Women’s Soccer Links Uganda and Japan

Women’s Soccer Links Uganda and Japan

On October 1, the cup final of the Japanese women’s professional soccer league “WE League” was held and the first champion was decided. About a month and a half earlier, in August, the women’s soccer tournament “TICAD CUP 2022” was held in Uganda, located in East Africa. These two tournaments, held so far apart in Uganda and Japan, brought the women’s soccer worlds of the two countries together. It has been one year and four months since the WE League and JICA signed a partnership agreement that aims to develop developing regions through soccer. We explored the power of sports to transcend national borders.

Refugees Play in Uganda’s Women’s Soccer Tournament Uganda is the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, where more than 1.5 million refugees are currently residing. JICA, the Uganda Football Federation (FUFA), and other organizations co-hosted a three-day women’s soccer tournament, “TICAD CUP 2022,” from August 19 to 21 in Uganda. The event aimed to promote understanding of the current situation of women and refugees in Ugandan society and to raise awareness of TICAD 8 and JICA’s efforts. 5 teams invited by FUFA, plus mixed teams of refugees and host communities participated. The mixed team of refugees and host community who have been playing barefoot soccer won one game against a strong team invited by FUFA, which was a great sensation for all concerned.

If you look closely at the uniforms worn by the players of the mixed teams, you will see Japanese characters printed on them. In fact, these uniforms were provided free of charge by the WE League through JICA. The WE League’s philosophy of “contributing to the realization and development of a society where dreams and lifestyles of all people can shine through women’s soccer and sports” overlaps with JICA’s goal of “a peaceful world where all people can enjoy sports” under its “Sports and Development” strategy. In June 2021, the WE LEAGUE and JICA concluded a partnership agreement, and the donation of the uniforms was realized as an action of that partnership.

It was Kikuko Okajima, the first chair of the WE League who retired at the end of September, who proposed the donation of uniforms for the TICAD CUP 2022. She had the following thoughts in mind.

The J-League has been donating uniforms to developing countries for some time, but the men’s uniforms are often too big for the women’s players. I have always wanted to donate uniforms in sizes that would fit them. I am very happy that we were able to make this happen this time.”

A Message of International Cooperation and Diversity Launched at the WE League Finals On October 1, the WE League Cup Finals were held at Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka (Kita-ku, Tokyo), and a variety of projects were implemented to further strengthen the partnership between the WE League and JICA.

The JICA booth was set up in a corner of the venue, where visitors could write messages of support for the Ugandan women’s soccer team and experience the traditional Vietnamese sport of dà cau with JICA trainees of various nationalities, while videos of the TICAD CUP 2022 matches were shown. The event also solicited for soccer equipment to be donated to the Ugandan women’s soccer team, and through small exchanges, the participants became interested in Uganda, other African countries, and international cooperation.

Before the game began, the TICAD CUP 2022 was shown on the stadium’s large screen. This was an attempt to let spectators know that there are girls who are crazy about soccer even in distant Uganda.

One of the most notable events was the implementation of “Escort Diversity People,” the first of its kind in the WE League. Four JICA trainees of various nationalities joined people of various genders, ages, disabilities, nationalities, gender identities, sexual orientations, and other diverse personalities to create a hanamichi (flower path) and escort the players onto the pitch. This was also the idea of first chair Okajima.

By bringing together people from diverse backgrounds, I thought it would convey at a glance that the WE-League values diversity,” says Okajima.

Making Women’s Sports a Desired Career for Girls The game ended with a victory for the MHI Urawa Reds Ladies after a dramatic three-goal overturn. Although the game was well worth watching and the audience was very excited, there are still many issues to be addressed, according to first chair Okajima.

‘It is by no means doing well from a box office standpoint. Our biggest challenge is to get more people interested in women’s soccer and the WE League. In order for athletes and professional female soccer players to be listed as the dream job for girls, we need to improve the treatment of the players and also actively conduct PR activities.

The WE League was the first professional league for women’s team sports. Its launch had a great significance as a flagship to improve the social significance of women’s sports. Being a professional league has also helped the players improve their level of performance, as they have more time to spend on body development, such as training and massages, unlike amateurs who practice in limited time after work.

I would like to continue to create horizontal ties that go beyond baseball, softball, basketball, and other sports, and to encourage children from different family backgrounds, especially girls, to have opportunities to play sports. In Europe and the United States, there are several iconic players who are the object of admiration for soccer girls. I hope that the WE-League will produce such players.”

We want to energize women’s soccer and women’s sports in Japan and spread that enthusiasm outside of Japan. First Chair Okajima strongly believes that sports have the power to move and enthuse people and bring them together. This power transcends gender, country, and language.

The Power of Sports to Empower People When asked about future expectations for the collaboration with JICA through women’s soccer, Okajima, the first chair, gave the following answer.

In the future, I would like to see WE League players go to developing countries and give their uniforms directly to children. I would also like them to open soccer schools there. In the face of children devoting themselves to soccer in a situation where facilities and soccer equipment are not available, the players can also see the option of working as local coaches after they retire. On the other hand, by witnessing the existence of professional female soccer players, the children will learn that there is a world where they can make a living playing soccer, and that becoming a female soccer player will become their future dream. We would be happy if we could implement such activities in cooperation with JICA.

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