Players see forming union as key to Japan volleyball league success

The Mainichi

2 days ago

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Stars of Japanese volleyball's SV.League say the league must address its crowded match schedule and other issues affecting players following the conclusion of the rebranded competition's inaugural season.
One of the league's biggest stars has been leading calls for the formation of a players' union to address such concerns and support the league's goal of becoming the global benchmark in professional volleyball.
Osaka Bluteon's Yuji Nishida, a star of the Japanese men's national team, proposed the establishment of the union in an April 27 post on X, formerly Twitter.
"To all players, let's form a players' union to make the league better and raise the level of our play," he said.
"The union is absolutely necessary if the SV.League wants to be the top of world volleyball. We have so many questions. For instance, each team plays 44 matches, but we play some opponents four times and others six times. What are the reasons for this?"
For the inaugural 2024-2025 regular season, the league increased the number of men's matches per team to 44, up from 36 in the predecessor V.League, while doubling the number of women's matches per team to 44 from 22.
The league launched last year with 10 men's teams and 14 women's teams, aiming to become the world's most competitive and popular volleyball league by 2030. SV.League Chairman Masaaki Okawa said he envisions a league that players from around the globe aspire to join.
Nishida also raised the issue of promoting teams from the second division. The Hokkaido Yellow Stars topped the eight-team second-division standings with a dominant 26-2 record but will not be promoted for next season.
"Another question is why can't a team that has received a SV.League license move up (from the second division). Is it impossible to have an odd number of teams? One year isn't 'just one year' for players," Nishida said.
Meanwhile, regular-season attendance totaled 1,034,667, up 204 percent from the 2023-2024 V.League season, the SV.League said on April 16, two days before the playoffs began.
Attendance for men's matches surged 75 percent to 664,709, while women's attendance jumped 195 percent to 369,958, buoyed by the expanded schedule. However, average attendance per women's match fell by 31 percent.
Nishida's Bluteon teammate Thomas Jaeschke, who won two bronze medals while playing for the United States in the past three Olympics, has also pointed to multiple issues that the SV.League needs to address.
"It's just too many matches, physically, for players," Jaeschke told Kyodo News after his team played two matches against the Tokyo Great Bears at the beginning of March. "It's not reasonable for players. It's really a big mistake. It needs to be adjusted."
"Back-to-back matches. Everybody plays twice a weekend. The market is just kind of saturated. You can't watch every night. They're competing against each other. They're playing the same time."
He added that when he played for European clubs, including in Italy and Turkey, teams with two weekly matches typically played once midweek and once on the weekend, whereas the current schedule in Japan is less conducive to match quality and player health.
"I think guys (foreign players) will come here and see that. The money here is good. A lot of things are good, but I do think some changes need to be made," Jaeschke said.
The 31-year-old outside hitter has decided not to return to Japan for his third season.
The SV.League believes the current schedule is ideal for fans to attend matches. It also reduces costs, enabling match organizers to set up and clear a venue once per weekend, as many clubs do not have their own arenas, the league said in a recent reply to questions from Kyodo News.
The league added that it is harder to assign umpires and supporting staff on weekdays, and the current weekend schedule also makes it easier for fans to travel for away matches.
Asked about players who say their performance is better with one midweek and one weekend match per week, the league said, "There are also players who prefer playing on weekends while resting on weekdays. Those players say it's easier to get themselves in shape that way."
"If we have more matches on weekdays, we might get more (media) exposure. That's a positive thing. We know there are various opinions. We'll continue to examine the best options for the league."
(By Hiroki Noda)