The 6th All Japan Youth (U-15) Women's Futsal Tournament will kick off on 10 and 11 January at Toyota Sky Hall in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, which was used for the 21st  All Japan Youth (U-15) Futsal Championship as well. The tourney will determined the best women's futsal club in the nation of the U-15 generation.

This could have large impact on the players of the developmental generation and their future. One of the major elements is that this tourney is meant more as a gateway for the players to get up to the next level.

The women's football has gained recognition more lately and the Japan Women's Futsal National Team have increased their activities. “We've been believing that the All Japan Youth (U-15) Women's Futsal Tournament will be a gateway for us to open up the door to the world stage,” Maruoka Ruck Ladies coach TANAKA Etsuhiro said. In fact, their own KITAGAWA Kana and TAKAO Akari, who are competing for the third straight tournament since the 2nd edition, have been selected for the Japan Women's Futsal National Team and played in the 1st AFC Women's Futsal Championship in September 2015, having used this tournament as the steppingstone.

　　▼ TAKAO Akari, Japan Women's Futsal National Team (Competed in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th championships)

This is actually a big tournament for other football players, not just the futsal players, as a stage to raise their levels. Many of the teams in the tournament this time usually play regular football but they look to be able to have different feelings through the futsal tournament. “Because you don't have offside, we allowed our opponents to get behind us with loop (passes),” KOBAYASHI Izuho of Jumonji Junior High School, who captured the title in the previous championship, reflected. “(But) you can capitalize on the transition between offence and defence. You get involved in any plays regardless of your position and it leads to your game in regular football.”

In terms of these mutual influence between football and futsal, Japan Futsal National Team coach Miguel RODRIGO insisted, “by playing futsal from your childhood, you can capitalize on it and play better in regular football, too. I hope Japanese coaches will understand the importance. Nadeshiko Japan have already won in the World Cup, but when you think of how you will develop the game further, you might want to consider playing futsal from younger age.” You could say that it's worth playing futsal even for the women's players.

So many players have found new things and put up great players as they played more games in this tournament. It's actually peculiar for these players in developmental generation to be able to absorb as much as they do. The joy these women's players show are making the tournament, which is played at the same venue as the male players, colorful. We hope fans to come out and watch this tournament, which features a lot of interesting points.

　　▼ KITAGAWA Kana, Japan Women's Futsal National Team (Competed in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th championships)

All Japan Youth (U-15) Women's Futsal Tournament

Sun. 10 January 2016 - Mon. 11 January 2016
Aichi／Sky Hall Toyota
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