History of BEFC
The British Embassy Football Club dates back to 70s Japan when BEFC and the British Football Club (BFC) were the one and the same team. However when fewer and fewer embassy members were able to play regularly, Gordon Liversidge formed the British Football Club creating what is recognised as the oldest foreign football team in Tokyo. The members wanting to play regular elevens football went to aid in establishing the BFC, while without a player base the BEFC existed to play infrequent and smaller games.
As different cycles of embassy staff came and went, so has a lot BEFC’s history. However, through all the ebbs and flows of participation BEFC has continued to exist in one form or another in every division of every league - throughout the football history of Tokyo, BEFC has been a permanent fixture.
The BEFC team has played in the IFFL (International Friendship Football League - est 1977), before joining the Tokyo Metropolitan League (est. 2002) where it continues to field an elevens team today and provide regular futsal games for team members and friends of the embassy on embassy grounds in Hanzomon.
Additionally BEFC having played in a multitude of different competitions, the BEFC has constant involvement in friendlies with well known Japanese companies, non-profit organisations and diplomatic branches of the Japanese government and other foreign embassies.
Through the BEFC’s reformation and evolution, the club has become less of an embassy centered squad as more non-embassy players and subsequently their friends ensured the clubs continued existence. However despite its many forms BEFC represents traditional British culture in football keeping to its embassy roots and history of the club.