These mist covered mountains………….

23 Friday Dec 2011

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Monday 18th July 2011

at Big Lake Soccer Complex, Moriyama-Shi,  Shiga Prefecture.

Entry FREE

Programme for 2nd Game FREE (produced by the fans)

Drinks machines a plenty

12.30pm

Shiga Syakaijin League Divsion One

FC ZE ZE 5 (14 52 54 56 75)

FC KOGA 0

Att 2 (h/c)

@ Pitch A

2.30pm

Kansai League Divsion One

TOJITSU SHIGA 0

BANDITONCE KAKOGAWA 1 (14)

Att 66 (h/c)

@ Pitch B

So my last day in Japan, and the second with pouring rain! The first was the first. Now, this was possibly the first games I’ve ever done where I didn’t don’t quite know where exactly I was! Shiga prefecture, that’s easy, and the complex name was easy…. Well Peter drove on the freeway past Kyoto and north, but other than a Big Lake and mountains I was drawing a blank! Eventually with a lot of searching I found it, just copy this into Google Earth 滋賀県守山市服部町2439番地.  That’s the address in Japanese, and that should show you as to be near the small town of Sazukawacho

What was unusual was the shrine in one corner, but other than that a fairly standard complex, no cover but a main astro pitch with a terrace strangely called Pitch B, another astro pitch with a tiny viewing area, Pitch A, and a grass pitch that was regrowing. What was noticable was the clouds drifting on and off the mountains.

I started at pitch A and watched a Shiga Prefectoral game, which was easily the worst of the holiday. While its bad enough that FC Koga turned up with just the 9 players, but FC Ze Ze (named after a railway station in Otsu, the capital of Shiga) were far more to blame for simply thinking the goals would be scored by default. By the time they worked that one out the spectacle had been ruined. In the game’s favour was the high level of adminstration, as an obviously experienced referee took time to coach his trainee assistants.

Far more watchable was the second game on the main pitch and the bonus of a A4 sheet programme. Tojitsu have ambitions of the J-League, but the ground isn’t up to JFL standards, as there’s only one viewable side, but more pressing is the team. They’re honest, and hard working, but Banditonce had far too much and should have won by more. The ageing but still potent midfielder scored a fine goal before departing on the hour, and that was all that was needed.

So I departed my last ground tired sunburned, but utterly elated. 11 good ticks, and 12 games, and plenty of stories to bore you all with! A massive thanks once again to Peter, a life altering experience and one I’ll never be able to repay.

One final point, Peter found something on the FC Koga website, Its the last picture…

Moving Mountains

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Sunday 17th July 2011

At the Sakai Soccer National Training Centre, Osaka

9.30am

Osaka Syakaijin League Division 1

HIGASHI OSAKA 3 (8 33 59)

HOKOKU 2 (18 67)     

Att 15 (h/c)

On Pitch S12

League Brochure FREE  

  

11.30am

Osaka Syakaijin League Division 2B

BAGGINA OSAKA 0

HERMANO OSAKA 1 (31)

70 minute game

Att 16 (h/c)

on Pitch S13  

                         

3.15 pm

Kansai Joshi (Ladies) League

TAZKARAZUKO EL BAILE 1 (80)

KYOTO SHIKO 1 (57)

80 minute game

Att 34 (h/c)

On Pitch S10  

  

No programmes at any game

Drinks from a multitude of vending machines

Food available from the clubhouse 

  

So, you live in a city where building land is at a premium, so what do you do? That’s right you blow up a mountain, create some space, and dump the rubble in the sea. That dumped rubble island you call Sakai, build a bridge to it, and build a football complex.

And that dear reader is the Sakai Soccer National Training Centre in Osaka. The bald statistics do take some fathoming. 14 full size football pitches (5 grass, 9 4G), with a 3,032 seater mini stadium for pitch S1. 8 Futsal fields with 3 under cover with air conditioning. A cycling course, walking course, Sport square, 4 locker room buildings, and a Clubhouse. Oh, and its free to get in and the whole lot is powered by solar panels! Its little wonder that the mission statement is “Where no dream is too big!”

