As the season gets underway on April 6 (Sun), each team must be working even harder in their final preparations. Here's the preview for the opening week of the Premier League West.

This year, three teams from Kyoto Prefecture in Kyoto F.C. U-18, Higashiyama High School and Kyoto Tachibana High School will play in the West. In fact, the latter two will take on against each other in the opening week. Higashiyama played with only first- and second-year players and defeated Fujieda Higashi High School (Shizuoka) in the promotion game last year to clinch the Premier League berth. ''It'll be important for us to stay in the league as long as we can, not getting demoted after a year. But of course, we're going to play for as better outcomes as we could have,'' Higashiyama coach Fukushige Ryoichi says. Meanwhile, Kyoto Tachibana also earned the promotion this year for the first time in their 13-year club history, by beating Seiryo High School (Ishikawa) in the promotional game as well. ''Our players have understood our strategies better, so we'll establish our team as we did last year,'' says their coach Yonezawa Kazunari, who led the team to the runner-up finish in the 91st edition and to the semifinals in the 92nd edition of the national high school championships. Higashiyama and Kyoto Tachibana squared off twice last year in the Prince League Kansai and faired 1-1. It'll be interesting to see what kind of game they’ll put up this time.

Elsewhere, Toyama Daiichi High School (Toyama) will take on Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi). ''We'll do our best to stay in the league,'' says coach Otsuka Ichiro, who guided Toyama Daiichi to the title in the 92nd national high school championships. Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C. Youth (Hiroshima), who finished third, missing their third straight championship, will play with Kyoto Sanga at home. ''We want to go all out from the first week,'' Sanfrecce coach Kawakatsu Hiroyasu comments. Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka), the only Kyushu team in the league, will square off against Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka), who competed for the league title until late in the season last year. A game between Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) and Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) will be played after a Gamba Osaka-Kashima Antlers J. League top division contest held in the sixth week.

The 2014 Premier League campaign will finally kick off. Let's see who'll get off to fine starts of the season.