 Instead, the supporter club followed the "socio" model used by FC Barcelona and founded Yokohama FC, the first professional Japanese football club owned and operated by its members.On 1 January 1999, Flügels won their final match, the Emperor's Cup final against Shimizu S-Pulse, 2–1.Flügels were not the first club to withdraw from the Japanese top flight and fold; in 1976, "Eidai Industries" from Yamaguchi Prefecture had been closed down by its parent company due to rising costs of maintaining a top-flight team.