Courtesy: Asahi.com

Japan's new F.League gearing up for 2007 kickoff

02/12/2007

BY KIM HAN IL, STAFF WRITER

With futsal becoming increasingly popular among young Japanese, the Japan Futsal Federation announced in early 2007 the formation of the Japan Futsal League, or F.League.

The JFF said the amateur indoor soccer league will kick off its inaugural season Sept. 23 at Tokyo's Yoyogi No. 1 Gymnasium.

The five-players-a-side clubs will include StellAmigo Iwate Hanamaki, Bardral Urayasu, Pescadola Machida, Shonan Bellmare, the Nagoya Oceans, Shriker Osaka, Deucao Kobe and Vasagey Oita.

"It's perfect timing to start the league" said JFF chairman Kuniya Daini. "We don't have an exact figure, but we believe there are more than 1 million futsal players currently in Japan."

The teams will compete in a triple round-robin league, playing home-and-away matches and also at neutral venues. The first season will draw to a close in February after each club plays 21 matches.

The recent increase in players has also seen a jump in futsal facilities. In 2000, there were 107 facilities with 221 courts, but the figures have increased fourfold with 451 facilities with 1,021 courts in 2005, according to the Japan Futsal Network.

"Launching the futsal league is necessary to help Japan's game become competitive at the international level," Daini said.

Last year, Japan won the Asian Championship for the first time and Kenichiro Kogure (Spanish club Narazano) was named Asian futsal player of the year. But there is still a big gap between Japan and powerhouses like Brazil, Spain and Portugal, which humiliated Japan 11-1 in November.

The current nine regional leagues have been gradually attracting more fans, but some areas like Kansai are still struggling. Daini said although he would like to see the F.League attract about 2,000 per game, league officials are hoping futsal lovers will get out and play the game as well as attend matches as fans.

"We have two good examples of how to develop a fan base," said JFF board member Ryusei Shioya. "One is soccer's J.League and the other is indoor sports like volleyball and basketball. We have to learn a lot from them."

League officials visited a FIVB Volleyball Championship game last year to see how the sport uses DJs and lighting and music to attract fans.

"We'd like to strengthen the cooperation with these indoor sports," Shioya said.

Shioya said the F.League is planning on holding futsal clinics for kids before each match. He said the clinics will enable the fans to get closer to the players.

The Nagoya Oceans will be the only professional side competing in the F.League, but officials foresee the day when the league will be comprised entirely of professional clubs.

"To compete at the international level, Japan's futsal should be pro," Shioya said. "But it will take at least three years. In the future, we hope the league expands to a 12-to-16-club league."

The Oceans became professional in April 2006, and won the 12th All Japan Futsal Championship last week.

"We are expected to win over amateur clubs," Nagoya general manager Yoshihito Sakurai said after the final. "But we are waiting for a few of the amateur clubs to follow our example and turn pro."

Nagoya will open Japan's first futsal arena next year, a 400 million yen facility that will seat about 2,500 fans.

Shonan Bellmare is the only F.League club that also has a J.League affiliate, which Shonan general manager Junta Sekino thinks will be a boon to soccer-loving kids.

"We'll offer two choices, soccer and futsal, to children," Sekino said. "Sure, we'd like to be the inaugural F.League champions, but our real goal is to pack our venue with fans."

Sekino envisions the day when one of Bellmare"s futsal kids goes on to bigger and better things.

"You know," Sekino said. "Ronaldinho used to play futsal in his early years."(IHT/Asahi: February 12,2007)



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