The 14th All Japan Seniors (over 50) Football Tournament began on Saturday 27 June in Fujieda, Shizuoka. The matchday 1 of the first round was held on the opening day and saw heated contests at every venue.

Both of the two matches ended with a scoreless draw in Group A. Sunpu Football Club (Tokai/ Shizuoka) dominated the match against FC Maebashi 50 (Kanto 2/ Gunma) but failed to score a goal. Playing defensively, Kagawa Senior 50 (Shikoku 2/ Kagawa) halted Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki Senior (Kyushu 1/ Nagasaki)'s attacks. Four teams have equal one point after the matchday 1.

In Group B, Hyogo Prefecture Senior 50 Selection (Kansai/ Hyogo) crushed Alfoot Azumino Senior (Hokushinetsu/ Nagano), the finalist of the last tournament. The Hyogo side secured three goals scored in the first half to grab a 3-0 win.

Akita Senior Soccer Club 50 (Tohoku 2/ Akita) stand in second place after edging Muroran Senior Soccer Club (Hokkaido 1) in a close contest. The group's decisive, head-to-head contest between Hyogo and Akita will be played in the matchday 2.

Fujieda Football Club (Host/ Shizuoka) beat Ozu Senior FC (Shikoku 1/ Ehime) 2-0 for top spot of Group C. Yamanashi Masters Legend (Kanto 1/ Yamanashi) also started with a narrow 2-1 win over Kumamoto Senior (Kyushu 2/ Kumamoto).

While Fujieda got off to a good start for the title in their hosting tournament, it is also interesting to see performances of the other three teams – Yamanashi, who also won their opener and come out for a head-to-head contest against the host in their third match, and Ozu and Kumamoto, who both lost their first match.

In Group D, Furukawa Sonen Soccer Aikokai (Lazos Furukawa Koga F.C./ Kanto 3/ Ibaraki) netted five goals against Tabunoki Soccer Club (Tohoku 1/ Akita) to clinch top spot. 

The clash between tournament's regular outfits Hitsujigaoka Kickers 2002/ Ov50 (Hokkaido 2) and Tottori Prefecture Senior SC 50 (Chugoku/ Tottori) ended with the former's 2-1 victory. Hitsujigaoka look for a back-to-back win in the following top-two showdown against Furukawa.

The second day of the tournament has the second and third matchdays on Sunday 28 June, which will determine the top four teams advancing to the final round.

Players' Comments 

MACHIDA Takayuki (FC Maebashi 50/ Gunma)
Sunpu Football's players had high passing quality toward space behind our defensive line. We struggled with them. It was good we kept a clean sheet and move onto the next even in such a situation. 

I broke three of my fingers in the Kanto Qualifiers and need to play with screws in my fingers. But I had some good saves. Football is a sport you can play at no matter what age you are. Chasing a single ball with everyone together is also a good thing. I will keep up my work to enjoy the tournament with this team as long as possible.

OIKAWA Koji (Sunpu Football Club/ Shizuoka)
It was more like we lost three points than we got a draw. As it was the opening match, we rather played with mindset "not to give away a goal," and went a bit negative. We weren't able to play our usual game.

As someone who played in the tournament for over 40, I feel the difference in speed, but I want to cope with it well. The appeal of football is we can aim to enjoy, and at the same time stick to a win. If we play seriously, we can play in various ways such as using strong and weak passes differently.

KANEMOTO Makoto (Kagawa Senior 50/ Kagawa)
We've got to get at least one point. By doing that, we can keep our hopes to the second match, so we are content with the draw. The national tournament is fun as expected. It's not within the prefecture and Shikoku. The advantage of playing here is we can find out the level of ourselves on the national stage through exchanges with teams from other prefectures.

If you toil away at training, you can get closer to the level of players who you used to have no chance against. That's pleasing. Of course, I don't have as much stamina as myself in 20's, but my controlling skill is still improving. I'm happy to touch the ball more than before, so I can't stop playing football.

SONODA Katsuo (Mitsubishi Juko Nagasaki Senior/Nagasaki)
I thought we would win while playing, but the opposing defence was too solid for us to get a goal. I'm disappointing because I wanted to win for the sake of my friends coming to cheer for me as well. We will go out to get two wins tomorrow and get through to the final round. And we as Nagasaki Senior will show our presence around the nation. 

The tournament for over 50 is fun. It's in more friendly manner compared to the one for over 40, and they are also sticking to a win. I'm happy to work hard together and kick the ball with my teammates at this age.

JFA-TV (Japanese version only)

The 14th All Japan Seniors (over 50) Football Tournament

2015/6/27(土)〜6/29(月)
Date: 27-29 June, 2015
Venues: Fujieda Sports Complex Park, Fujieda Shimin Ground Soccer Stadium, Chugai Pharmy Manufacturing Company Limited Fujieda Ground (Fujioka city, Shizuoka)
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