Comments on: Community support is the key to J. League crowds

By: Mike Tuckerman

Mike Tuckerman — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 03:12:19 +0000

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.”

By: Muz

Muz — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 07:08:16 +0000

Hi Mike,

Just wondering the best place to get hold of the book “Ultra Nippon” you mentioned in the above article?

regards

By: Mike Tuckerman

Mike Tuckerman — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:10:13 +0000

Excellent point, Sam. According to the J. League’s annual supporter surveys, females actually comprise around 40% of average J. League crowds.

By: Sam

Sam — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:02:09 +0000

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.

By: Mike Tuckerman

Mike Tuckerman — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:26:09 +0000

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.

By: DazzaJapan

DazzaJapan — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:20:04 +0000

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.

By: Grant

Grant — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:50:37 +0000

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.

By: Mike Tuckerman

Mike Tuckerman — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:56:04 +0000

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.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:39:17 +0000

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.