The Japan Football Association has announced that the wheels are in motion for the formation of a national league starting in September of 2007. It will likely be an eight-team league that comprises either a double- or triple-round-robin format between September and March. Matches are to be played Sundays at venues with seating for 2,000 or more, so teams that wish to be a part of the organization will have to have impressive facilities at their disposal.

The committee in charge of preparation will start up this month (April, 2006) and conditions for participation will be announced in July. The process of team entry and screening will take place between
July and November, and ten months later, in September of 2007, Japan's national league will kick off.
Teams that apply to take part in the national league should have a budget of about 310.000 euros

Currently the number of Futsal players registered in the JFA is 120 thousands, involved in 9 Regional and 44 Prefecutural leagues in the whole country, while more than 1.5 million local players play Futsal on an amateur level. The estimated budget of the league would be USD 2 million. In the near future, the league is expected to become professional, with more teams and lover divisions as well.



Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com