Japan Football Association (Headquarter: Tokyo, President: DAINI Kuniya, hereafter referred to as JFA) and TEIJIN LIMITED (Headquarter: Chuo-ku in Osaka, President and CEO: SUZUKI Jun) agreed to establish the Collaborative HR Development Hub, using learning facilities of TEIJIN.

1. Background and aims

(1) JFA aims to create a rich sports culture and contribute to the healthy development of people’s minds and bodies and to the development of society through football, trying to spread, strengthen and develop many sports including football. In practical terms, JFA manages the "JFA Academy", which aims to develop players, nurture coaches and referees, and organise training courses for football doctors.

(2) JFA established the "JFA Academy Fukushima" (in Narahamachi Futabagun, Fukushima) in April 2006, where players are accommodated for six years, during the junior high and high school period, to learn everyday life and get an education, not to mention train to play football. Due to the Great East Japan Earthquake, the players had to evacuate temporarily. They started their activities at an alternative site, setting out to recover their operations and searching for a new development site.

(3) TEIJIN, on the other hand, aims to "Enhancing the Quality of Life", "In Harmony with Society" as well as "Empowering Our People", all of which are noted in the corporate philosophy. The company also contributes to the development of people’s skills for society and the world. TEIJIN established the "Fuji Institute of Education and Training" in Susono, Shizuoka near Mount Fuji in 1972, which has also been open to the public as educational facilities, in order to nurture international human resources.

(4) TEIJIN also develops people through football by co-sponsoring the "All Japan High School Soccer Tournament", which started in 1991, managing "TEIJIN Soccer School"，which is run by voluntary employees in Matsuyama Factory (in Matsuyama, Ehime), and co-operating with the ‘general incorporated association JDFA’, which holds football clinics in Southeast Asia.

(5) JFA and TEIJIN have grown closer through cooperating on high school football and agreed to establish the Development Hub to achieve their respective goals, by sharing JFA’s needs and know-how and TEIJIN’s education facilities.

2. Approaches for Collaborative Development

(1) In accordance with this agreement, TEIJIN's "Fuji Institute of Education and Training" will be refurbished to accommodate JFA's own space with an artificial turf football ground, which will meet international standards. The name of the facility will be "TEIJIN Academy Fuji".

(2) JFA will transfer the girl’s section of the "JFA Academy Fukushima" to "TEIJIN Academy Fuji" to develop and educate the players through football.

(3) JFA will use the "TEIJIN Academy Fuji" for strengthening and developing players and coaches as well as spreading culture and creating a place for communication.

3. Summary of the new Collaborative HR Development Hub

　Current Fuji Institute of Education and Training  

　The 300m Metasequoia Avenue, often seen in ads
                             

4. Future prospects

(1) JFA and TEIJIN will start using the "TEIJIN ACADEMY FUJI" for the girl’s project of the "JFA Academy Fukushima", followed by using it for players development, including training centres, lectures and courses for coaches to gain licenses or to refresh their skills, and instructors’ courses for coaches and referees.

(2) JFA and TEIJIN will also share their networks to invite public football teams to have their training camps or companies to hold training to develop their employees.

(3) In the future, the facility will accommodate foreign teams' training camps and also will be used as a communication space with Asian countries. The place will also be used to film many kinds of practical skills.

(4) JFA and TEIJIN will cooperate to serve social roles by establishing the Collaborative HR Development Hub, following the philosophies of both organisations, and contribute to nurturing international human resources as well as football players.

Comments

DAINI Kuniya, JFA President
To achieve JFA’s philosophy - creating a rich sports culture and contributing to the healthy development of people’s minds and bodies and to the development of society through football - we need a two-pronged approach, namely preparing an environment for football and developing players. Currently, with an aging population combined with a low birth rate, I believe sports will be more essential than ever. It means we need to nurture people quickly, who can promote sports and manage sport clubs. We’ll use the ‘TEIJIN ACADEMY FUJI’ for the girl’s project of the ‘JFA Academy Fukushima’, in order to develop skilful women players, who can also be responsible for Japan’s football in the future.

SUZUKI Jun, President and CEO, Representative Director of the Board of TEIJIN LIMITED
We have hosted some sport facilities in our business institutions since our foundation, contributing to developing people and local society. The "Fuji Institute of Education and Training", which was established in 1972, has been open for society as well as for human development. I’m very pleased and honoured that these facilities, which embody our cooperate philosophy, will be the Collaborative HR Development Hub for JFA as the "TEIJIN ACADEMY FUJI". TEIJIN has always supported and will continue to support even more people’s development through football.