Learning from Success: Implementing a Professional Football League in Japan

The transformation of football (or ‘soccer’ in the American context) into a global sport has several dimensions. These include: the migration of elite football talent, such as players and coaches, and the subsequent support of their fans, between nations, as well as within and between continents; the design and manufacturing of clothing, footwear and equipment for football professionals, amateurs and fans which forms a worldwide industry built on the branding of sports and merchandizing goods; the integration of new media technologies and the use of multiple new media platforms regarding the global transfer of images, information and messages produced and distributed by newspapers, magazines, radio, film, television, video, satellite, cable and the internet; and finally, the ideological dimension of the transfer of values centrally associated with football and its governing institutions. The declaration of the Japanese Football Association (JFA) exemplifies these multiple dimensions: “Through football, we realise the full benefits that sports can bring to our lives — the soundness of our bodies, the expansion of our minds, and the enrichment of our societies.”1