Women's football in Japan

Women's football in Japan
Women's football in Japan
	Celebration after winning the 2011 World Cup
Country	Japan
Governing body	Japan Football Association
National team(s)	Japan women's national football team
National competitions
	Empress's Cup; WE League Cup
Club competitions
	WE League; Nadeshiko League
International competitions
	FIFA Women's World Cup (National Team); Summer Olympics (National Team); AFC Women's Asian Cup (National Team); Asian Games (National Team); EAFF Women's Championship (National Team)

Women's football in Japan is one of the rising powers of women's football.^[1]

History

The first women's football team in Japan was formed in 1966.^[2]

In the first national female football tournament in 1980, women played 8-a-side football and on smaller soccer fields than their male counterparts.^[3]^[4]

National competition

The WE League was established in the 2021–22 season as Japan's first fully professional women's football league. It replaced the top level Nadeshiko League as the country's top women's league. The Nadeshiko League now occupies the two levels below the WE League.

The Nadeshiko League began in 1989.^[5]^[6] It was a three-tiered system,^[7] but has since reverted to a two-tier system.

National team

The team, organized by the Japan Football Association, is the only Asian women's side to win FIFA Women's World Cup, winning in 2011.^[8] The Japanese national team playing style has been compared to Spain's men's national team of Tiki-taka.^[9]

In Fiction

While there are not many depictions of Japanese women's football in fiction, one prominent example is the manga Mai Ball! by Inoue Sora. It depicts a Japanese high school girls' team as they rise to the challenge of being the national best in the Japanese high school girls' football tournament. Another example are the manga Sayonara, Football and Farewell, My Dear Cramer, both written by Naoshi Arakawa. An anime TV show and a film adaptation of the series were released in 2021.

References

^ Hughes, Rob (16 December 2011). "Taking the Measure of the Year's Victors". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- "Japan's Women Have Come Farther Than Most". The New York Times. 13 July 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
^ Agergaard, Sine; Tiesler, Nina Clara (21 August 2014). Women, Soccer and Transnational Migration. Routledge. ISBN 9781135939380. Retrieved 28 July 2017 – via Google Books.
^ "For Japan's Women, Winning Changes Things, but Not Everything". The New York Times. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- Agergaard, Sine; Tiesler, Nina Clara (21 August 2014). Women, Soccer and Transnational Migration. Routledge. ISBN 9781135939380. Retrieved 30 July 2017 – via Google Books.
^ Ebashi, Yoshinori (3 June 2019). "Women's World Cup 2019 team guide No 16: Japan". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.
^ Patrick, Philip (June 10, 2019). "The rise and stall of women's football in Japan". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
^ "Women's football is booming in Japan as the game tries to capitalise on Nadeshiko's World Cup and Olympic success". Goal.com. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- "Women's game enjoys newfound popularity but not counting its laurels". Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- Goddard, John; Sloane, Peter (28 November 2014). Handbook on the Economics of Professional Football. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781781003176. Retrieved 28 July 2017 – via Google Books.
^ Parrish, Charles; Nauright, John (21 April 2014). Soccer around the World: A Cultural Guide to the World's Favorite Sport. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781610693035. Retrieved 30 July 2017 – via Google Books.
^ Reck, Gregory G.; Dick, Bruce Allen (12 January 2015). American Soccer: History, Culture, Class. McFarland. ISBN 9780786496280. Retrieved 30 July 2017 – via Google Books.
- "VOX POPULI: Nadeshiko Japan in full bloom". Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
^ Hunt, Dermot (9 August 2012). "The Nadeshiko Revolution: Japan's Women's Soccer Team Plays Tiki-Taka Without the Tedium". Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- "Small-sided soccer turns Japan into big-time women's program". Chicago Tribune. 19 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-07-08. Retrieved 17 December 2013.

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[1] Hughes, Rob (16 December 2011). "Taking the Measure of the Year's Victors". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- "Japan's Women Have Come Farther Than Most". The New York Times. 13 July 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2015.

[2] Agergaard, Sine; Tiesler, Nina Clara (21 August 2014). Women, Soccer and Transnational Migration. Routledge. ISBN 9781135939380. Retrieved 28 July 2017 – via Google Books.

[3] "For Japan's Women, Winning Changes Things, but Not Everything". The New York Times. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- Agergaard, Sine; Tiesler, Nina Clara (21 August 2014). Women, Soccer and Transnational Migration. Routledge. ISBN 9781135939380. Retrieved 30 July 2017 – via Google Books.

[4] Ebashi, Yoshinori (3 June 2019). "Women's World Cup 2019 team guide No 16: Japan". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 June 2019 – via www.theguardian.com.

[5] Patrick, Philip (June 10, 2019). "The rise and stall of women's football in Japan". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.

[6] "Women's football is booming in Japan as the game tries to capitalise on Nadeshiko's World Cup and Olympic success". Goal.com. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- "Women's game enjoys newfound popularity but not counting its laurels". Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- Goddard, John; Sloane, Peter (28 November 2014). Handbook on the Economics of Professional Football. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN 9781781003176. Retrieved 28 July 2017 – via Google Books.

[7] Parrish, Charles; Nauright, John (21 April 2014). Soccer around the World: A Cultural Guide to the World's Favorite Sport. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781610693035. Retrieved 30 July 2017 – via Google Books.

[8] Reck, Gregory G.; Dick, Bruce Allen (12 January 2015). American Soccer: History, Culture, Class. McFarland. ISBN 9780786496280. Retrieved 30 July 2017 – via Google Books.
- "VOX POPULI: Nadeshiko Japan in full bloom". Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 26 August 2012.

[9] Hunt, Dermot (9 August 2012). "The Nadeshiko Revolution: Japan's Women's Soccer Team Plays Tiki-Taka Without the Tedium". Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- "Small-sided soccer turns Japan into big-time women's program". Chicago Tribune. 19 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-07-08. Retrieved 17 December 2013.

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Category Asia portal

History

National competition

National team

In Fiction

See also

References