Academy Report

On March 21st and 22nd, clinic students participated in the 21st Hasaki Junior Spring Cup held in Hasaki, Kamisu City, Ibaraki Prefecture, with two teams: one of new 4th graders and one of new 5th graders.



Since participants were recruited from all clinic areas this time, many players met for the first time on the first day and there was some tension. Nevertheless, they quickly came together as a team and approached the first match with enthusiasm.Being an overnight stay, the students also thought for themselves about how to spend their time off the pitch, including meals and in their rooms.

On the second day, aiming for victory, not only the players on the pitch but also those on the bench fought together.



Although we didn't win, both teams played over 8 matches, including training matches in addition to official matches, gaining valuable experience during the tournament.

New 5th Grade Team Leader: Coach Kozonoe
"The tournament result was 2 wins, 3 losses, placing 4th out of 6 teams. However, I think the players were able to truly feel the joy and difficulty of winning, by celebrating one player's goal together and experiencing defeat due to not pushing hard enough. Also, I believe that players who don't usually interact with each other stimulated each other positively by cooperating both on and off the pitch."



New 4th Grade Team Leader: Coach Tarui
"The players fought with all their might, without slacking off whether they were winning or losing, keeping in mind what I told them before the tournament: 'Let's make these two days an opportunity to grow as soccer players.' Also, some players went to bed a little early thinking about the next two days, and others said, 'I'll eat a lot of food so I can run a lot!' Although the result was a very disappointing 2nd place out of 6 teams with 4 wins and 1 loss, I am looking forward to seeing them grow by making use of this experience."