A 24 de julho, INAC Leonessa Kobe jogou em casa contra o JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies na frente 17.812 pessoas, batendpo o recorde de espectadores num jogo. No último jogo da equipa a assistência mal passou dos 1500 adeptos.
A record 17,812 fans came out to see a Kobe-Chiba match in the Nadeshiko League on July 24, the league's first game after the Women's World Cup.On July 19 and 20, 12 TV programs covered the team's practice session.
"We barely slept. And we didn't have time to eat," said Sawa, whose late equalizer in extra time forced a penalty shootout that lifted Japan to its upset victory over the United States in the World Cup final.
Star players of INAC Kobe Leonessa were offered TV commercial contracts and flooded with inquiries from potential sponsors. Sales of team souvenirs surged from about three orders a day before the World Cup to about 70 daily. The team's fan club membership also tripled to about 400.
On July 24, INAC Kobe Leonessa played at home against JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies in front of a record crowd of 17,812. The team's previous home-game attendance record was 1,403.
"We want to use the World Cup as a good opportunity to make a positive spiral where we can raise funds, boost our popularity and gain sponsorship for the sake of our players," a team official said.
The only World Cup-related plan the Urawa Reds Ladies have is to have its national team members greet fans at its home game on July 31.
"It wasn't our club team that won the World Cup. It was Nadeshiko Japan that won," explains a PR official.
Nadeshiko League games previously saw an average of around 1,000 people in the stands per game.
In 2008, when Nadeshiko Japan placed fourth at the Beijing Olympics, attendance rose by about 200 from the previous year to 1,107.
This year, the average was 788 in 24 games up to the World Cup break. The drop is largely attributed to the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake and a voluntary break taken by TEPCO Mareeze, the team that last year recorded the league's highest home stadium attendance, with 4,254 fans.
Nadeshiko Japan's victory, coming amid such a grim situation for the league and the nation, "has created an excitement that is completely different from what was felt after the Beijing Olympics," says Nadeshiko League senior executive Yoshinori Taguchi.
To keep the fever burning, the league began posting game digests on its official website. In addition, some Nadeshiko League games will now be broadcast over the Sky Perfect TV satellite network.
"If people come out to see the games, they will soon understand the joy that is unique to women's soccer," says Taguchi, referring to post-game events offered by some teams. For example, the Albirex Niigata Ladies members teach soccer clinics, while the Urawa Reds Ladies players sign autographs.
Of the 72 games in this regular season, 29 will charge admission fees. Prompted by the rising popularity of women's soccer following the World Cup, the league plans to charge admission for all games in 2013.
"Players will work harder to please fans because they'll feel that a higher level of play is needed to satisfy a paying audience," Taguchi predicts.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário