The JFA Football Day started since 2008 in order to welcome more people to the world of football and make the football family even bigger. The Japan Football Association (JFA) and prefectural football associations work together to hold festival events all over the nation. Centred on 10 September, the day when the JFA was established, a wide variety of football-related events are organized by local associations to allow first-timers and beginners to enjoy the sport more. 

In 2015, the total of 23,000 people attended events held at around 40 different places in the country. An increasing number of associations now engage in a wide variety of events to gather as many people in local communities as possible, including a joint event with a disability football association and collaborative events with local J.League clubs and sponsoring companies.

Okinawa Prefecture - Blind soccer experience -

The Okinawa Football Association organised their Football Day on 19 September at Nishihara Chomin Athletic Field. The new feature this year was a trial of blind soccer. The association invited coaches from the Japan Blind Soccer Association, who widely promote their sport among elementary school students under the name of the "SPO-IKU" project.

Participating kids including high school students experienced how to play blind soccer with an eye mask and a specialised ball. It marked the first blind soccer trial opportunity of that kind held in Okinawa Prefecture. MIYAGI Kakeru, fourth grader who goes to a school for blind children, said after the event "They gave us the special ball for blind soccer, so I will practice at school from now on. I want to be a blind soccer player good enough to play in the Paralympics."

*The September edition of Monthly JFA-TV discusses more on the event.
More information (Japanese version only)

Miyagi Prefecture - Amputee football experience -

The Miyagi Football Association held the Football Day event on 27 June at Hitomebore Stadium Miyagi. Despite the rainy weather, there were 716 participants experiencing amputee football as well as enjoying other fun booths for everyone including families and women. It was a valuable opportunity to get the feel of disability football. Since organising FIFA World Cup matches back in 2002, Miyagi Prefecture has worked extensively to create an environment where every citizen in the prefecture can enjoy football. They even enacted "Miyagi Football Day", which accelerated their efforts even further.

Wakayama Prefecture - Collaboration with local sponsor -

Another version of Football Day was held in Wakayama on 1 November, where the Wakayama Football Association and Nakata Foods, a sponsoring company, joined their forces. As many as 3,500 people in the local communities gathered at the field inside of the Nakata Foods’ head factory premises to enjoy not only the company’s trademark pickled plums but also football-related attractions such as so-called "Kick Target" game. Kii-Chan, the mascot for the National Sports Festival in Wakayama, also made an appearance to entertain children. This annual joint event started in 2014 when Nakata Foods became a sponsoring partner with the Wakayama Football Association.  

Nagasaki Prefecture - Helping isolated islands enjoy sports -

The Nagasaki Football Association held Football Day on 13 September at Iki Otani Park. This was an inaugural Football Day in Iki City, and the event was designed to let elementary school kids on the island enjoy multiple sports such as basketball, track and field and tennis, not limited to football. A lecture for kids’ diet was organised as well for parents. The association emphasises having events on isolated islands including another Football Day in Goto City together with the AFC Grassroots Football Day in May.

The Iki Football Association’s president Mr. Yamada, who was in charge of this year’s Football Day in Iki, said "We have made a good network with people in other sports through this football event. I hope this helps creating a better environment for children in Iki to enjoy sports." Sports on isolated islands are making their own strides through football.

List of Events (As of November 2015)