So it was genuinely a case of turn up and pick a game you fancied.

In Osaka once you drop down beneath J1, J2 and the JFL you get two divisions of the Kansai League, and below that you’re watching the Osaka Prefectoral, or Syakaijin Leagues. This league has a top division and below that several Division 2s as the league regionalises still further.

It was watching these games I became aware of the Japanese levels of administrative efficiency. Not only did all games have 3 officials, but a designated scorer too. Before the game she would ensure team sheets were handed in and all relevant statistics were properly recorded. Afterwards the paperwork was handed to a runner for despatch to the offices in the middle, and presumably then on on the internet!

The Kansai Ladies League was a nice league to watch with that side of the game doing so well in Japan. And with the whole safety issue being, well not an issue, the Ladies game will go from strength to strength.

So the games; typical of the genre. With the pitches superb, what you got was good passing play, but with very little “Nous” for want of a better word. Its clear that the coaching is excellent, with facilities to match, and you wonder just how far the Japanese game can go when experience can be added into the melting pot.

A word about the shortened games. When its 90% humidity and 35 degrees Celsius, who can blame them?

Wingless Wonders

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Saturday 16th July 2011 ko 7.00pm

J-League Division 1

VISSEL KOBE 4 (Matusuoka 2 Poppo 54 Park 57 Okubo 89p)

CEREZO OSAKA 1 (Bo-Kyung Kim 67)

Att 14,961

Entry & Programme 3,000 yen (prices hiked by 500 yen for the local derby)

Beer (thanks Erkki!) 500 yen

Nepalese Chicken Curry & Rice 800 yen

So the only revisit on my Japanese tour, and what a great way to do it, with some of the friends I met along the way, and Peter, without whom I simply wouldn’t have been there. Many thanks to you.

It was fun seeing the ground from a different perspective, from that of an away fan. Still totally safe, and Japanese queuing culture was very much in evidence as we waited to get in. I tried out the Nepalese Curry, which was delicious, and I tried to thank as many of new new friends as I could with my one word of Japanese- 感謝!

The only issue was the darned game! Put simply, Cerezo didn’t turn up! From start to finish, they looked like third place in a two horse race. So bad were they, you didn’t even notice calamity keeper Kim, and after the match Brazilian striker Rodrigo Pimpao was informed his services were no longer required.

But still the fans sang their hearts out, but after the final whistle something happened that is extremely unusual. The players came over to the away end to bow to the fans, and were roundly booed. They looked shocked, but the boos and catcalls continued until the players left the pitch. Then normal service resumed, the kit was neatly folded, litter tidied and everyone quietly went home.

I asked later what the fans were shouting. “Mostly play better next time,” was the gist of it. Polite to the last. I like that.

School’s Out!

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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Saturday 16th July 2011 ko 2.30pm

Junior High School Friendly

HANNAN 3 (6 8 12)

SHIRASAGI 0

Att 3 (h/c)

Entry FREE

No programme

Drinks via vending machines

@Tsurumi Ryokuchi Stadium, Tsurumi Ward, Osaka

Very much a case of get what you can. The park, Ryokuchi means Green Plaza by the way, is in the east of Osaka, and features swimming pools, cycling and jogging trails, and peaceful seating areas, although it is the flowers that have become the main attraction here. A massive attraction in Japan in early spring is gazing at the blossom, and Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park is a popular place to indulge the hobby.

As for the the Stadium well, it’s a municipal edifice originally built for American Football, but converted to 4G, and association rules. It’s huge given that the highest level of football regularly played there is the 4th tier Kansai League. The stadium was used for the 2001 East Asian games football tournament, together with the Nagai Number 1 stadium (Cerezo Osaka) and the Osaka Expo ’70 Stadium (Gamba Osaka). Nearby is a swimming pool, tennis courts, even the park’s own subway station. Pete and I were due to watch a Kansai League game there and soon discovered that it had been moved from the Saturday to the Monday, a public holiday, and all there was to watch was a friendly between 2 Junior High School teams.

