The Way of the Samurai: AFL in Japan

timifitz, The boss of the AFL Andrew Demitriou hinted earlier this year that International tv rights would become more valuable over time but that time has not arrived "just yet". Now "just yet" decoded may mean in 5 years time but who knows. Somebody must be watching the game overseas in all of the countries involved albeit in small numbers.

One very important fact everyone has overlooked is that the more people that play the game OS the more interest in the AFL, which means more revenue from TV rights. Only have to look at EPL, I don't know but I imagine they got more than 1 Bil for their game due to considerable interest at home and abroad! The more the interest, the higher demand and the more money can be made - AFL is virtually giving TV rights to NZ so as to generate interest. More invested in New Zealanders playing the game may speed up interest in general.

I saw the Samurais play at the International Cup in Sydney in 2011, and was impressed by their skills and structure. Got them over the line against a more physically imposing but less tactically experienced Fijian side, if I remember rightly. It's a big commitment for IC players to take several weeks off and travel at their own expense to Australia for the IC comp, but perhaps I didn't fully appreciate just how big until reading this. I'm enjoying the series, Wookie.

With the amount of people Japan has, especially in a highly populous city like Tokyo, surely we need to take expansion there seriously. How about organising training camps, where a group of pro AFL players go and train the existing clubs? That would help increase the quality of the football. How about taking a regular round game to Tokyo, like what they're doing with Wellington? They should also get some of their games recorded for TV, particularly the finals.

I have no issue with Tony Woods or all of the other people involved in International footy. They are doing a great job with what they are given. However I am not talking about millions in funding - What is required is a more equitable distribution of cash in a sensible manner. The AFL appears unable or willing to do this - Perhaps the latter.

That's a major problem with the general Australian perception of international football. Too many people have the opinion that if there are not immediate short term results as far as draft ready professional football players, what is the point spending any money on it at all. With this attitude, it will never happen. Football is a great vehicle for spreading a love for Australian culture and breaking down cultural barriers. It allows people of all different backgroudns to make friends with groups of people they might not normally have been able to. In this WorldFooty article, one of our players, 'Takaaki Seto' lists one of his major motivating factors as the enjoyment of mixing with people of all different backgrounds and having fun with everyone in this small network. http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20131026101504485 Obviously it would be fantastic to have a steady stream of Japanese players drafted into the AFL, but with high paying sports such as rugby, soccer and baseball so entrenched in the culture, it will be hard to pull the absolute best athletes into the sport. The top level athletes are here, but to drag them away from their sports of choice, it will require a lot more groundwork and it will require increased support from the AFL. That said, it's fantastic that Japanese people can experience one of the best things about Australian culture through their involvement. It shouldn't matter so much that they might not become professional football players. FYI, the first Japanese born player drafted into the AFL was Sean Yoshiura who was picked up in the 2009 rookie draft by the Lions, and there are some players here such as Michito Sakaki who played a practice match with the Bendigo Bombers and a season with Wodonga. http://www.aflq.com.au/index.php?id=462 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michito_Sakaki

Given that the AFL is so heavily committed in NSW & QLD for an uncertain timeframe. The benefit though currently is AFL PNG in particular is linked into the QLD pathways. The AFL though has invested heavily in infrastructure esp stadia and more so than other coded. We can guess that the FFA for example could never have enough money to throw at overseas talent so HAL clubscould compete in Asia. The NRL now has a bucket load but no NEWSltd life support. Will they become a stadium developer like the AFL?? Anyway I reckon all things giventhe AFL are doing okay and surprised us about 3-4 yrs ago with Tony Woods position being created and the 2 junior squads in the NAB champs.

Good one JC.

The JAFL have had moderate success attracting financial support from various sources'*

Alas the AFLPA went very hard to squeeze every last drop selfishly for the players. It pretty well meant that there wouldn't be buckets of gold sitting in the corridors of power. Seeing the RLWC struggle to sell itself to the NRL media I reckon the AFL IC has to find a way to get the AFL media on board but too much of AFL coverage is based on hundreds of people trying to out opine each other on the 18 clubs.

