
Football: Sociedad to play Yokohama FC in summer friendly
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Real Sociedad, counting Japan attacker Takefusa Kubo among their squad members, will play Yokohama FC this summer as part of their preseason tour in Japan, the J-League first-division club said Wednesday.
The Spanish La Liga side will face Yokohama FC at Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium on July 25, four days after they play J2 side V-Varen Nagasaki at Peace Stadium.
Sociedad also played two games in Japan last year, beating J1 Tokyo Verdy 2-0 in May and Gamba Osaka 1-0 in July.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Kyodo News
6 days ago
- Kyodo News
FOCUS: As women's football grows in Europe, Japan aims to follow suit
KYODO NEWS - 7 hours ago - 10:21 | Sports, All In a sign of its growing global status, women's football at the next Summer Olympics will feature more participating teams than the men's competition. The number of teams will expand from 12 to 16 in Los Angeles, marking the first time in Olympic history that women will have a bigger representation in the global sport. In Europe, some clubs draw more spectators to women's games than to men's, bringing in huge amounts of money, in contrast to Japan's still-struggling WE League that kicked off in 2021. Pronounced "we," the first two letters are an acronym for "women's empowerment." The burgeoning popularity of the women's game in Europe was spectacularly illustrated during the UEFA Women's Champions League in March 2022. A total of 91,553 spectators watched a game when Barcelona hosted Real Madrid in an all-Spanish clash at Camp Nou, the home of their world-famous men's team. The world record for women's football was rewritten the following month, to 91,648 as Camp Nou saw Barcelona and Germany's Wolfsburg. The Barcelona women's team turned professional in 2015 and built their own natural turf training base. The team has attracted some 13 million followers across all platforms through their fan-oriented social networking strategy, which features female players in equal proportions in ads with male Barcelona players. The women's team is expected to earn about 23 million euros this season, a level close to a first-division club in the men's J-League in Japan. Women's football was once regarded as a corporate social responsibility project for men's clubs, but Barcelona's bold investments in women's players, facilities and staff have led to brisk revenue from sponsorships, tickets and jersey sales. "Women's football goes far beyond the framework of CSR and has great potential in business," said Judit Farre, head of Barcelona women's business operations. "There are still a lot of things we should be doing." "We are always open to finding new markets," Farre said, while noting she was interested in doing business in Japan. Last September in Japan, J-League Chairman Yoshikazu Nonomura began double duties as head of the WE League. The WE League remained in the black in the fiscal year to March 2024, but the women's league is heavily dependent on a 425-million-yen subsidy from the Japan Football Association. Nonomura is trying to acquire sponsors in cooperation with the J-League, with the aim of stabilizing the financial base. In its third season of 2023-24, the WE League had an average attendance of 1,723 per game, far less than its founding goal of 5,000. But the WE League has begun collaborating with the J-League and the JFA in terms of attendance. Last December, the final of the WE League Cup drew a record crowd of 21,524 as a result of coordinated promotional efforts. The WE League plans to continue sharing fan data with all 12 clubs to boost attendance. Related coverage: Pioneering women's sports bar draws crowds, eyes path to equality Football: Nadeshiko Japan drop opener of friendly series in Brazil Football: Wataru Endo lifts trophy as Liverpool celebrate title with fans


Kyodo News
6 days ago
- Kyodo News
FOCUS: As women's football grows in Europe, Japan aims to follow suit
KYODO NEWS - 9 minutes ago - 10:21 | Sports, All In a sign of its growing global status, women's football at the next Summer Olympics will feature more participating teams than the men's competition. The number of teams will expand from 12 to 16 in Los Angeles, marking the first time in Olympic history that women will have a bigger representation in the global sport. In Europe, some clubs draw more spectators to women's games than to men's, bringing in huge amounts of money, in contrast to Japan's still-struggling WE League that kicked off in 2021. Pronounced "we," the first two letters are an acronym for "women's empowerment." The burgeoning popularity of the women's game in Europe was spectacularly illustrated during the UEFA Women's Champions League in March 2022. A total of 91,553 spectators watched a game when Barcelona hosted Real Madrid in an all-Spanish clash at Camp Nou, the home of their world-famous men's team. The world record for women's football was rewritten the following month, to 91,648 as Camp Nou saw Barcelona and Germany's Wolfsburg. The Barcelona women's team turned professional in 2015 and built their own natural turf training base. The team has attracted some 13 million followers across all platforms through their fan-oriented social networking strategy, which features female players in equal proportions in ads with male Barcelona players. The women's team is expected to earn about 23 million euros this season, a level close to a first-division club in the men's J-League in Japan. Women's football was once regarded as a corporate social responsibility project for men's clubs, but Barcelona's bold investments in women's players, facilities and staff have led to brisk revenue from sponsorships, tickets and jersey sales. "Women's football goes far beyond the framework of CSR and has great potential in business," said Judit Farre, head of Barcelona women's business operations. "There are still a lot of things we should be doing." "We are always open to finding new markets," Farre said, while noting she was interested in doing business in Japan. Last September in Japan, J-League Chairman Yoshikazu Nonomura began double duties as head of the WE League. The WE League remained in the black in the fiscal year to March 2024, but the women's league is heavily dependent on a 425-million-yen subsidy from the Japan Football Association. Nonomura is trying to acquire sponsors in cooperation with the J-League, with the aim of stabilizing the financial base. In its third season of 2023-24, the WE League had an average attendance of 1,723 per game, far less than its founding goal of 5,000. But the WE League has begun collaborating with the J-League and the JFA in terms of attendance. Last December, the final of the WE League Cup drew a record crowd of 21,524 as a result of coordinated promotional efforts. The WE League plans to continue sharing fan data with all 12 clubs to boost attendance. Related coverage: Pioneering women's sports bar draws crowds, eyes path to equality Football: Nadeshiko Japan drop opener of friendly series in Brazil Football: Wataru Endo lifts trophy as Liverpool celebrate title with fans


The Mainichi
7 days ago
- The Mainichi
Basketball: Japan guard Tominaga joins Hokkaido in B-League
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Sharpshooting Japanese guard Keisei Tominaga has signed a contract with Levanga Hokkaido for the 2025-2026 season, the B-League club announced Tuesday. The 24-year-old former U.S. college standout saw limited game time the past season playing for the Indiana Mad Ants in the NBA's developmental G League. "I'll use my ability behind the three-point line and give all I have to contribute to the team winning the B-League for the first time," Tominaga, who will wear No. 30 for Hokkaido, said in a statement. The Aichi Prefecture native played for Ranger College in Texas and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Tominaga represented Japan both at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics, while he also represented his country in 3x3 basketball at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.