Now at this point you may have picked up on the fact that this was at roughly midday and the authorities were asking teenagers to play at the height of the heat and humidity. After, all the professionals don’t play until the evening! In Japan football is a summer sport despite it being a northern hemisphere country. The reason is due to the fact that roughly 4 northern teams do get significant snow during winter, and so staging and travelling to games would be difficult. I’m bound to say that in a country renowned for its ingenuity, I’m surprised a work-around hasn’t been found as it was really very warm even to watch!

Well, it was truncated, but the game was perfectly watchable, and yes, it counts because what are the chances of me ever returning?

For the Top of Dreams

21 Wednesday Dec 2011

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Wednesday 13th July 2011 ko 7.00pm

J-League Division 1

CEREZO OSAKA 2 (Bo-Kyung Kim 49 Y Marsuhasi 74)

JUBILO IWATA 3 (Kanazono 63 Komano 77 Yamada 80)

Att 8,056

Entry & Programme  2,500 yen

“Kirin” Beer 500 yen

Balls in a bucket game 500 yen

Of the 12 games on my Japanese tour, this one was easily the most enjoyable, and summed up the Japanese game neatly. I’d spent the Wednesday sightseeing in Osaka, and took the train over to Tsurugaoka Station for 5pm, 2 hours before kick off.

The “Groundhopping Informer” has Cerezo playing at the Nagai Stadium which has a capacity 47,000 but that’s only used for the bigger games, for example Gamba. For the majority of the time they play at the Kincho stadium, capacity 20,500. Confused as to which stadium to head to? Don’t be, they’re adjacent! The stadium before sponsorship was known as Nagai Ball Gall Field and was built for American football and for rugby. It would explain why there’s only one covered stand, and behind one goal there’s a narrow terrance, behind the other is a grass bank, housing the away fans.

On arrival I met Chris Hoddle, another expat fan, and I tried the local delicacy tako-yaki, or doughballs with octopus filling, and tried the throw the balls in the bucket game. You get to keep the balls which contain a players shirt mobile phone charm, and if you get 6 or more in in 10 seconds, you win a bigger prize. I got 7, and a Cerezo baseball cap!

Cerezo Osaka have long been one of the most colourful teams in the  J.League, and not solely for their “flaming pink” shirts. Although Cerezo have never won the league title, they have come within a whisker of victory on two occasions, and if the team continues to play its aggressive style of attacking football, fans are sure to overlook the relative lack of silverware. In 2000, and again in 2005, Cerezo went into the final match of the season in first  place, only to stumble at the final hurdle. While this has surely disappointed  their fans, it is often the teams that break their fans hearts with dramatic  “near misses” that enjoy the most fanatical support. Although their cross-town rivals, Gamba, were the first Kansai-area team to win the title, in 2005, and  have gone on to even greater international fame as Asian champions in 2008, Cerezo still seems to be the team that excites the greater passion among folks in Osaka.

The team adopted the  name “Cerezo Osaka”, taken from the Spanish word for “cherry.” Osaka and all  of Japan, for that matter  is well known for its beautiful cherry trees which blossom in a pink profusion during the early spring.

We’d already marked our spot, in typical fashion and enjoyed the wide range of people united by football, who can watch their sport in perfect safety.

As for the game, I think the Rising Sun website sums it all up neatly,

“On the other side of Osaka, two of the youngest and most exciting teams in the league met head to head, both Cerezo and Jubilo have young players of their own who are likely to be heard from in the near future. The only question is which one we will be discussing as the next big talent to attract attention from Europe – Hiroshi Kiyotake, Yusuke Maruhashi, Shu Kurata, Hiroki Yamada, Ryohei Yamazaki or Kosuke Yamamoto.

