JFA Hall of Fame Inductee

USHIKI Sokichiro

Inductees Recommended by the Committee (Special Selection)

Born in Niigata on 12 June 1932

Graduated from Niigata Prefectural high school and The University of Tokyo, Dept. of Sociology. Administer of the University of Tokyo Football Club. Sports journalist at Tokyo Newspaper and Yomiuri Newspaper for more than 50 years.
Until the mid. of 1970s, he is involved in editing the Japan Football Association magazine “Football”, while continues to write trend stories for “Football Magazine” (Baseball Magazine, Company) for 40 years since its first issue in 1966. As opinion leader of Japanese football, he educates “How to think about the football culture.”
He appeals merits of converting Japanese sports dependency on schools and companies to be “clubs”, contributing to found Yomiuri Football Club in 1969. He points out irrationality of amateurism No.1 policy, and continues to teach healthy coexistence of professional and amateur as the football’s ideal.

Few international football information is introduced in 1958, but he covers the World Cup on the newspaper in 1958 and covers 11 consecutive World Cups since Mexico in 1970. Publishes Japan’s first book about World Cup, featuring Mexico games as “Football World-wide level plays” (Kodansha, 1970) to enlighten the world cup information and repeatedly discusses his dreams of having World Cup in Japan since 1970s.

Recognizing the value of records for next generation, the media person strongly promotes to issue “Japan Football League Year Book” for the first season in 1965. His invention of now-widely used “Game record form” is one of his great achievements although it is nothing special. After retirement from the newspaper company, he organizes “Viva Football Study Group” and “Japan Football History Study Group” to attract regular fans to educate football knowledge.

• 
  SHIMOMURA Sachio
• OZAWA Michihiro