 | 37 | 75 | 0.34 |
| Marlon |
Kawasaki Frontale | 12 | 0/0 | 23 | 74 | 0.58 |
Attendances
| # | Football club | Total attendance | Home games | Average | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albirex Niigata | 472,507 | 22 | 21,478 | 42,211 | 9,125 |
| 2 | Oita Trinita | 271,669 | 22 | 12,349 | 27,431 | 3,094 |
| 3 | Cerezo Osaka | 174,951 | 22 | 7,952 | 32,067 | 3,067 |
| 4 | Avispa Fukuoka | 142,808 | 22 | 6,491 | 14,475 | 3,284 |
| 5 | Omiya Ardija | 115,846 | 22 | 5,266 | 19,782 | 2,517 |
| 6 | Kawasaki Frontale | 115,431 | 22 | 5,247 | 20,405 | 3,044 |
| 7 | Shonan Bellmare | 100,125 | 22 | 4,551 | 9,739 | 2,120 |
| 8 | Ventforet Kofu | 108,108 | 22 | 4,914 | 13,000 | 2,954 |
| 9 | Sagan Tosu | 85,586 | 22 | 3,890 | 8,464 | 1,796 |
| 10 | Montedio Yamagata | 82,601 | 22 | 3,755 | 8,996 | 1,908 |
| 11 | Yokohama FC | 76,498 | 22 | 3,477 | 11,118 | 1,518 |
| 12 | Mito HollyHock | 60,262 | 22 | 2,739 | 5,576 | 1,136 |
Source:[1]