The game is prospering

Despite geographical constraints Australian Football is flourishing in Japan.

Melbourne man A W McLean introduced Australian Football to Japan in 1910, although little is known about the game’s role in the country between then and the mid-1980s.

Australian Football was re-introduced to Japan in 1986, when Hawthorn and Carlton played for the Aussie Bowl at Yokohama Stadium in front of 25,000 people. Takeo Iida, a keen follower of the competition, worked for Fuji TV, which sponsored the match and helped broadcast it back to Melbourne.

Japan’s first club, Keio University, was formed in 1987. Later that year, Essendon ruckman Paul Salmon visited Tokyo and conducted a football clinic for young Japanese boys.

Several weeks later, the second Aussie Bowl game was played at Yokohama Stadium, with Hawthorn taking on Essendon. The first match between Japanese teams was played as a curtain raiser, with the Keio Hawks defeating the Waseda Bombers.

In 1988, the Keio Hawks made their first football tour of Melbourne, watching several finals, including the Hawthorn-Melbourne Grand Final at the MCG.

The Tokyo Goannas were formed in 1991, playing regular games against Japanese university teams.

The Japan Australian Football Association was formed in Japan a year later, with three teams: the Samurai (a university team), the Go-Kong (university old boys) and the Tokyo Goannas (expatriates). The JAFA affiliated with the AFL last year, and is now known as Japan AFL.

In 2000, Japan began a sister club relationship with Victorian Amateur Football Association club Box Hill North, with one Japanese player moving to Melbourne for a year to play with the club.

In 2001, Troy Beard took over as coach of the Japanese national team. Troy’s plan was to build a team that would be a force in international competition.

Troy led the Samurais to the Australian Football International Cup in Melbourne in 2002, with the team showing crowds that it could mix it with the best, despite being small in stature. Japan lost its five games to finish in 10th place.

In 2004, the Samurai toured Melbourne and Singapore, playing six matches and defeating four quality sides.

Japan took part in the Arafura games in 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2001, showing significant improvement every year.

This year, the Japanese team has played in front of big crowds, who have been amazed at the zippy new style of play that showcases the young team’s speed and slick hand skills.

The squad picked to play in Melbourne is very quick and highly skilled, with the extra advantage of having played together in numerous games locally and internationally.

Japan now has four leagues, including a women’s league, with more than 500 registered players around the country competing in league competition and other games. Some 83 per cent of the registered players are Japanese nationals.

In a country where open space is scarce, with suitable venues to play Australia Football difficult to find, the greatest game on earth thrives and continues to grow.

Thanks to the great support of sponsor Robert Walters, Australian Football in the land of the rising sun would not have prospered as much as it has in recent years.