From Wednesday 21 to Friday 30 March, JFA Academy Fukushima Women's Team travelled to New Zealand.

Each year, JFA Academy Fukushima Women's Team have conducted tours to Europe and the USA, but this was their first time visiting Oceania. Through matches played against the New Zealand National Team and a local men’s team, the players were able to experience matchups against physically stronger opponents and gained a wonderful opportunity to improve both as a team and as individuals.

The tour also allowed the players to experience living in an environment with different language and culture. Through their interactions with the local people, the players gained new motivations to expand their goals to an international level.

Players' Comments

NEZU Makoto (8th Class)
We were given the opportunity to face the U-20 New Zealand Women’s National Team and a local men’s team during this tour. The speed and power we faced at these matches were something we never seen or experienced in Japan, so we were able to gain many new findings. As a team, we were able to deepen our understandings of the team strategy and broaden our perspectives. Also, through the interactions with the opposing players and local people, we were given a wonderful opportunity to learn about different cultures. The Challenge League will kick-off in April, where we will be facing university and adult teams, so we hope to utilise this experience to do well in the league matches.

ISHIDA Chihiro (9th Class)
Through this New Zealand tour, we were able to learn so many things on and off the pitch. The weather was so different compared to Japan. It would rain on and off all day, but the temperature was always high while we were there. During our stay, we were lectured on how to maintain our conditions, about nutrition, and how to manage our sleep time and workloads. This lecture helped us get through this tour without any major injuries or illness. We hope to utilise these experiences we gained in New Zealand to become a better player.