Sunday 30 October saw the final day of the 13th All Japan Women’s Futsal Tournament, which had been held at Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center in Sapporo, Hokkaido. The semi-finals and the final were held and arco-iris KOBE (Kansai 1/Hyogo) won their fourth championship and their first in two years.

The semi-finals kicked off at 10:00 in the morning, and FC Kouyama Ladies (Hosting City/Hokkaido) met SWH Ladies Futsal Club (Kansai 3/Hyogo) on Ground A. They played the semi-final in the previous championship. In the first half, SWHL struck the opener with UENO Eri’s goal, followed by another shot from her at the beginning of the second half to stretch their lead. However, Kouyama Ladies attacked back. As OKUBO Misato scored two goals to level the game, the match went to penalties. As a result of three players’ penalty kicks, SWHL had succeeded in reaching the final in two consecutive tournaments.

At Ground B, arco-iris KOBE met UNIAO Ladies (Tokai 2/Aichi). Although UNIAO Ladies created a goal-scoring opportunity at the beginning of the game, they couldn’t take a shot. Arco-iris KOBE, on the other hand, used their first opportunity well. NAKANO Emi struck the opener, followed by two more goals in the first half.

The final between two Hyogo teams, SWHL and arco-iris KOBE, started at 14:00. In the 19th minute, WAKABAYASHI Eri of arco-iris KOBE struck the opener. Arco-iris KOBE continued to score in the second half with their highly accurate attack and stable defence and won a sweeping victory 4-0. Arco-iris KOBE, who lost to SWHL in the final of the previous tournament, earned the title for the fourth time, and the first in two years.

Coach's and Players' Comments

KOYA Koei, coach (arco-iris KOBE/Hyogo)
What we’ve been working on finally brought us this result. We haven’t changed much of our vision or style. So I’m simply pleased that it worked and we got a great result. Having said that, we are eager to achieve much more, including winning the Japan Women's Futsal League and challenging internationally. This victory is a step, which will lead us to the next one. We’d like to continue playing hard.

SEKINADA Minako (arco-iris KOBE/Hyogo)
It was really frustrating to fail to get through the Hyogo qualifying round in the previous tournament. As we were determined to participate in and win this tournament this year, I’m pleased that we achieved our desire. We lost to our first opponent in this championship, Saikoro, two weeks ago. By winning against them, we built up positive momentum and maintained it until the end. Despite the score in the final, it was a tough match partially due to our tiredness. Although we struck the opener in the final of Hyogo qualifying round, the opponent levelled the game, which went to penalties. So we told ourselves to ‘stay cautious until the final whistle’. One of the reasons of our victory, I believe, is our strong teamwork – we played as a united team, including with the players who were on the bench.

AMISHIRO Anna (SWH Ladies Futsal Club/Hyogo)
We played against arco-iris KOBE in the final. As we met in the Hyogo qualifying round and we are both from Kansai, we know each other’s playing style quite well. The opponents know that my strength is dribbling. So I expected that I’d have tough markers. Even though I expected that, it was difficult. I couldn’t get through, which showed my current ability and the level of my team. Since we did have a goal-scoring opportunity in the first half, we should have scored. Just like in the Kansai qualifying round, our scoring ability was not good enough, which was one of the reasons for our defeat. I’d like to avenge this next time we meet them.

HIRAYAMA Rina (FC Kouyama Ladies/Hokkaido)
As I’m still 12 years old and the youngest player to register for this tournament, I felt really nervous to play in the semi-final. Even though it was not easy for me to play against other players, who were bigger than me, I’d like to continue to play aggressively without giving up. When intercepted, I play closely to the opponents with determination to stop them even with fouls. I learned a lot in this championship. I learned especially that we had to make an effort and play as a united team to earn a victory. I’ll practice hard, so that I can perform better in more matches and contribute to the team next year. 

JFA-TV (Japanese version only)

Semifinal Highlights

Final Highlights

13th All Japan Women's Futsal Tournament

2016-10-28(Fri.)～30(Sun.)
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center

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