The U-15 Japan Women’s Selection Team started their training camp in Osaka on Friday 2 December. In the opening meeting, coach KATO Kenji told the players: “we had 46 players in the previous camp in October, and now we have 23. I want all of you to keep up your motivation to be selected as a member of the U-16 Women’s National Team next year.”

After the meeting, under the mild weather, the team kicked off their practice session focusing on defence. They warmed up while practising step work, then moved on to 2-on-2 and 5-on-5 drills. They wrapped up their training with six-a-side intrasquad scrimmages.

After dinner, there was a lecture about eating a healthy diet. Then, to inspire the players, the coach of the U-17 Japan Women’s National Team, KUSUNOSE Naoki, led the discussion and commented that ‘every one here need to understand that you are just one step away from international competitions, and everything counts even off the pitch’.

The team will continue their training tomorrow.

Coach's Comment

KANO Michihisa, Assistant Coach (JFA National Training Centre Coach/SAGAWA SHIGA FC)
Coach Kato and coach Kusunose (U-17 Japan Women’s National Team) encouraged the players before the practice session and clearly stated that their next goal is to qualify for the next FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Today we focused on defence, and the players got ready by working on ‘step work and coordination’, then they warmed-up for more advanced training in groups. In the subsequent practice session, they have demonstrated their strength on the ball and the ability to communicate effectively to coordinate their plays to steal the ball from the opposing group. It was a fruitful yet intense training with players showing a high level of motivation.

In the lecture of eating proper diet, the players reviewed the basic things they had already learned, but the discussion also included new topics such as “what to eat to perform better in games” and “what to be careful of when you are in a foreign country”.

In the speech given by coach Kusunose, he shared his experience of the U-17 Women’s World Cup with the players, and he also told them about what they should do in this age group. They were listening to him very carefully.

I felt that the up-coming training sessions will be better than what we had today judging by how seriously they were during meeting and practice. I strongly hope that this camp will be a productive one for the players, and they will improve themselves by working on a series of training sessions, attending lectures, and participating in off-the-pitch activities.

Players' Comments

ITO Nanami (JEF UNITED ICHIHARA CHIBA LADIES U-15)
Since the previous camp, I paid close attention to ‘catching the ball without fumbling’. To display what I have improved so far, I will prepare myself well even off the pitch. I feel grateful that I can play football in such a wonderful environment. I want to have a productive four-day camp by understanding what I can and cannot do.

GATTO Yukino (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies Junior Youth)
In the lecture about healthy diet, I learned about what I need to eat to ‘win in games’, and there were many things that I didn’t know. Now I have a better understanding about the importance of having a healthy diet to order to play football in a good condition. I will maintain well-balanced diet even after this camp.

We also had the chance to listen to coach Kusunose and I thought the most important thing is to improve our individual skills as well as understanding the team’s tactics. To be a world-class player, I want to improve the accuracy of each plays. There are a lot more things other than football that I need to learn about.

OKINO Ruseri (CLUB FIELDS LINDA)
My target of this trip is to become the best forward player by playing very aggressively. One of the problems I had in the 2-on-2 exercises was that I often selected to pass the ball rather than trying to break through the defence by myself. I realised that to become a threatening player, I needed to challenge the opponents more. In the 5-on-5 drills, there were different issues, including the lack of scoring attempts and the weakness in pressuring the opponents under the ‘first defence’ scheme. However, I was a vital part of most of the plays, and I would like to continue to do so in the training tomorrow. To showcase all of my strengths, I will be thinking more about how I should spend off-the-pitch and how I would improve my daily diet.

NAGAE Ibuki (TOYAMA LADIES SOCCER CLUB)
Today we focused on 'defence' and 'stealing the ball'. In the 2-on-2 drills, our assistant coach taught us ‘how close we can get to the opponent while the ball is moving’ and ‘how we avoid the opponent breaking though the defender’. In the next series of exercises with 2-vs-2 + 2 servers + one neutral player, I paid more attention to stealing the ball by going closer right after an opponent received the ball. In the six-a-side small-sided games, I focused on defensive coordination by checking teammates’ positions everywhere on the pitch.

In the meeting after dinner, I realised the importance of a good diet and we learned about how and what to eat before and after the match. I will be more careful about my daily diet to aid my performance in football. I had the chance to listen to the story about the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016, and I learned that not only Japan but also other countries improved their level of football. To compete internationally, I want to work hard and improve the level of the national team, while becoming a better football player.

Schedule

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