The former Japan Football League was an association football league that existed from 1992 to 1998. Also known as the JFL, it was the 2nd tier of the Japanese football hierarchy following J.League.

Shimizu S-Pulse is a Japanese professional football club located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture. S-Pulse currently competes in the J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional league football. The club was formed in 1991 as a founding member of the J.League, which began the following year. The club originally consisted of players drawn exclusively from Shizuoka Prefecture, a unique distinction at the time.