As part of Japan Football Association's (JFA) commitment to support “JENESYS," a programme promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the "JENESYS U-17 Women's Football Memorial Cup" kicked-off on Friday 17 March at Uruma City in Okinawa. The event will serve as an exchange platform for the youth in Japan, the countries of ASEAN, and Timor-Leste.

The 12 participating teams arrived in Okinawa on Wednesday 15 March, as they conducted training sessions and participated in an orientation. Prior to their arrival in Japan, on Tuesday 7 March, Coach MIYAMOTO Tomomi of the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) held an online lecture to introduce the development and history of women's football in Japan.

Four matches were played on the opening day: the U-16 Japan Women's National Team against the U-17 Myanmar Women's National Team, the U-17 Vietnam Women's National Team against the U-17 Malaysia Women's National Team, the U-17 Indonesia Women's Club Team against the U-17 Cambodia Women's Club Team, and the U-17 Thailand Women's National Team against the U-17 Timor-Leste Women's National Team. The teams will play two group stage matches and conclude the competition with the final stage scheduled on Monday 20 March and Tuesday 21 March.

Players' Comments

Seri Ayu Natasha Binte Naszri (U-17 Singapore Women's National Team)
I am honoured to be given this invaluable opportunity to play with players from other countries and learn about their cultures. It brought back memories of the first time I took part in an international competition and inspired me to approach new challenges with the same spirit I had back then. Through this programme, I believe we were able to tighten our team's bond.

Daliea Eliesa Binti Mohd Fafiz (U-17 Malaysia Women's National Team)
The first thing that surprised me when I arrived in Japan was how clean it was. The scenery in Okinawa is beautiful, the food is good, and the people are friendly. Although we lost the match against Uruma City Select Team, we enjoyed interacting with them after the match. They were all very polite and kind to us and were also charming and funny. I am glad to be part of such a wonderful programme.

Commemorating the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation: JENESYS U-17 Women’s Football Memorial Cup

Tournament Dates: Thu. 16 March - Tue. 21 March
Venue: Uruma Gushikawa Multipurpose Baseball Ground (Uruma, Okinawa)

Tournament Information