The semi-finals and the final of the 21st All Japan Youth (U-15) Futsal Championship were held on Monday 11 January. Nagaoka JYFC (Hokushinetsu 1/Niigata) became back-to-back champions.

The semi-finals, which kicked off at the same time, were between Consadole Sapporo U-15 (Hokkaido 1) and Nagaoka JYFC (Hokushinetsu 1/Niigata), and ASC Hokkaido U-15 (Hokkaido 2) and Spread Eagle FC Hakodate (Hokkaido 4). Nagaoka JYFC struck the opener only 21 seconds after the kick-off, taking the initiative to build a two-goal lead before halftime. In the 18th minute, HARUYAMA Misaki scored a hat trick. After firing in two more goals, the team won the match 6-1, showing off their overwhelming strength to get through to the final.

The semi-final between two Hokkaido teams was very intense. ASC Hokkaido struck the opener 19 seconds after the kick-off, and kept the lead until halftime. Then FC Hakodate turned the game around with EGUCHI Nanami’s two shots in the 18th and 19th minute. After 22 minutes, FC Hakodate added more insurance, building a two-goal lead. Despite being somewhat demoralised, ASC Hokkaido started to attack back, and OGASAWARA Daisuke took shots in the 24th and 26th minute to level the match. After 28 minutes, TAKAHASHI Ayumu from ASC Hokkaido struck a strong shot from the right wing to score an upset victory 4-3. The team, which was a newcomer in the championship, proudly booked a place in the final.

The final displayed each team’s strengths very well. After ASC Hokkaido’s star player, NAKAMURA Toya, received a pass in the centre to strike the opener in the fourth minute, NAGATO Keita from Nagaoka JYFC scored a strong long-distance shot in the 11th minute to level the game. Then 49 seconds after that, Nagato reacted to a pass from the left wing, and scored once again to turn the match around.

In the second half, ASC Hokkaido found their momentum. After 16 minutes, Nakamura scored a superb equaliser from the right side. Although Nagaoka JYFC kept possession, they could not get through ASC Hokkaido’s defenders, who played well balancing between the defenders in the area and those coming aggressively from up front. The score stayed the same for a while. In the 24th minute, however, the game changed.

Nagaoka JYFC moved forward to the opponent’s area, and ARAKI Tatsuya in the centre, who received a pass from the right side, got through the defenders to fire a shot, and taking the lead 3-2. While Nagaoka JYFC were building up positive momentum, the team scored three more goals, including Nagato’s third one to get his hat trick. Nagaoka JYFC stayed ambitious for goals until the final whistle and won the game 6-2, claiming the title for the second consecutive year.

Although ASC Hokkaido lit up the stadium with their focused defence and physical strength in attack, they were one step away from winning the championship. Nagaoka JYFC, on the other hand, showed their strength when needed. The coach NISHIDA Katsuhiko later commented: “the team were improving during the game with each other’s support.” The three-day championship was over with Nagaoka JYFC’s victory, which also meant that a team from Niigata had won four consecutive championships.

Coach and Players' Comments

NISHIDA Katsuhiko, Coach (Nagaoka JYFC)
We were divided into four teams as Nagaoka JYFC to participate in the qualifying round. The players that came this far, played with the support of for their teammates, who lost out in the qualifiers. We played as a united club. I saw the players’ improvement. The atmosphere and nerves in this championship strengthened the players. I truly think this championship is worthwhile. We’d like to come back next year and aim to win the championship three times in a row.

NAGATO Keita (Nagaoka JYFC)
As we came here with the aim of becoming back-to-back champions with smiles right to the end, I was thrilled when we won the game. I was over the moon that I scored a hat trick in the final. I’d like to thank my family, our coach Nishida, the staff, and my teammates, who lost in the prefectural qualifiers, for their support. Thanks to their loud cheering in each game, I believe I could improve myself a lot. I’d like to try futsal again whenever I have the opportunity.

KOIZUMI Yoshihito (Nagaoka JYFC)
I’ve struggled and had tough times in the past three years. I cried thinking of those times when we won the final in the end. Of course, I was over the moon. We played our type of futsal more than we expected in the first round. The final was not easy at all, as the opponent levelled the game once. Having said that, we could defeat the opponent not only with the coach’s instructions, but also with our own thoughts. We became even more united as a team in the end. 

TOKUDA Tsunenori, Coach (ASC Hokkaido U-15)
We have played all five games in this championship with the same spirit. Nagaoka JYFC did some detailed preparation. Finishing in second place is the result we got after playing as hard as possible. I must point out that the players did absolutely brilliantly. We have been achieving our aims one by one, which we decided at the beginning of 2015, and we became a united team. As our team mainly consists of second graders, we’d like to come back next year, and learn from this experience.

JFA-TV (Japanese version only)

Semi-Final  ASC Hokkaido U-15 vs Spread Eagle FC Hakodate

Semi-Final  Consadole Sapporo U-15 vs Nagaoka JYFC

Final  Nagaoka JYFC vs ASC Hokkaido U-15

All Japan Youth (U-15) Futsal Championship

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

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