The sudden death of Masakazu Urushiyama has come as a great shock to the international football community of Tokyo. Kazu, as we all know him, has been an integral part of Footy Japan Competitions since the start of the League back in 2004. He has been our longest serving referee, officiating over matches in all 21 seasons and also childrens matches for British Football Academy. His friendly manner, unbiased officiating and humbleness to admit when he was at fault ('My bad!') made him a favourite amongst many captains and players. Without his dedication to football & refereeing, travelling to far off pitches in all weathers to take charge over 22 players who question or moan about every decision, the Tokyo Metropolis League would have struggled to complete all the fixtures in many seasons. He has helped bring & nurture new referees in the league and will leave a void that is difficult to fill. He will be hugely missed by everyone involved in the league and FJ competitions. Our hearts go out to his family, friends, children and grandchildren. May you rest in peace Kazu.
Typically Japanese teams in this league don't have the "fight" in them compared to a lot of the foreigners. And sometimes this does make or break the results of the game. Zion have traditionally been a Japanese side but have recently become more fiesty, mostly because of their two foreign players, Jorge and Dino. Frequently, Jorge can be seen (or rather, heard) screaming at his team mates to fight for the 50/50 ball and to aggressively try to take a shot rather than...
Some rain last weekend but fortunantely nothing too heavy to flood the pitches used.
10 cup games were played over the weekend, with various surprising results.
Nomades put up a valiant effort against Hibs but the kings of TML prevailed in a 2-1 victory with both goals scored by the Japanese R9, Kan Ujihashi. Most of the other Division 1 teams won their games comfortably including Pumas and BEFC. However, a shocking turn of events for FC International and...
It's been a relatively warm season. The December and January months has been free of snow... until last weekend!
Arguably one of the coldest fixtures of the year with thunder in the background and snow falling down. Miserable weather but the field was in playing conditions, therefore the games went on! These are the type of games were a mysterious illness will often take over the TML with many faint hearted players claiming a sudden change in their health or plans...
It's been a relatively smooth TML season this year, teams have put up and adapted well to the "no rescheduling fixtures that are posted" rule. Perhaps teams needed this rule all along to create a sense of urgency in actually fielding a team. Whatever the reason, it's been doing everyone in the league wonders. In the past, canceled games ruined plans for the non-cancelling opponents and referees. On top of this, it wasted countless of pitches. Only one team have managed to...
With the cold season settling in, injuries are bound to occur.
Footy Japan partners Club 360 are experts in injury prevention and rehabilitation, and will be sharing simple useful injury and performance tips with you over the coming months.
In the following video series Sam Gilbert and Alan Pang cover some basic strengthening exercises that can not only decrease the incidence of groin and inner thigh injury, but also improve our speed and change...
Celts and Sala took place this weekend down at the natural grass fields of Kemigawa. Both these teams were placed mid table so it was no surprise that this game was going to be neck and neck. Sala had the Nakatanai brothers present, a duo that would be a threat for any team they face. Celts had legend Shosuke and veteran Shinji to lead their team with experience. Yet it was none of these 4 players that appeard on the score line. New signings for this season Kalifa Diabate...
A great vibe down at YC&AC that hosted the master 7's tournament last weekend. With 5 teams signing up to play over a 2 hour period, each team played each other twice for a total of 8 matches each. Participating teams were: Celts Masters, BFC, YC&AC, Footy Japan and Fine Vintage FC. It was truly wonderful to see so many familiar faces gather and play some football with their mates once again. The pitch was filled with smiles, laughter and banter from the sidelines...
Clash FC
Panthers FC
BEFC
Hibernian FC
FC Sagarmatha
Eastern Capital FC
Brunello FC
Pumas FC
YeBoiz FC
Dutch FC
FC Nomade
FC International
Guapo FC
SUNS FC
Sala FC
Fussa FC
Zion FC
YC&AC
Saitama JETS FC
Kilimanjaro FC
Jetro FC
Teranga FC
Albion Old Boys FC
Shane FC
BFC Tokyo
King George FC
BEFC Lions
Lions FC