The first half was closely contested, and though both teams had several chances to open the scoring, scrambling defensive efforts kept things scoreless at the break. However shortly after the restart the home team triggered the excitement meter with apowerful long-distance drive which caught the top right corner and put Cerezo in the lead. But Jubilo responded immediately as Yamada displayed his dribbling prowess. The U-22 midfielder turned the left flank and weaved his way past three Cerezo defenders before pushing the ball back to Hidetaka Kanazono for the finish.

Cerezo went right back in front a few minutes later when Maruhashi found free space outside the left post and Kiyotake fed him perfectly for a left-footed slam dunk. Once again it was Jubilo’s turn to respond, this time with an unlikely shooter – veteran Yuichi Komano – driving a right-footed shot into the top right corner, just out of the reach of keeper Kim Jin-Hyeon.

With ten minutes left Hiroki Yamada drove a dagger into the hearts of the home fans, racing onto a cross from Komano and meeting it on the half-volley with his right boot. The ball slipped just inside the post and Jubilo snatched the comeback victory.”

And that’s Cerezo all over, exciting and infuriating in equal measure, and with a more than porous defence. How Kim Jin Hyeon gets a game in goal I’ll never know. I was disappointed that Cerezo didn’t win, but this was a great spectacle.

The final word should go to the elderly lady with the bicycle from the Hiroshima trip. She handed me a goody bag of Cerezo souvenirs, and I was lost for words at her kindness.

Arigatou gozaimasu. ありがとうございます。

The Big Day at the Big Arch

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

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Sunday 10th July 2011 ko 7.04pm

J-League Division One

SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA 1 (Lee 2) K Morisaki sent off 42

CEREZO OSAKA 3 (Kurata 33 Kiyotake 49 Komatsu 51)

Att 11,615

Entry & Programme 2,000 yen

Towel Scarf 1,575 yen

Badge (from vending machine) 200 yen

Coach ticket 8,000 yen

From Cerezo Stall

Towel Scarf 1,575 yen

Badge 635 yen

This day, a Sunday was for me at least, more than just a football trip, it also was about learning a lot about the country and its culture.

The coach left Osaka at around 10am, and I was pleased that it was a bright pink affair with the club mascot, the wolf embrazoned on it too. A volunteer took payment of 10,000 yen via a portable credit card device, and your payment included a ticket for the away end. The coach was air conditioned and spacious, and the Cerezo fans were rather fascinated by the new Gaijin, especially when Peter told them just how much football I watch!. And elderly couple practised their English on me which they’d picked up during the American occupation from watching “Bonanza.” Another elderly lady presented everyone with beautiful leaflets for the game. A real collectors item!

We stopped at service stations twice each way, and the meals available were both cheap and tasty. I also enjoyed the ice cream stalls!

For a 7.04pm kick off we arrived by British standards stupidly early, around 4.30 pm. That’s because the culture is to reserve your place by placing your bag on your chosen seat (it’s perfectly safe to do so), then go for a meal, and generally relax. Pete and I decided to explore. We soon discovered that there are 3 stadia, two smaller ones that seemed barely used and a sports field where hundreds of children were playing in a tournament. Make no mistake, the future of the Japanese game is rosy.

We made our way to the the stadium, and bought our goodies, and I took advantage of the fact that as a courtesy the away team is allowed to set up a stall. I watched the lady who’s practised her English with me, take her Cerezo-pink bicycle from the boot of the coach, and cycle up to the ground from the car park. It transpired she isn’t too fleet of foot these days so this arrangement allows her to see away games. It is a matter of course that she was able to leave the bike unattended by the away end.

The stadium is genuinely iconic (it must be, the amount of photos I took!), but I do wonder how practical it is. For a ground featured in the World Cup it does have a running track, and I do wonder how much cover the Big Arch actually provides. There was no way of knowing as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was 35 degrees! I found both sets of fans sitting happily together enjoying the catering so I joined them.

The two team buses arrived rather ceremonially, and I settled down for my first view of Peter’s favourite team. And it didn’t start well either, Tananari Lee stabbing home following a defensive howler with only 90 seconds on the clock!

