With the support of the Kids committees of each prefectural football association (FA), JFA has been holding “Traveling guidance” courses throughout the nation. The courses are held by the “Traveling guidance staffs” of each prefectural FA, where the staffs attend kindergartens, nurseries, and primary schools to provide various programmes for children to enjoy football. Joined by guidance staffs who specialise in coaching football, teachers who may not have the experience or knowledge to instruct football, are enabled to hold sessions to allow the children to exercise using the ball. Here we will introduce the Traveling Guidance activities that were recently conducted.

Friday 11 October, Ueshima Kindergarten (Hamamatsu, Shizuoka)

A total of eight kids took part. The participants looked nervous at first, but as they got used to the coaches, they showed great enthusiasm and energy.

Comment

MATSUMOTO Kazuya, Staff (FA Traveling Guidance Staff)
We had very few participants, so we made sure we communicated with each kid and allowed them to touch the ball as much as possible. We also saw many girls joining our programme and they showed great energy to chase the ball around. We had the kids huddle up before the game and strived to score goals as a team. We shared high-fives and cheered each time someone scored a goal.

Teacher/Staff in charge (Kindergarten Principal, Nursery Teacher)
The coaches were very kind, and I felt that their approach can be implemented into our daily work at the kindergarten. The participating kids showed great interest in football, and they are now very eager to play again. We saw many girls take part and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.

Wednesday 16 October, Seiyu Nursery (Shizuoka, Shizuoka)

A total of 23 kids participated and everyone showed great energy from the beginning of the programme. When we worked on our moving drills, we used markers and hurdles to have the kids work not only on their running skills but jumping and hopping skills as well. The kids seemed to enjoy the learning process and they were showing great improvements as we went along the drills. As the drills got more difficult, we saw many characters from the kids, as some preferred to work by themselves, while some asked for help or worked with their peers. The kids played a game at the end, where the boys played against the girls. Everyone showed great excitement as they scored goals and exchanged high-fives with teammates and coaches.

Comment

TOMITA Saki, Staff (FA Traveling Guidance Staff)
The kids showed great enthusiasm and seemed to enjoy the programme very much. Few of the drills were difficult for some kids, but they continued to work hard and gave their best efforts. The most difficult drill was the back-pedalling drill. Despite having difficulties, the kids listened closely to the coaches and showed great improvements. When they all became able to run backwards, the kids looked very happy. Through this programme, the kids were able to learn the joy of playing football and the importance of not giving up.

Thursday 17 October, Tanpopo Daini Nursery (Fukuroi, Shizuoka)

11 kids joined the programme, where they started with an easy routine to get used to the ball. After going through dribbling and shooting drills, the kids played a game at the end.

Comment

ABE Naoki, Staff (FA Traveling Guidance Staff)
We have a grass field where the kids can run around without being worried about getting hurt when they fall down. The drills gradually got harder, but the kids worked very hard to get better at each drill. We saw many goals scored in the final game, and everybody was excited when the goals were scored.

Teacher/Staff in charge (Kindergarten Principal, Nursery Teacher
We were able to conduct the programme under a very warm atmosphere and the kids had a great time. We were provided with enough balls so that each kid had their own ball to work with. It was great because they didn’t have to take turns for the drills. Thank you very much.

Monday 21 October, Idaira Kindergarten (Hamamatsu, Shizuoka)

A total of 13 kids participated, as kids from neighbouring kindergartens also joined the programme. The kids looked nervous at first, but as they got used to the participants from other kindergartens, they all got together and enjoyed playing the games with each other.

Comment

FUJII Takashi, Staff (FA Traveling Guidance Staff)
With the kids meeting new friends from other kindergartens, we had them play games to break the ice. The kids played with great competitiveness and they were very eager to show the coaches and teachers how much they have improved. We huddled up before the game to get the kids motivated, and they all showed great enthusiasm to chase the ball.

Teacher/Staff in charge (Kindergarten Principal, Nursery Teacher)
The kids were told to become friends with the soccer ball, and they showed great enthusiasm to play with the ball. It made us want to implement some of these drills as our kindergarten’s activity. The kids are now loving football and they are already playing football during their free time.

Wednesday 23 October, Shizuoka Seiko Kindergarten (Shizuoka, Shizuoka)

A total of 33 kids participated, as the kids went through circuit drills to go over various exercising activities. They continuously went through the circuit without stopping. The kids then went through drills using the soccer ball, and they shared their joy with the coaches and teachers when they were able to get better at each drill. After going through a shooting drill, the kids played a game where the boys played against the girls. They showed great enthusiasm on and off the pitch, as they ran hard and cheered on their teammates during the game. We had so much fun and the hour went by so quick.

Comment

TOMITA Saki, Staff (FA Traveling Guidance Staff)
Everyone seemed to be excited about this programme, and they showed great smiles throughout the course. Even when they fell down on the ground, the kids immediately got up and continued to make runs during the circuit drills and the game. They all showed great challenging spirits and got better and better as we went through each drill. The kids took turns to play in the game between the boys and the girls, and I was happy to see them cheer for their team while they sat out of the game.