Trendy sport sees young professionals get into futsal and each other

By TARO KARASAKI,
The Asahi Shimbun

With the euphoria of the World Cup soccer tournament now only a distant memory, what are some of the trends unfolding on a smaller scale in this country? As part of the New Year's Day edition, The Asahi Shimbun begins a series of articles examining various developments centered on the Tokyo metropolitan area. The next installment of this series will appear in the Jan. 3 edition.

Once a week, Akiko Tanaka puts her work down at 5 p.m. on the dot, swaps her business suit and pumps for a tracksuit and trainers, and hits the pitch to play futsal, the miniature version of soccer.

Mainly, it is her love for the sport-whose popularity was heightened by the World Cup last year-that drives Tanaka to engage in the rigorous workouts and sometimes fierce battles for control of the ball with the men. But there is another reason.

``You can meet interesting new people outside the workplace, which you normally cannot do. And it's much more healthy than just going out for beers or karaoke after work,'' says the trading company employee after finishing a two-hour futsal class in the courtyard of Hibiya City, a business and shopping complex in central Tokyo.

Mayumi Takei, whom Tanaka met at the class, says she enjoys futsal for the ``camaraderie that develops through playing with others.''

``I've tried aerobics and machine training, but neither lasted long. I think I felt lonely exercising alone,'' Takei says.

The Japanese version of futsal-from the Portuguese ``Futbol de Salon,'' or indoor football-is becoming popular in Japan as a recreational sport. Businesses have shown a keen interest in the sport, opening new futsal courts, which are slightly larger than tennis courts, in prime spots in Tokyo.

As a result, sports and trend watchers say, a new place for socializing, and for some, a place to seek romance, has developed.

``Of course, I'd like to meet someone who shares my interest in soccer,'' says Takeshi Goto, a 28-year-old office clerk, who visits futsal courts in Tokyo two or three times a week. ``I think it's great that a lot of women are playing. It is an incentive to play better, too.''

Numerous Web-based dating and meeting sites are using futsal to attract young men and women, calling it ``the deai (new encounter) sport.''

``The usual `boy-meets-girl' situation happens all the time,'' says a 38-year-old instructor and manager at the Mitsubishi Motors Colt Futsal court in Hibiya City.

Usually the men start out teaching the women, and if they get along, they will go to J.League games together or shopping for new sportswear and shoes, he says. Apparently, one couple who visited his facility frequently tied the knot seven years after first meeting at a futsal class.

Tanaka flatly denies that she is trying to find a boyfriend at the futsal court. But then she acknowledged she was gaining rare insight.

``You get to see the real person through their playing style, something you don't see in the usual workplace. Some people who seem quiet in the workplace suddenly become aggressive on the pitch,'' she says.

While it is not rare for sports to serve as a means of interaction, the simplicity of the game and the popularity brought on by the World Cup perhaps set futsal apart from other sports.

Futsal, which is actually five-a-side football, uses a court usually measuring roughly 20 meters by 40 meters, has few rules on replacing players and no complicated regulations, such as offside. With a strict ban on rough play, such as dangerous tackles, it is easier for the non-athletic to participate.

Thus, watchers say the population of players has flourished over the last few years, reaching an estimated 480,000 in Japan. About 20 percent are women, most of whom have come to the sport in the last few years, they say.

While the surge in popularity has caused a shortage of playing space, particularly in central Tokyo, watchers say that this problem will likely be overcome soon.

``Urban planners are increasingly placing emphasis on including recreational space in their building designs and futsal is one important factor they are taking into consideration,'' says Hiromasa Yamashita, editor in chief of bimonthly Futsal Magazine Pivo!. Currently there are 14 futsal courts in Tokyo, with at least three new courts expected to open this year.

``We were aware of futsal's potential for bringing people together when starting this project,'' says Yusuke Ono of broadcaster Sports Television, which cooperated with sportswear maker Mizuno Corp., Mitsubishi Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Estate Co., to open the Colt futsal court in Hibiya.

``This is a test case, and we hope to open similar courts in the near future,'' he says.(IHT/Asahi: January 1,2003)