"The 21st All Japan Youth (U-15) Futsal Championship", which decides the best U-15 team in Japan, will be held from Saturday 9 January 2016 for three days at the Sky Hall Toyota in Aichi. Miguel RODRIGO, the coach of the Japan Futsal National Team, talks about the highlights of the tournament in this article prior to the curtain-up.

- What’s your impression of this tournament?

Miguel: I heard that 90% of the players participating in this championship usually play football. Consequently, some of the matches tend to be like mini-football games, rather than futsal matches. I want the players to know that strong countries, such as Brazil, Argentina and Portugal, devote to futsal in order to improve at football. So I hope the participants will play futsal, recognising it as an effective method to improve themselves as footballers. 

- What do you expect in this championship?

Miguel: I hope the young generations will become united in the near future, regardless of the category, including the Vermont Cup, which decides the strongest U-12 team, the eight-a-side U-12 Football Championship, and this tournament. I’m glad we have this kind of tournament. This year we assembled the U-18 Japan Futsal National Team. The U-15 is key for the U-18 generation. This championship is interesting in terms of finding talented players for the future.

- What is the highlight of this tournament?

Miguel: I’d like futsal coaches to see tactical set pieces and the potential abilities of individual players. I also want football coaches to really understand how important futsal is for football. By playing futsal, players can improve their judgment speed as well as the ability to play in a limited area. I believe futsal supports football and vice versa as well.

This tournament is a great opportunity for players to improve themselves. They need to communicate with each other well to win games. They can also make friends off the pitch. So, I’d like to tell the participants: "play fair, aiming as high as possible, enjoy a great opportunity to build experiences in this tournament."

All Japan Youth (U-15) Futsal Championship

Sat. 9 January 2016 - Mon. 11 January 2016
Aichi／Sky Hall Toyota

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