| | | | | GAME
PLAN | | Holy salkow, Batman, Miki’s back! Yes, Japan’s very own Babe on Ice, Miki Ando, roared back to form in the opening event of the Grand Prix figure skating series, not only winning October’s Skate America competition in Connecticut, but overshadowing younger teen star Mao Asada, everybody’s current tip for greatness. Ando, of course, was panned after finishing a disappointing 15th at the Turin Olympics, but she’s lost a bit of chunkiness and taken her skating to a higher level; maybe now she will start to fulfill her promise. Next up on the calendar is the NHK Trophy from November 30 to December 3 in Nagano. Japan’s women skaters are hot right now. Catch them while you can. FV See sports listings for details.
| By
Fred Varcoe
The Tokyo Metropolis Football League
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| With 19 teams already
signed up, The Metropolis League kicked off its first
season last Saturday |
Some things are easily transferred from country
to country, others not so. If you're living in a strict
Islamic nation, you'd better leave your non-Muslim
religious symbols at home; if you're living in a dry
or remote foreign country, don't count on getting Boddingtons/Budweiser
to quench your thirst; and for other nations, you should check
your guns at the door. But one thing that people can import/export
around the world is sports. If you're lucky, you'll
find that when you move abroad organized teams are waiting
to welcome you in some shape or form. That's certainly
true in Tokyo, where sports lovers can play baseball, ice
hockey, softball, cricket, rugby, Aussie Rules football, tennis,
golf-in fact, almost anything.
The most universal sport of all is soccer, and when soccer
lovers move abroad, the first thing they do is try to find
a game. In Tokyo, there are places such as Yoyogi Park and
the riverbank at Futako-Tamagawa, where it's easy to
find or start a game of soccer. The pitch and rules may be
somewhat lax, but you're kicking a ball in the vague
direction of something that vaguely resembles a goal. This
is fine for some, but for others nothing but the real thing
will do. That means two sides of 11 players on a full-size
pitch with a referee. Easier said than done, and certainly
not an easy thing to do in Tokyo.
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In the past, there were tournaments for foreigners
(The Weekender Cup, The Japan Times Cup) and there was even
a league run by a sergeant at Yokota Air Force Base. The teams
were formed roughly on national lines-The British Football
Club, the Swiss Kickers, the Tokyo Irish, France FC-although
they invariably included Japanese and other nationalities.
These tournaments (and the teams) required dedication from
volunteers as well as sponsorship where possible.
In recent years, the Tokyo-based International Friendship
Football League (IFFL) gave foreigners and Japanese alike
an opportunity to play competitive soccer. Now, 19 teams have
gotten together to start a new league that Metropolis is happy
to lend its name to: The Tokyo Metropolis League. The association
is the brainchild of long-time resident Sid Lloyd of the British
Football Club.
"We've enjoyed many years playing in the IFFL,
but recently a few teams have wanted something a bit more
in line with other amateur leagues, with more regularity and
structure," Lloyd told Metropolis. "With the
backing of many team managers, we decided to create a new,
competitive amateur football league to be enjoyed by Tokyo's
foreign community."
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As word of mouth spread among the various
teams, more of the "foreign" football clubs
in Tokyo expressed a keen interest in signing up. "We
are starting with 19 teams and will expand to a maximum of
24 teams in two manageable leagues," says Lloyd, who
notes that the standard of soccer here is surprisingly high,
with several players previously signed up with professional
teams in Europe.
"That doesn't mean to say you have to be a superstar
to play," Lloyd explains. "As in any expat community,
the standard varies, but it is serious competition. This is
what the players want and this is what The Tokyo Metropolis
League will give them. We're more than happy to be
associated with Metropolis, as it has provided unparalleled
service to the foreign community over the years."
Metropolis publisher Mark Devlin is equally enthusiastic:
"We like to think of ourselves at Metropolis as serving
the community, and associating the magazine with this soccer
league is part of that service. The league itself is an important
opportunity for both foreigners and Japanese to come together
and, like Metropolis, it serves to benefit the community.
Sid has done a wonderful job of pulling together media, sponsors
and, of course, the teams and players. I am sure the Metropolis
League will be a great success."
For more information on teams, fixtures
and the league itself, check out the TML web site at: www.Metropolis-League.com
or contact Sid Lloyd at info@Metropolis-League.com
Discuss sports
with METROPOLIS readers at http://forum.japantoday.com
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