Japan Women’s Football
Japan Women’s Football: Tradition & Innovation - Nadeshiko League & WE League
The birth of women’s football
Women’s football in Japan emerged in the 1960’s and 1970’s. More and more teams were founded across the country, and the first regional competitions began to take place. It became more official and nationalised in 1980, when the first edition of the All Japan Women’s Football Championship was launched. Although this was an 8 a side tournament, played on smaller fields than the men’s game, it laid the foundations for successful generations of Japanese players to come.
The Japanese Women’s Football League was established in 1989, one of the earliest to officially launch, putting them in a world-leading position as the women’s game began to grow internationally. The Japanese team were well established in the lead up to the Asian Games first including women’s football in 1990, and the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup which was launched in 1991.
The birth of the national league was greatly significant in building the culture and talent pool in Japan, contributing to the national team’s constant presence at every FIFA Women’s World Cup since. During its 30 year history, the Japan Women’s Football League has experienced numerous economic difficulties, but has always survived and continued to grow. Today it is known as the Nadeshiko League, sharing its name with the nickname of the national team, which is a term in their native language used to praise the idealized Japanese woman.
World Cup triumph, but missed opportunity?
Japan’s success at international level has continued to grow the profile of the league, with victory in the 2011 Women’s World Cup having a huge impact. The success came a few months after the Tohoku Tsunami and earthquake, giving it huge symbolic power around the nation, and it created a hype around women’s football in Japan like never before.
Brands and broadcasters started showing interest in the league, women's football players suddenly became celebrities, the attendance of the matches increased dramatically, and young girls finally started to consider women's football as a career. This could have been the ideal moment to professionalise the league, yet the organisers and the JFA were unable to capitalise on this momentum.
Despite following this success up with a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics, and their run to the final of the 2015 World Cup, the league has continued to exist in a semi-professional environment, and never quite made the leap to a fully mature and professional system. This is not uncommon in women’s football globally, with only a handful of leagues recently becoming fully professional, but surprising considering the history and success of the women’s game in Japan.
A change needed? A new vision
Despite the fact that the league is run in a well-balanced environment domestically, comprising amateur and some professional players, discussions took place to assess where Japan fits into the worldwide development of women’s football. There were shared views about the need for Japanese women’s football to be consistently ranked highly, both in terms of the domestic league and international performance, and suggestions that there could be ways to support this success and enhance the game’s value. Japan's underperformance in recent international competitions, combined with the fast growth of women's football in Europe, have clearly inspired the decision makers to act fast.
It was agreed that reforming and revitalising the league was of huge importance for the growth of the game, with a particular aim to fully professionalise it for the first time. However, this vision is not solely a sporting one, and is linked to the wider social mission for the general empowerment of women in Japan. Despite its developed economy, Japan has one of the lowest levels for the advancement of women among similar nations worldwide, recently being ranked 121st in a global gender equality league table.
Discussions between the football association, league directors and the Japanese government highlighted the impact this new league could have to promote and involve women more in national culture. The new league has been named “WE (Women Empowerment) League”, befitting of this bigger ambition, and is reflected in the values of the league, which state they aim to have a significant impact on Japanese society.
Despite the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WE League is scheduled to begin in September 2021. This is the first time the Japanese season will run on the same calendar as the European leagues, another move to align with the growth and structure of the global women’s game.
Combining leagues - strategy for the women’s game to grow
The Nadeshiko League will continue to exist as a nationwide amateur league beneath the new WE League, and they will collaborate closely for a wider diffusion and greater development of women’s football. There will be no relegation, but promotion from the Nadeshiko to the WE League will be gradually introduced over the coming years, similar to the model in the USA’s National Women’s Soccer League. Of 17 applicant teams, 6-10 will be accepted into the first season. New teams will continue to join as the seasons progress, allowing the top flight to continue to grow, and creating an active, thriving football pyramid nationwide.
Unlike many of the growing women’s leagues, where the clubs are funded and resourced by an existing mens’ teams, in Japan the clubs and league are separate from the existing J.League infrastructure for the moment. Feasibility studies carried out across Europe highlighted the mutual benefit of clubs supporting teams of both genders, and that it was often made mandatory for the clubs to build women’s teams, and there is a hope that this will be possible in the coming years in Japan.
However, there is a unique character to the women’s game and the culture around it in Japan, and a key founding principle of the WE League is that this should be celebrated and developed independently. During the discussions, it was recognised that women’s teams have their own history, as well as different organisational and playing styles, and the WE League is working to define and promote this distinct identity. Some of the most successful teams in the Nadeshiko League (for example INAC Kobe & Nojima Stella) are completely independent from the J.League teams, and this trend will continue, ensuring the teams do not get overshadowed by their male counterparts. There are quotas in place to ensure female input: within 3 years, 50% of the clubs' employees need to be women and there needs to be at least one female board member in each club.
“We are trying to create a cycle” shared a spokesperson from the new league, “where clubs and the league unite to accomplish professionalisation of women’s football by raising the standard in various aspects together, and building a system for growth and success”.
“This all connects to a bigger goal, for our Nadeshiko (women’s national team) to claim the world championship again”, they continued.
“After medal winning success at the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, as well as the London 2012 Olympic Games, we know we belong at this level. We want to keep up somehow with the world’s top women’s teams, and want to make our new league a place where the world’s best players gather. The aim is to develop our league to entice players from Europe, the US and many other countries to come to Japan.”
“In FIFA and also the AFC, women’s club competitions are increasingly on the agenda, and are convinced this trend is here to stay. We are aiming to be the world champion again, to be amongst the world’s best all the time, and to be the pathway that girls strive for. For this to be reality, the new league is essential, and can serve as the solid platform for development”
Partners not sponsors - a new business model
The WE League will focus on the co-creation of the new value of the women’s club competition with suitable partners who are supporting the empowerment of women, representing a brand new model of sports business of Japan. There is a clear focus on partnership, rather than just sponsorship, with importance placed on the wider social impact this league and their partners can help to create.
"Supporting professional football players through the league, we aim with our future partners to create empowered environments of Japan where more women can play active parts more easily than before”, shared the WE League spokesperson.
“Moving away from existing and traditional sponsorship schemes, the league will cooperate with the companies and people who are dedicated to creating a new social structure in Japan”
“By sharing knowledge about the women’s club competition and by linking key stakeholders, the WE and Nadeshiko Leagues will work with our partners to create new value in various industries, such as technologies and services. As women’s football continues to grow in popularity and importance in our society, and the role of women is more free and independent, there will be growing opportunities for brands and partners to build relationships with female consumers.”
This is indicative of the multiple aims set out by the league, in the belief that developing women’s football will contribute both economically and socially in Japanese culture.
Final thoughts - long term visions
In line with this belief in the wider impact women’s football can create in Japanese society, the WE League has set out three clear and ambitious visions for their soon to launch competition.
01 - To become the most active women's community in the world
02 - To realise the best women's football in the world
03 – To create the best league value in the world
These targets are all underpinned by the league’s philosophy, that ‘through women's football and sports, we will contribute to the realisation and development of a society in which each and every one of us is full of dreams and open to new ways of life’.
“Emphasising and communicating this big vision is important for us, and important for everyone in Japanese society to understand the extent of our aims”, shared the league’s spokesperson.
“The first mission is to obtain a recognised presence and build a solid platform enabling the league’s steady development. By 2030, we will assess how we have performed, and hope to be well on the way to achieving these three core visions”
“We hope to become a high-value league in terms of football, society, and business, and contribute to the development of women's football in Japan, Asia, and the world”.
