Title: Winds of Change for Youth and Children's Sport in Japan? A Case Study of the Kashima Antlers' Soccer Development Program
Abstract:Up until the introduction of the professional soccer league, the J. League, in 1993 the practice of sport in Japan had been limited to Japanese educational and corporate institutions. Aimed at promoti...Up until the introduction of the professional soccer league, the J. League, in 1993 the practice of sport in Japan had been limited to Japanese educational and corporate institutions. Aimed at promoting both local identity and developing broad player bases, J. League clubs have promoted children and young peoples soccer outside the school system and this marks a significant departure from a sport system that has been in place since the late nineteenth century. Despite the growth in writing on the J. League in the lead up to the 2002 FIFA World Cup these developments have yet to receive significant research attention. In setting out to redress this oversight in the literature this paper reports on a preliminary findings in an ongoing study on the provision and promotion of community-based soccer in Ibaraki Prefecture by the J. League club, the Kashima Antlers and the promotion of soccer among children and youth in the region. Results indicate that, within the larger context of considerable economic and social change in Japan over the past two decades, these developments in childrens and youth sport, as are evident in the development program of the Kashima Antlers, herald significant change in the practice of sport for children and young people across Japan.Read More
Publication Year: 2004
Publication Date: 2004-02-13
Language: en
Type: article
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