AC Nagano Parceiro (AC長野パルセイロ, E Shī Nagano Paruseiro) is a Japanese football club based in Nagano, capital of Nagano Prefecture. They play in the J3 League, Japanese third tier of professional football.
The club name parceiro means "partner" in Portuguese.
The history of the club dates back to 1990 when a group of local high school graduates started a football club Nagano Elza SC. The team colours, orange and dark blue, represent Nagano Prefecture, and the team logo uses a lioness named Elza. In 2007, the club changed the name to AC Nagano Parceiro because the name "Elza" had already been trademarked. However, the club decided to keep the team colors and logo.
In 2011, the team's first season in the JFL, they finished in the second place, but the team was not qualified to for J2 League. J. League Associate Membership status was not granted because the capacity of their stadium did not satisfy the league's requirement (minimum 10,000 seats).
In 2014, the team became the member of the newly founded J3 league, and later acquired the J. League Associate Membership in September as their stadium capacity met the required minimum number of seats.
The main rival of the club is neighbouring Matsumoto Yamaga FC, the matches between them are called the "Shinshū derby".
As of 8 July 2024.[1]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.