The JOC Junior Olympic Cup The 19th All Japan Youth Women's Football Tournament will get started on Sunday 3 January. The tournament, deciding the best under-18 women’s club team in the nation, sees the 16 teams qualified in the nine regions around the country play the knock-out-system tournament at J-GREEN Sakai in Sakai, Osaka.

The biggest title favourites in the tournament are five-time defending champions Nippon TV Menina (Kanto 2/Tokyo). Under their coach TERATANI Mayumi, who had coached Beleza, the club’s top team, until 2014, they have thoroughly improved their technical aspects and transition between offence and defence.

As it is even said that their squad are as good as many senior teams, they list many elite players of this generation such as goalkeeper TANAKA Momoko, defender FUNAKI Nodoka (registered as midfielder last year), midfielder KANNO Oto and forward UEKI Riko. The fact that many of them played in last year’s tournament adds even more advantage to their superiority. It is safe to say they are capable and experienced enough to extend the championship streak to six years.

The leading candidates to stop Nippon TV’s reign are Urawa Reds Ladies Youth (Kanto 1/Saitama). They finished last two tournaments as runners-up only to the five-time champions, and this year’s team have gained attacking prowess added to their trademark defence led by defender MINAMI Moeka and midfielder KUTSUWADA Ayumi. While the offence is centred on NAGANO Fuka in the midfield, who has played for generational national teams, explosive strikers TAKAHASHI Hana and MIURA Haruka are well capable of threatening opponents’ goal.

Cerezo Osaka Sakai Girls, coming out of very competitive Osaka, also require attention. Many of their players played last year for their club’s senior team Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies in the Nadeshiko Challenge League, their equivalent of the third division. Their captain and potent scorer NISHIDA Meika leads the experienced roster to make noise in the tournament.

Other teams to mention as contenders are JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies U-18 (Kanto 3/Chiba), who lasted deep in the past three tournaments, and Albirex Niigata Ladies U-18 (Hokushinetsu/Niigata) with a generational national team midfielder NAKAE Moe. It will certainly be interesting to see who survive to the final to be played on Thursday 7 January.

JOC Junior Olympic Cup The 19th All Japan Youth Women's Football Tournament

Sun. 3 January 2016 - Thu. 7 January 2016
J-GREEN Sakai/Sakai City, Osaka
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