Sat. 27 February

U-16 Japan National Team started their tour in Uzbekistan. “00JAPAN”, the U-16 Japan National Team aim to book a place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 by winning matches in the AFC U-16 Championship 2016 this September in India.

Japan was invited to the championship in Uzbekistan as part of the international contribution programme, “SPORT FOR TOMORROW (SFT), which is hosted by the Japanese government. The team will meet the U-16 Iran National Team, U-16 Turkmenistan National Team, and the U-16 Uzbekistan National Team. This championship is important, especially because Japan may play against Iran or Uzbekistan again in the AFC U-16 Championship 2016 in India.

“00JAPAN” gathered in Narita city, Chiba, in the morning, and checked on their physical fitness in the afternoon.

Most of the players had already started their training at their club teams. All the players performed well and were lively after the training camp in Shizuoka the other day. The forward YAMADA Hiroto lasted until the last minute of the yo-yo test, showing his tenacity and stamina.

HORIIKE Takumi, who is a former Japan National Team player and the coach of the Juntendo University football club, advised the team after the training session. He told the players to act with the awareness and responsibility of being a national team player and not to forget to appreciate the support from people around them. 

Sun. 28 February

Although the team was on the move early in the morning, their flight was seriously delayed due to snow in Korea Republic. They arrived in Tashkent in Uzbekistan, the championship site, after a 12-and-a-half-hour flight. They will hold two practice sessions tomorrow in preparation for the championship.

"00 JAPAN" is the nickname of the U-16 Japan National Team that consists of members who were born after 2000.

* [SPORT FOR TOMORROW (SFT)]
''SPORT FOR TOMORROW'' is an international sports contribution programme that the Japanese government runs between 2014 and 2020. It is subjected for over 100 nations and 10 million people. Its main purposes are to convey the value of sports and expand the Olympic/Paralympic movement to all the generations.

Players' Comments

DF ＃16  KANO Kanato (JFA Academy Fukushima U15)
I’m pleased to be here after the Shizuoka training camp. It’s my first tour abroad with the national team, and I look forward to playing against strong Asian countries. As I found out that my physical strength is not as good as other teammates yesterday, I’d like to improve that through the daily training sessions. Although I do feel tired after a long journey, including some delay to our flight, I’d like to refresh my mind ahead of tomorrow’s session in order to prepare for the coming match the day after tomorrow. 

DF ＃14  KEMMOTSU Takumu (Shimizu S-Pulse Junior Youth)
I played against “00JAPAN” in a training match during the Shizuoka camp, and now I am here. I’m glad I could show my skills enough to be called up again. We were frustrated that we lost to the U-15 Iran National Team in the Central Asia- Japan U-15 Football Exchange programme last year in Osaka. So we really hope to win this time. I experienced new physical check-ups and found some more areas to work on. I’d like to stay focused with others in tomorrow’s training session, so that we will be ready for the game the day after tomorrow. 

Schedule

*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.
*Local Time