After the incredible J.League match day experience in episode 1, all focus turns to the J.League World Challenge in Yokohama, as Premier League champions Liverpool are in town. Ahead of the clash with Yokohama F. Marinos, we’re exploring why the Premier League is so big in Japan, how this has lead to Liverpool’s return after decades away, and exactly what it’s like to be a loyal, die-hard fan of a football team that plays on the other side of the planet.
00:00It's not easy for us to travel to Liverpool. It's like 6,000 miles from here. Having Liverpool here in Japan is just a dream come true.
00:30It's amazing. I didn't even think of it. I enjoyed the game today.
00:41A deep curiosity and interest in Japanese football brought us to this amazing country to discover the J-League, its culture, its history and an unbelievable J-League matchday.
00:50We're now moving into episode 2. We want to see how the Japanese fans fell in love with the Premier League and just why it means so much to them.
00:57I've always enjoyed it. I've always been training them, but I've always been excited for them.
01:04We can show, not only to the players, but also to the world, how passionate we are.
01:10And what better setting for this than here in Yokohama, where for the J-League World Challenge, the Premier League champions are in town.
01:17Since its inception in 1993, the Premier League has truly become a global phenomenon.
01:32There probably isn't a corner of the earth where a household or a local pub like this isn't showing the Premier League on a weekend.
01:39I think the reason why so many Japanese fans are attracted to the Premier League, it has always been seen as the very top of the European pyramid where players want to play in the Premier League because that's as high as they can go in terms of club football.
01:46The style of play, it's very intensive and faster paced.
01:53I think the style of play, it's very intensive and faster paced.
02:00In England is where the sport was born.
02:03The game is where the sport was born.
02:06There is a certain romanticism about these clubs and their histories and their history.
02:12There's a certain romanticism about the World Challenge.
02:18I've always been talking about football, but it's a very hard poin.
02:20The season has always been in a hockey league.
02:21I've always been talking about football.
02:23the sport was born. There is a certain romanticism about these clubs and their histories, some of
02:30which extend 100 years and then some. We know that it's very deeply connected to its communities.
02:36In England football provides a sense of pride, belonging, and identity. Your support continues
02:46through generations. I think your granddad was a supporter, your great granddad was a supporter,
02:52and your son or daughter is a supporter. It's amazing.
02:57That interest in the Premier League only grew as more and more Japanese players started to arrive
03:02and play key roles for their clubs. When Hide Toshi Nakata made the Premier League,
03:07when Shinji Kagawa finally went from Dortmund to Man United, those were seen as seminal moments
03:14in terms of Japanese football history, signing for big clubs and getting into the starting lineup
03:19and contributing.
03:24I think that's a lot of Japanese soccer.
03:27I feel like I'm getting up to Japan. I think that's the level of Japanese
03:31level. When I saw Japan, there were Japanese players who were in the South, but now there are
03:35many players.
03:37So, if you go to Japan, you can go to Japan and go to Japan and go to Japan.
03:41You can go to Japan and go to Japan and go to Japan.
03:43You can go to Japan and go to Japan and go to Japan.
03:47I think they can grow up with Japanese soccer.
03:52A decade, two decades ago, playing for them was not just a dream but a fantasy.
03:57And now you see Shinjikigawa at Man United, Kaworu Mitoma at Brighton, now Kota Takai at Spurs.
04:04And the popularity of so many teams, not just Liverpool, up and down the country,
04:08has led to the creation of so many fan clubs like the OLFC.
04:17So we often hold screening events.
04:22So we can get together to watch Liverpool, sometimes at 4am.
04:29You know, we can feel connected to each other and to the club to have gatherings like that.
04:37Japanese fan clubs are important to building these relationships
04:41because it does help the fans find each other.
04:44And that can be really hard to do when you're watching games that kick off at 11 o'clock or midnight
04:49or 4 in the morning when it comes to Champions League.
04:52So we feel stronger when we sacrifice a lot getting out of bed at 4am.
04:59On the end of the day, we have lost our sleep.
05:02Yes, it's the only time we have to sleep.
05:04We have to talk to our friends.
05:07We have to lose our sleep.
05:08We have to lose our sleep.
05:10In that sense, the fan groups that are working hard to create those communities
05:15and to create a place to gather and to create an atmosphere
05:18where it's OK to support your team and it's encouraged,
05:21they're doing a lot of hard work.
05:22All of this leads to clubs building a positive relationship with their fan bases
05:30and Liverpool are the perfect example of this.
05:32Of course, success has helped bring in so many fans recently,
05:35but when you couple it with the fact that they've got Endo,
05:37who is the Japan national team captain,
05:39it brings this combination of piquing interest
05:42that really, really benefits the club and their fans.
05:44When clubs like Liverpool come over for the J-League World Challenge,
05:49I think that it's important because not only do casual fans of the game
05:54get a chance to see big clubs come to Japan and face J-League competition,
05:59which really helps them to contextualize where J-League clubs stand
06:04against the best of Europe.
06:05It does give long-time fans of those clubs a chance to see them in person
06:10and form these stronger relationships.
06:13Many of them have flown over and gone to Anfield and watched games,
06:17but it's not an easy trip.
06:19It's not easy to get tickets, it's not easy to fly over,
06:22it's not easy to get your vacation time.
06:24For Liverpool to come over, it does mean a lot to their fans here.
06:28I think that the club understands that
06:30and they're going to return that love and kind.
06:32I think there will be a mix of fans,
06:35Yokohama F Marinos fans and maybe kind of neutral fans.
06:40Marinos players will play really hard to impress on a swap, I guess.
06:45I'm here from Toronto, so I flew all this way just for four days
06:46just to come see Liverpool in Japan.
06:48I've travelled to Hong Kong and here to watch the guys.
06:50Steven Gerrard said if Liverpool had a match on the moon,
06:53then Liverpool fans would find a way to get there.
06:55I'm here from Toronto, so I flew all this way just for four days
06:59just to come see Liverpool in Japan.
07:01I've travelled to Hong Kong and here to watch the guys.
07:04Steven Gerrard said if Liverpool had a match on the moon,
07:08then Liverpool fans would find a way to get there.
07:11with lots of thanks so much for your pleasure.
07:18And when I came across the activated video,
07:20I'd love to hogy some Hannah Lee.
07:25He said if I just ate his$10.
07:30I tubes Kanoa and I was very happy for you.
07:35And if I was told,
07:37he sesi待って everything,
07:40If you form a relationship with Japanese fans, they will stick with you forever.
07:46The clubs who understand that and the clubs that work with that, they really reap the benefits of those communities.
07:53Because it has to be a two-way conversation. It can't just be the supporter groups doing all the work.
07:58They need to know that their work is being seen and being appreciated.
08:02I think that the club understands that and they're going to return that love and kind.
08:06Meeting with local fan clubs, holding these events and doing more than just parachuting in for a friendly.
08:13Like, it really is about building the community.
08:16It's more than a preseason game because I think there will be lots of kids in the stadium.
08:23They will watch Liverpool play. They will watch Van Dijk, Mo Salah.
08:28And I think they will be really impressed by how they play.
08:32And there will be Liverpool fans.
08:36So I think it's really important for the Japanese fans.
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