By Mike Tuckerman
January 14th 2009 @ 5:08am
Community support is the key to J. League crowds
2008 was a bumper year for crowds in the J. League. On average, a total of 19,278 fans piled through the gates to watch a game. Only in 1994 did the J. League attract larger crowds. The big difference back then was that the top flight contained just twelve clubs, compared to the eighteen that make up J1 today.
Of the founding members of the J. League, perhaps none has experienced as dramatic a resurgence in attendance as Shimizu S-Pulse.
Last season Shimizu attracted an average of 16,599 fans to their 20,339 capacity Nihondaira Stadium. Their council-owned ground was, on average, 82% full.
Much of Shimizu’s success in reconnecting with their fans can be traced to grassroots participation.
Last week I had lunch with Shimizu’s Press Officer Naoko Umagoe, and I asked her about the numerous youth training centres dotted throughout the region.
“I think this is a very important thing. For example, in Europe, a football club is a pyramid. If people want to build a strong team, we have to develop the grassroots of the club.”
Not only do the youth training centres help uncover the next generation of S-Pulse players, but as Umagoe points out, they also help to convert young footballers into fans.
S-Pulse fans are already world renowned.
In 1999, English journalist Jonathan Birchall followed Shimizu’s epic title tilt from the terraces of Nihondaira Stadium.
His subsequent book, “Ultra Nippon,” provides an insight into Shimizu’s excruciating penalty shoot-out defeat in the championship playoff to local rivals Jubilo Iwata.
With S-Pulse once again the hottest ticket in town, club officials are now lobbying Shizuoka Council to have the capacity of Nihondaira Stadium increased.
Given that ticket sales account for 30% of the club’s total revenue, it’s an obvious request.
The club have also raised funds by selling the matchday naming rights to the ground. From 2009 onwards, the picturesque venue will be known as “Outsourcing Stadium Nihondaira.”
Some of the reputed 360 million yen raised has been used to lure former Norwegian international and ex-Nagoya Grampus striker Frode Johnsen to Shimizu.
The sale of naming rights may represent one of the more unpleasant aspects of modern football, but S-Pulse officials are keen to keep their fans onside.
In 2007, they made the decision to cease playing marquee home games at the region’s World Cup stadium.
Known as Ecopa Stadium, the 50,889 capacity behemoth is just a stone’s throw from Shimizu’s local rivals Jubilo Iwata.
Not surprisingly, that doesn’t sit well with S-Pulse supporters.
“Shimizu supporters have strong opinions that S-Pulse players have to play at Nihondaira,” says Umagoe – who holds a Football Industries MBA from the University of Liverpool.
That Shimizu are so in tune with their local community is not surprising, given that of the original ten founding members of the J. League, S-Pulse were the only club to start from scratch.
All of the other clubs had previously existed as the company team of a major Japanese corporation.
When Japan’s economic bubble burst in the late nineties, S-Pulse found itself on the brink of insolvency. Local logistics company Suzuyo stepped in, and both club and company have found the arrangement mutually beneficial.
Suzuyo are now synonymous with Shimizu S-Pulse, but as Umagoe points out, several other clubs have a much broader base of sponsors.
She cites the example of Kyushu-based club Oita Trinita, who attract around 700 sponsors – most of them local. Such small, locally-based sponsors could prove crucial in these troubled economic times.
So too could council support.
Socceroos fans making the trip to Yokohama for Australia’s upcoming World Cup qualifier with Japan will be greeted by numerous Yokohama F. Marinos motifs around Shin-Yokohama station, with the local council leaving no doubt as to which club they support – much to the annoyance of Marinos’ cross-town rivals Yokohama FC.
Comparing attendances figures in the J. League to those of Australia’s fledgling A-League is a moot point, with the population of Japan more than six times that of Australia’s.
Yet with some A-League clubs struggling to attract fans through the turnstiles – a fact-finding mission to Shimizu shouldn’t be out of the question.
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Dave said | January 14th 2009 @ 6:39am | Report comment
Terrific article Mike and gives us some insight into how at least one of the J League clubs garners local support. Interesting point about the World Cup stadium which is not used because of its size? Would Shimuzu play there for big games? From what l know of the J League the 2002 WC gave the local game a boost along and many of the WC stadiums are used by J League teams. Is that correct?
Great to see football attendances booming in Japan.
A similar story for one of the HAL clubs, Central Coast Mariners, who also operate a pyramid structure with significant grass roots and community involvement in the clubs operations, including the planning for a multi million dollar football academy and training facility.
Certainly the way to go for clubs trying to get a foothold into the local community and gain rusted on supporters.
Mike Tuckerman said | January 14th 2009 @ 11:56am | Report comment
Hi Dave,
In the past S-Pulse used to play big games at Ecopa Stadium – particularly the derby against Jubilo Iwata – but also home fixtures against Urawa Reds.
It’s not just because Ecopa Stadium is too large that S-Pulse no longer play there. For one thing it’s about 70km down the train line from Shimizu, and with an athletics track obscuring the view, it’s one of the least atmospheric grounds in the J. League.
Central Coast Mariners remind me a lot of clubs like Shimizu S-Pulse and Kawasaki Frontale in that they work hard to engage their local community and gain popular support throughout their region.
Grant said | January 14th 2009 @ 7:50pm | Report comment
Fantastic article Mike, it is such a simple concept yet one that seems so difficult for a lot of clubs to grasp. Or too easy to let go.
Keep it up Mike, it’s invaluable to have an english-based source for Japanese and Asian football.
DazzaJapan said | February 13th 2009 @ 4:20pm | Report comment
I am a Vissel Kobe fan.Watching the way the fans and clubs interact is fascinating.A good example is the club anthems that are played at home games..the lyrics up on the screen.Every fan is given a free newspaper which has team info and news as well as sponsor adverts.The back of the paper is printed in club colours and then organised and held up by the TIFO organisers at the game..producing some awesome displays that serve a dual purpose.I even received a toy football that opened out into a pair of binoculars with which I could watch the game.Aussie fans could learn a lot about passion and active support by attending a J-League game.
Mike Tuckerman said | February 13th 2009 @ 4:26pm | Report comment
Fantastic insight Dazza, and a good example of the way that far from fearing their own supporters, individual J. League clubs benefit most when they embrace and work with the passionate support generated on the terraces.
Sam said | February 13th 2009 @ 7:02pm | Report comment
The World Cup stadium in Yokohama has perhaps the same problems as the Olympic Stadium in Sydney. One wonders if they should both be reduced in size and reconfigured to a rectangular shape to create some atmosphere.
The problem in Australia with attracting crowds is the number of alternative sports available to follow. In Japan I know baseball is massive, but I am curious as to what other sports there are to follow which could take away football supporters.
One thing I found curious while watching the World Cup qualifier (Aus vs Jap), was that the Japanese females are just as passionate in their support as the males. That is certainly not the case here in Australia I believe.
Mike Tuckerman said | February 13th 2009 @ 11:10pm | Report comment
Excellent point, Sam. According to the J. League’s annual supporter surveys, females actually comprise around 40% of average J. League crowds.
Muz said | February 19th 2009 @ 5:08pm | Report comment
Hi Mike,
Just wondering the best place to get hold of the book “Ultra Nippon” you mentioned in the above article?
regards
Mike Tuckerman said | February 23rd 2009 @ 1:12pm | Report comment
G’day Muz. It’s out of print, so I’d say that amazon.com is probably your best bet – even if you have to buy a second hand copy.
Arguably a better read, though, is Sebastian Moffett’s “Japanese Rules: Why The Japanese Needed Football And How They Got It.”