From Friday 4 to Sundy 6 June, JFA held the 2021 edition of the JFA Kids Leader Instructor Training Course at Teijin Academy Fuji in Shizuoka. Upon arrival, antigen tests were conducted for the participants who were joining from prefectures where the state of emergency was announced. The course was held under strict measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as the participants were required to thoroughly disinfect their hands, while getting their temperature checked regularly.

The course aims to develop instructors for the “Kids Leader Training Course” held at each prefecture. The Kids Leader Training Course is held for the purpose of training and providing tools for coaches and parents to convey the joy of physical activities to players under the age of 10 years old.

After taking this course, the participants will work as Kids Leader Instructors at each region to increase the number of kids and the adults involved with them, to broaden the base of Japanese football.

Instructor's Comment

HORINOUCHI Hiroshi, Instructor (JFA)
22 people from all over the country participated in this course. There were various people participating, from those who are regularly involved with the kids to those who are planning on being involved with the kids in the future. The participants were able to gain a valuable experience of planning and discussing the training menu ahead of each practical coaching session, which they reflected afterwards to discuss the pros and cons of each session. It goes without saying that all the top players were once kids, so each child has the potential to become a star player. We cannot turn every kid into a member of the Japan National Team, but we can give them the dream of becoming a member of the Japan National Team.

Participants’ Comments

Ms. UTSUE Chiho (Gunma Football Association)
We are grateful to everyone who has made this course possible despite the ongoing pandemic. Although I myself have little experience in coaching kids, many of the participants were veterans in coaching kids, and I was able to learn a lot from them throughout this course. I learned so much especially from the practical coaching sessions, where we reviewed and discussed each session. The feed backs from people with actual experience has helped me tremendously, and I hope to implement each of the new findings I gained through this course. I hope to hold a Kids Leader Training Course for women back at my FA and try to get a wide range of women involved in football. As an instructor, I would like to deepen my learning and accumulate coaching experience so that I can convey what I learned in this course to the students.

Mr. TAKAHASHI Koji (Osaka Football Association)
Despite the ongoing pandemic, we are thankful to be given the opportunity to participate in this wonderful Kids Leader Instructor Training Course. I would like to thank the staffs of JFA and all the instructors for not only their guidance, but for their consideration to our safety. As the youth director of Osaka FA, I am involved in all youth categories, and this course has reminded me that “Grassroots is a treasure of Japan and the FAs.” However, kids are currently not able to play football in Osaka due to the state of emergency. We hope to utilise this time to prepare ourselves and try to turn this situation into an opportunity to make things better. This course has given me the courage and power to challenge new things. I will continue to give my best efforts to spread the joy of football to the kids of Osaka. Lastly, I am truly thankful to the 22 other participants, who gave me new ideas and a wider perspective.

Mr. ABE Ryota (Ehime Football Association)
There were so many coaches who were passionate about coaching the youth generation, so I learned a lot from them. This course reminded me that we need to organise and verbalise all the things we usually carry out on a daily basis, in order to convey them to the participants of the Kids Leader Training Course. Although that is a tough thing to do, we need to be able to organise and convey them if we are going to become an instructor. Our job is not just about coaching the kids, but we need to educate the adults around them. I wish I could have spent more time with all the people at this course. This was one of the most productive and fun courses I have ever attended.