On 13 November, many exciting matches were played on the second day of the 4th All Japan Seniors (over 40) football tournament in Fujieda Sports Complex Park and other stadiums in Shizuoka Prefecture. Four teams qualified for the final round were decided today. 

On that day, each team played two remaining first-round matches. Only one team qualified by winning all 3 matches of the first round. There were plenty of drama in the primary round of the tournament.

In Group A, Yokohama Senior (Kanto2/ Kanagawa) kept their momentum after winning the first match yesterday. They qualified for the semi-final by beating both Higo Senior FC (Kyushu1/ Kumamoto) and Tottori KFC Tachikaze (Chugoku1/ Tottori). They won both matches 2-0 with consistent performance. Alfoot Azumino Senior (Kitashinetsu/ Nagano), who were utterly beaten by Yokohama Senior in their first game, won two consecutive matches with 8 goals, but they ended the group stage in second place.

All four teams of Group B shared a point each on the first day, and they continued to stay in the balance after drawing their second group-stage matches with 2 points. The penultimate match saw the meeting between Tonan Superieure (Kansain2/ Nara) and Tokushima Yoshino Club (Shikoku1/ Tokushima). Tonan topped Tokushima 2-0 and became the leader with one last match to go.

The group-deciding match between Ossandole Sapporo 40 (Hokkaido2) and CLUB COMPASS NAGOYA (Tokai/ Aichi) required either of the teams to win the match with at least two-goal difference or more to advance to the final round. Nagoya won the match by scoring two goals in the first half. Nagoya leveled Tonan in terms of points and goal difference, but they topped the group on total goals. As a result, it was CLUB COMPASS NAGOYA who grabbed the ticket to the semi-finals.

In Group C, two top teams had the same number of points after finishing all the group-stage matches. Karioka (Kansai1/ Osaka) earned six points by edging a close contest 1-0 against the group leader, ANFINI VANKEI.FC40 (Hokkaido1), and defeating Tsuruoka FC Dream (Tohoku/ Yamagata). However, Koyo Club leveled the points by winning consecutive matches scoring 3 goals each and advanced to the semi-finals on goal difference.

Group D saw three teams with equal number of points prior to their last group-stage matches. In the penultimate match, FC Kagawa (Shikoku2/ Kagawa) beat GALAXY (Chugoku1/ Yamaguchi) in a close contest, but failed to advance on goal difference.

The final match saw the encounter between T・Dreams (Kanto1/ Tokyo) and Fujieda Football Club (Hosting prefecture/ Shizuoka), where T・Dreams held the prime position and they only required a draw to qualify for the final round. However, they failed to convert two consecutive penalty kicks, and their opponents successfully scored from a spot kick in the second half and won the match. Fujieda Football Club came on top the closely-contested group and advanced to the semi-finals.

The semi-final matches and final will take place on Monday 14 November, where the senior-champion team will be decided.

Players' Comments

SAKATA Kazuya (Higo Senior FC/ Kumamoto)
In our second match against Yokohama Senior, we tried to score by moving the ball around but we conceded a goal in the beginning and that made us nervous. However, I think we performed well in the 2nd half. During this year, there was a big earthquake in Kumamoto, and it was difficult for us to find a place to practice. It was wonderful that we could participate in this national-level tournament. We have been supported by many footballers from all over Japan, so we came here to show our appreciation by doing our best.

TOBA Masato (Karioka/ Osaka)
We expected that our second match against VANKEI.FC40 would be a close match with only one-goal difference. This sense of nervousness in this level of competition gives us such a precious experience. In our team there are many players who participated in the national-level competitions when they played for high-school or university teams. We used to play in a league in Takatsuki City regardless of age. But since we now have many players over 40, we decided to make a team to compete for this tournament.

All of us love football and we worked hard having matches from 7:00 or 19:00 on Sundays. To maximise our experience and to become strong enough to win matches, we will keep working hard for the next chance.

KITA Teruo (FC Kagawa/ Kagawa)
We used to play as a prefectural squad team but became an independent team recently. This is our first appearance in the tournament since we formed the team last year. We didn’t lose with 1 win and 2 draws, but we needed a win in one of the drawn matches to advance to the semi-finals. I am slightly disappointed that we couldn’t make it to the final round.

However, I am happy that I can continue to compete for the national-level tournament despite my age. I have played football since I was a kid. We have different jobs, and it is not easy for us to practise together. So, we work individually and try to improve our own skills. It is still regretful that we could not go through with unbeaten record, but I have to embrace that this is our current level. I will keep up my hardwork.

KIMURA Hiroyuki (T・Dreams/ Tokyo)
Since the last tournament where we failed to reach the final round on goal difference, we worked hard to win this title for 2 years. We have improved as a well-united team under our leader HONDA Yasuto, who is a former national squad player. I knew about this team since when I attended the celebration party of Mr. SASAKI Norio for the victory of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. He is my senior graduate of the Teikyo Senior High School. There were many players in 30s who stopped playing football, but I wanted to play for this team being motivated by the fact that I can play together with a former star player MAEDA Osamu and others sharing the same passion. This national-level competition has been a big motivation for me. Every year, younger players join the team hence it is not easy for me, but I want to keep working hard as a challenger.

JFA-TV (Japanese version only)

The 4th All Japan Seniors (over 40) Football Tournament

2016-11-12(Sat.)-14(Mon.)
Match Venue： Fujieda Sports Complex Park Athletic Field(Natural Turf), Sports Complex Park Athletic Field (Artificial Turf), Fujieda Sports Complex Park Soccer Stadium (Natural Turf), Fujieda City Soccer Ground (Natural Turf)
Tournament Information