The 12th All Japan Women's futsal tournament will kick off in Kushiro, Hokkaido on 6 November. ARIHARA Masaaki, Japan Women's Futsal National Team coach, is excited about the opening of the tourney, which determines the best women's futsal team in the nation. Arihara talked about the attractions of the women's game and points to see in this tournament.

Coach interview – ARIHARA Masaaki, Coach (Japan Women's Futsal National Team)

– What would you say the attractions about the women's futsal are?

Arihara　The players are pure and you'll get to see how enthusiastically they're playing. While the men’s players play exhibiting their fighting spirits, the women are more united and try to play as a team even more. Partially because they have some players from the 11-man game and they usually have the mentality as the winners, it's easier to spot who are really trying to put up fights out there.

– All Japan Women's futsal tournament enters its 12th year.

Arihara　As the tournaments have been played, I think that the gaps of the teams that are generated locally have shrunk. Previously, there were a lot of team that relied on the skill sets of their individual players and their instincts, but the teams have played more collectively and have their attacks collectively in recent years. We've seen changed in the bench as well. Now you see a lot of coaches that had played as futsal players are doing well as coaches and the variation of their strategies have increased.

– What kind of things are you looking forward to seeing?

Arihara　Players who have issues but cannot be stopped once she has the ball, or goalkeepers who stop all shots, I want some unique players to come through. There is no women's futsal national league, so I can't cover the player’s information in all the local areas. Instead, you have a chance to see some new players who switched from football to futsal or returned to Japan from training abroad. So I'm already thrilled about it.

– What do you think what kind of plays by the players will provide some hints for ordinary women's futsal players?

Arihara　Maybe it's good to see how players who were involved in erratic plays earlier make adjustments when they face similar plays, for example. Because the futsal court is small, you see series of similar players in the same game. You see a lot of mistakes and succeeded plays. So I want you to see adjustment abilities of the players and teams.

– To those who have an interest in the tournament, send a message.

Arihara　These women's futsal players are loyal and have the mind-set to unite as one, so you can feel their exhilarations. Tactics-wise, it's not so different from the men's game, and some of the individual players even outplay men's players. So please feel the top level of the women's futsal through this tournament. Also, for the children, I think it's inspiring to see the players battle for the best spot in Japan. Please visit the venue with the entire family.

The 12th All Japan Women's futsal tournament

2015-11-6 (Fri.) - 8 (Sun.)
Hokkaido/Situgennokaze Arena Kushiro
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