The turning point was unquestionably the dismissal of Koji Morisaki on 42 minutes. It looked a little harsh, particularly the first booking, but Cerezo took full advantage and in the end won comfortably.

We strolled back to the coach early enough to watch the sets of fans waving each other goodbye as friendly as could be, and then were handed a complimentary beer to start the long drive home. We reached Osaka at 2.30am and I was on the 6.28am Shinkansen to Tokyo……

This day so far I feel represents the absolute zenith of my groundhopping career. It will take some matching!

Empty Vissels

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

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Saturday 9th July 2011 ko 7.00pm

J-League Divsion One

VISSEL KOBE 0

NAGOYA GRAMPUS 1 (N Nakamura 84)

Att 17,568

Entry & Programme  2,500 yen

Towel Scarf 1,500 yen

Badge 760 yen

After a happy day’s sightseeing in Kobe, I took the subway out to the suburbs to the Home’s Stadium (and yes the apostrophe is in the correct place!). The ground used to be called the Wings stadium during its stint as a World Cup venue, as the extended stands behind each goal stuck out from the curved stands. Since then they’ve been truncated to allow a retractable roof and air conditioning to be installed.

It was slightly daunting getting a ticket as everyone seemed to be in queue for something! There seemed to be a wide disparity between the cheapest and most expensive seats, so I did the simple thing and bought a cheap ticket for behind the goal, in the home end. It was obvious even at this early stage that there was no possibility of any trouble. In fact both sets of fans were happily mingling, sat together eating something from the wide range of cuisine on offer.

I headed round to the home end, and discovered not only were the programmes free, you could take as many as you wanted! Since the seats were not reserved I found a reasonable seat and discovered a paper banner as the fans were to do a mass display when the teams came out. It had the words to most of the chants on the back. The lyrics were in Japanese,  but thoughtfully the tune to sing it to was printed in english! That revealed that one song would be to the tune, “River Kwai March!”

And this will be my abiding memory of football in Japan. Friendly, courteous clubs and fans, but once the game starts, the fans go bananas! Cheerleaders with megaphones whip the fans up into a frenzy. But for all of that, its always positive, and at the end of the match, they cheer the team, win or lose. After that tidy up the litter, fold up the flags and quietly go home.

And on this occasion the Vissel fans had plenty to complain about. They could and should have won this easily. However they conspired to miss chance after chance, and were made to pay when Naoshi Nakumura’s 25 yard dipping volley stunned the crowd. It was all a little too late for Vissel ( an amalgam of Vessel for Victory by the way) and it all ended rather tamely. The Nagoya fans (the Eight bit has been dropped, but it remains on the badge), went wide, for it was a great victory for them.

This is it!

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

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Friday 8th July 2011 ko 7.00pm

Japan Football League

ZWEIGEN KANAZAWA 1 (James 40)

HONDA FC 0

Att 1,658

Entry, Fan, and Programme 1,500 yen

Badges 1,500 yen

Stickers 800 yen

Towel Scarf 1,200 yen

In many ways this day was the perfect day for a groundhopper like me. The day was spent visiting Kanazawa Castle and the Kenrokuen gardens. That was followed by a thorough wash and shave in a public baths, and after 35 degree heat and 90% humidity trust me you need it, a trip to see a 7.00pm kick off.

I should explain the Japanese pyramid. Top is the J-League First Division, then the second division, and the JFL is the 3rd and last national tier. Below you get the regional leagues followed by the prefectoral ones. More of those…. later!

The Ishikawa Seibu Ryokuchi Stadium is conveniently placed in a park right by the main freeway, and is adjacent to another impressive stadium. It’s far too big for Kanazawa’s needs being the largest in the JFL but the club do their best to make it feel homely. The German Zwei, or two is a reference to the fact that this is the second Kanazawa team to try to make it big. If simply being friendly and well-organised is a guide, then they’ll have no problems.

Ah yes, that teamsheet. Usual thing, I asked for the lineups, and the next thing is I’m handed a pass and a media guide. Quite a souvenir!

