Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Iwate: A total of 650 boys and girls took part in a Japan Football Association Kids Soccer Festival at the Iwate Athletic Stadium recently where former Japan national player Makoto Tanaka was a special guest.
Makoto Tanaka, a member of the 2004 AFC Asian Cup winning national team, played an important role in introducing the children to football during the under-6 festival.
Various activities, including eight-a-side games, were held to give the children early appreciation of the beautiful game.
The football festivals are designed for children under six years of age with games of eight or less kids per team and have been taking place all over Japan for the past 10 years since 2003 as part of the JFA Kids Programme.
The AFC has designated this year as the AFC Grassroots Year, aptly themed ‘Let’s Play!’, and is encouraging Member Associations to organise activities to promote and emphasise that football is accessible and socially beneficial to everyone and that a strong foundation will allow players to progress to the elite level.
Japan Football Association will organise more festival, as follows:
October 13: Sabae East Athletic Park, Fukui
November 24: Seibu Dome, Saitama
November 24: Kashima Soccer Stadium, Ibaraki
November 30: Umakana Yokana Stadium, Kumamoto
December 14: Best Amenity Stadium, Saga
December 15: Kanko Stadium, Okayama
Photo: JFA