The junior high school girls’ football clubs festival began at Tokinosumika Sports Centre in Shizuoka Prefecture on 1st November. A total of 10 teams from 34 junior high schools and 103 girls assembled from over around the nation for it this time. The project started in 2011 as a part of FIFA’s ``Live Your Goals'' project, with which they intended to promote women's football, give more opportunities for the junior high girls to play the game and support them.

Day 1 - Saturday, 1st November

The weather was unstable on the first day, as there were occasional rains, but three teams versus three groups (two teams played as unified ones as they were short of enough members) as scheduled. Each member and team got to know where they were at the present.
At night, Sasaki Norio, Nadeshiko Japan head coach, stopped by as a special guest and the players listened to him with a great deal of curiosity. After that, each team introduced their own team. Some teams seemed nervous while there were others who looked they were enjoying it. They showed different facial expressions from they do on the pitch anyway.

Comments

Suginami Ward Junior High School Women's Soccer Club
AIZAWA Mina（Sugimori Junior High School）・CHIBA Nagomi（Matsunoki Junior High School）
We weren't able to get away with wins as we finished in draws in both games, and it was frustrating. But I could try different positions. It was great that I could play games with teams from other areas that I don't usually get to play. During the night time, our team had the most questions for head coach Sasaki. It looked like our ``monster exercise'' was well-received, so it was great.

Okazaki City  Aoi  Junior High School
OGAWA Ruka・SAWADA Ayaka
As I got to participate in this festival, I was able to be aware of both good things and bad things in terms of my play and things that I do off the pitch. With the joy of me being able to be here and appreciation in mind, I would like to be more active as if it's me to lead the team.
By playing games with other girls that we don't usually get to play, I could have very good experience from Day 1. But we weren't really able to use the spaces and sides, while we allowed opponents to take shots for so many times. I still have a long way to be a better player, so I would like to prioritize the times with my new teammates, and learn so many from coaches.

Tomigusugu Junior High School Women's Soccer Club
KINJO Marina
We came down to Shizuoka and played a pair of games with players of other prefectures first. I was misfiring kicks and gave our opponents chances to score, so as I'd always been said from previously, I got to think that I wanted to master trapping.
In the lecture that was held at night, head coach Sasaki told us to not be afraid of making mistakes, have better communications and make the best efforts we can. I think that what I'm lacking is to not be afraid of making mistakes. I always think too much on making mistakes and then do meaningless things. So from today on, I would like to make efforts, making meaningful mistakes and thinking how I can earn from those mistakes. Also, I would like to have better communications inside the team as well.

Day 2- Sunday, 2nd November

On the second day, they had training and played games, with their own teams in the morning and shuffled teams in the afternoon. For the training phase, each team worked on their own issues that they found on the previous day, and then approached fundamental themes including stopping and kicking the ball, passing and controlling. As they got to train with others they'd never played together and have the coaches they'd never been coached, the players seemed nervous at the beginning. Yet as they kept working trying to pay attention to the coaches' instructions, they got to be able to more things and enjoy playing football.
At night, after they received messages from NODA Akemi, JFA women's director, all the players made Dream Plan (goal-setting sheet). They first put their own dreams for their future, and then put their goals of how they would like to be in five years, thee years, one year and even half a year, noting what they had to do to achieve those goals. Some of them put Nadeshiko Japan, while some put they want to be a bridal coordinator, animal doctor and voice actress. But many of them wrote that they wanted to develop their football skills and continue to play when they'd become older.

Comments

Kobe Jogakuin Junior High School Soccer Club
HIDE Haruna
In the morning of Day Two, we worked out for one hour as instructed by a JFA coach. After that, we worked on a game-style practice, and then after lunch the session moved to shuffled-team training. In the night, Mr. Noda gave us a speech.

In the morning session, we made use of what we learned from the previous training and enjoyed working on the training menu with others. In the afternoon training and game with a shuffled team, I could experience what we don’t really experience normally as we interacted and played with players from other teams.

One of the most impressive things that I learned from Mr. Noda was the three important points that Nadeshiko Japan’s players keep in their mind: “Never giving up” “being pleasant and vigorous” and “Respecting others.” I thought it’s important to have those three points also in our daily life. I would like to express my appreciation to all the people who are concerned, and I want to take advantage of what I learned in this camp in my future.

Kaminokuni Junior High School
KON Asahi
I became friends with Miyako and Kyoto players who I stayed with in the same room. I’m enjoying the time here as even players who I didn’t play against yet talked to me in a friendly manner. The event will end tomorrow, but I want to work hard to get better playing football by the time we can meet up again. I want to thank for letting me take part in this festival.

Koto Ward Junior High School Women's Soccer Club
SUZUKI Kurumi（Fukagawa 7th Junior High School）
It’s fun to be in this festival and spend time with lots of people. One of the happiest things was that I could find a different side of my teammates’ characters during the three days when I stayed with them.
There are a lot of tips for us to find in this festival on what to improve. I want to make use of what I realised and learned in the following activities.