The game was a fair summary of my take on the Japanese game throughout my stay. Some sublime passing and individual skill, but sometimes rather naiive, and just about every team needs a 30 goal a season striker.

This was a highly entertaining game, and I was pleased to pick up my first towel scarf. That’s an interesting Japanese take on the football staple. If you’re going to watch a game in the heat, why would you want something woollen? Zweigen have ambitions for elevation to the J-League 2 whilst the visitors as a works team are forbidden from any further promotions. They could simply divest themselves of the works link, as many other teams have, or just accept their fate.

But the abiding memory will be just how well organised and friendly it all was. With the game still clearly learning, this was something more established footballing nations can learn from the Japanese.

Three Stadia and a botanical garden!

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

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With me just out of hospital after stomach surgery I’d thought I’d put some stuff on July’s Japanese tour. As usual it’s as much about the people and the places as it is about the football, as it should be. Enjoy, and I hope to be back on the road soon.

Thursday 7th July 2011 ko 2.00pm

Japan University Football Association Prime Minister Cup Semi Final

MEIJI 1 (Iwabuchi 73)

OSAKA TAIIKO 1 (Matzuzawa 19)

AET  Osaka won 4-3 pens

Att c150

@ Nagai Number 2 Stadium, Osaka

Entry, Programme and Teamsheet 1000 yen (about £8.50)

Nagai Park is southern Osaka is quite something. There’s the massive Number 1 stadium, used in the World Cup, the 20,000 Kincho, and the 10,000 Number 2 all within 100 yards. Potentially an easy triple, and there’s the Botanical gardens too! Continue reading →

Pantomime season

18 Sunday Dec 2011

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Sunday 18th December 2011. ko 10.30am (scheduled) 12.00pm (actual!)

Upper Thames Valley League Division 3A

FOREST HILL 1 (Gonzalez 50) Matthews missed pen 17

CHATSWORTH BUCCANEERS 1 (Davies 45)

Att 15 (h/c)

Entry FREE

Nothing for sale

The small Oxfordshire village of Forest Hill lies about 5 miles east of Oxford. If you’ve ever driven from Oxford to London then you’ve probably passed the place. The poet John Milton, courted his future wife Mary Powell at the now demolished Manor house. The architect George Gilbert Scott ( Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras Station, the Albert Memorial ) redesigned the local church’s nave. It’s possible to see both the Beckley TV transmitter and Brill windmill.

The Forest Hill Recreation ground is to be found on the north-western tip of the village, on the B4027 Stanton Road. This bit was completely lost on referee Trevor Pitson, who as a late replacement for the injured Andrew Cotter got the wrong postcode and ended up in Great Milton, 8 miles away. He tried to contact the club, but the UTVL website had the wrong phone number. He’d returned back home to Faringdon by the time the club managed to contact him!

The advantage of this is that it gave a frosty pitch a chance to thaw. With the clubhouse having been destroyed in an arson attack in 2005, there was nowhere for the players to keep warm other than their cars, and I used the time to learn a little more. Forest Hill had a top flight UTVL side but the fire forced them off the ground, to Oxford’s Cutteslowe Park. The high fees charged by Oxford City Council proved to be too much, and the club folded after one season in exile.

This is the current club’s first season in existence and despite the name division 3A is as much the bottom division as 3B! Garsington based Chatsworth are having a dreadful season with just the one point so far.

The game turned out to be well worth the match-long wait as both sides used graft to make up what they lacked in skill. The memory I will have is the brilliance of the two goalkeepers Iain Locke for Forest Hill and Mike Webber for Chatsworth. Between them they produced 4 saves that a professional would be proud of. Webber’s reaction save to tip away a flicked header made up for a freezing conditions.

As much as anything else I enjoyed the company of two friendly clubs and some tremendous banter, particularly before the referee arrived.

“Well this ref can’t book us for a late challenge”

“The ref’s fee’s £30 lets go down the pub and drink it!”

You don’t get that in the professional game.