I have played Australian football in Japan since 2010 and have been the president of the Osaka Dingoes since the end of 2011. I was the development coach of the Japan Samurais in 2012. I am a football journeyman and have played football in Tasmania, the USA, the Kimberley and Japan. The development and progression I have witnessed during my four years of involvement in Japan has been exponential, and the best thing is that a lot of this growth has come about as a result of the efforts of a determined and passionate Japanese nationals who who are working tirelessly together with their foreign counterparts to grow the code. The League is run by Japanese and six of the eight teams are majority Japanese. As a virtual unknown in Japan, it is always going to be like pushing an elephant up a hill to attract anyone to the game. Many players struggle to find the time to make trainings and even games, despite a will to participate. With the growth of smartphones, we have had some success recruiting players and gathering supporters through an expanding presence online. Interested people can follow us on Facebook and our website is always up to date and full of relevant information. We also have sponsorship documents available on our website in both Japanese and English, but unfortunately this year my club has been entirely funded by players and small fundraising initiatives. As well as finding the time, another big challenge facing potential participants in Australian football in Japan is the large distances involved. At the moment, the competition is amateur in nature and exists on a national level. Six of the eight teams are located in Tokyo, with one team in both Nagoya and Osaka. Each team travels between Tokyo and Osaka once during the regular season, then on top of that, the biennial Japan Cup and potentially two finals matches are in Tokyo. In 2011, the Osaka Dingoes won both the JAFL grand final and the Japan Cup, both of which we had to travel to the Kanto region of Japan to participate in. The Japan Cup was held in Chiba and the round trip was almost 20 hours of driving. We drove up overnight, played a whole day of matches, then got in the car and drove back. This year, we did not participate. This season, we finished second in the JAFL Top League which earned us a home semi final, so it is the third placed team who must travel. The travelling team is a Senshu University team, the bulk of whom are currently saving to participate in the International Cup in 2014. The grand final is held in Yokohama every year and if we make it, players will be covering the bulk of the travel costs themselves. It would be nice to be in a financial position as a club to be able to tell interested players that all they need to be a part of the Dingoes is a pair of boots and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, they are also required to fund their own travel around the country. This is not ideal. I have been in contact with many large and small Australian companies and have received very little interest. As a developing sport and with tightening purse strings, Japanese companies are reluctant to support us financially, although the Kansai International Academy have been generous supporters in recent times. and we have had donations of boots from Mizuno as well as some other donations from bars and other smaller companies. As Brett mentioned, with all the money they are sitting on at the moment, it is disappointing that the AFL cannot further support us in our efforts. You mention that in 2004, there were two leagues operating and 12 teams in existence. A lot of these teams existed in name only and the two governing bodies were in direct competition with each other. Now, all teams operate under the JAFL umbrella and respect the authority of a national governing body for football in Japan. Rather than moving in different directions, everyone involved in football is now working together. The JAFL are currently working to create an Eastern and Western league to limit the travel requirements. We hoped to be able to register a second Kansai team this year (an area in central Japan 1/3 the size of Tasmania but with as many people as Australia) but we lost a lot of players at the last minute and this was not possible. The long term prospects are good though as football continues to grow in Japan. As you can imagine, space is an issue in every part of this country and the game will forever remain a modified 9 per side game on rugby and soccer fields. I personally don't think a full size ground is required, and any potential funding could be spent a lot more efficiently. The JAFL is one of few stand alone leagues in Asia, and I believe should stand as an example for other Asian countries as to how they might set up and run domestic competitions. This year, a team made up of players from the Tokyo Goannas, Tokyo Bay Suns and Osaka Dingoes participated in the Asian Championships. Two of the Japanese players were board members of the JAFL and they along with everybody else were impressed with the professionalism and sheer numbers involved at the competition. The Osaka Dingoes and the Tokyo Goannas are foundation member clubs of the newly founded AFL Asia and are in communication with a number of national clubs who are interested in playing football in Japan in the future. Good words have been taken back to the JAFL HQ and the JAFL and AFL Asia will surely develop stronger ties in the future. Finally, I would like to address the issue of the National side which I coached in 2012. The Japanese team which participates in the International Cup is made up primarily of University players. Taking adequate time off for a lot of the older players in Japan who are devoted to their jobs is diffuclt just for a domestic competition, but impossible given the time required in Australia, and as Brett mentioned, some players will be forced to quit their jobs if they want to participate. The players come from a range of backgrounds including soccer, judo, rugby, tennis, volleyball and track and field and are each proven athletes in their own right. We held a draft combine in 2012 and some players were scoring at almost draft camp level for fitness. As a young developing squad though, it is always going to be challenging to play against some of the more established teams. As Brett mentioned though, the Japanese are not going to the IC14 for a holiday though, and rest assured they will give it 110%. Rest assured, if given half a sniff, they will run circles around their opposition. I will return to Australia at the end of this year, but I am very excited about the future of Australian Football in Japan. Leadership is strong at both club and league level, and with the right funding the JAFL will be continue to build on their strengths. For anyone interested in supporting the league and individual clubs please check out our various websites or search for us on Facebook. The Semi Final will be held in North Osaka on Saturday November 9th between the Osaka Dingoes and Senshu University, and the winner will face off against the Tokyo Bay Suns in the grand final in Yokohama on November 23rd. www.jafl.org www.osakadingoes.com www.tokyogoannas.com

The comments about the lack of funds from the AFL HQ to assist in travel expenses for the Cup next year are spot on. They do not even offer to go 25 percent of the air fares for the teams who are travelling. However things will change eventually - The AFL claims to be the "Keeper of the Code". Under this banner they want to control all aspects of the game including the International version and at the same time not put actual cash into the offshore activities. They cannot have it both ways so a compromise will be reached and AFL International or similar will be spun off to end up with a FIFA type set up. I am hopeful a change at the top of the AFL in the near future will bring a different attitude to International Footy financing (Hard Cash)

Hey fellas nice article about teams in Japan ...The Japanese players are pacey as ...the league ladder over here as I play in the Nagoya Redbacks(finished 5th) sits as the top 3 teams Tokyo suns(1st) Osaka dingoes(2nd) and Senshu (3rd)powers(about to play a finals series) being stacked with mainly Japanese players ..these 3 teams are capable of downing teams (convincingly)stacked with Australian experienced players(Nagoya redbacks /Tokyo Goannas)(pretty much all aussies) ...so don't take the japanese players too light heartedly ...there are some quality players over here that can wiz and bob like the famous mouse speedy gonzalas ;).....that's my two bobs worth ...

The Samurai go hard at it but really need to wish for rain to keep the ball at ground level esp against the taller opposition of nations such as NZ (I've seen that vattke at Port Melb in 2005 & opening day at Royal Park in 2008). The spirit displayed in the 2011 div 1 11th place playoff saw Japan go down narrowly to Sweden in what was one of the kost hard fought and entertaining matches of Australian Football you could wish to see. Big Ken Sato who made the team of the tournament was indicative of his sides passion sitting bereft for a time after the final siren. One Japan story I recall from the papeers was about Peter Wilson after whom the competition B&F is named. Might be able to google it. Worth a read if you can.