How the J.League rose from 10 clubs to 60 across Japan’s islands

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Image supplied by ©J. League

Starting as a modest 10-team league, the J.League has expanded into a formidable three-tiered structure, boasting 60 professional clubs spread across Japan’s islands, stretching from the southern reaches of Okinawa to the northern city of Sapporo is an achievement to be proud of.

They adopted the traditional aspects of European football, envisioning a unified pyramid structure where any team could aspire to reach the pinnacle. Simultaneously, they excelled America’s emphasis on commercialism and merchandising, aiming to establish a football powerhouse in one of the world’s rapidly expanding economies.

In this interview with Soccerscene, J.League Media Officer, Hisao Shuto discusses the dream that Saburo Kawabuchi had envisioned in the early 1990s, the collaboration with Optus Sport, the approach for developing homegrown players and how the J-League promoted its community based-clubs in J2 and J3.

Japan Football Association General Secretary Saburo Kawabuchi had a dream of creating a “social revolution,” can you please explain to me what that involved?

Hisao Shuto: In order to improve the standard of football in Japan and to promote widely, it was thought that professionalisation was necessary. It was also considered necessary to establish sports clubs, following the example of European sports clubs, to create a culture in which all generations can enjoy their favourite sports, not only football, whenever they want, and to build a safe and comfortable sports environment with stadiums where they can experience top-level games and grass fields.

In addition, to contribute to friendship and exchange in the international community through football, which is played all over the world, these are the missions of the J.League.

What challenges did the J.League come across in that period of time?

Hisao Shuto: To make J clubs an indispensable presence in each hometown. To share the importance of social contribution in each hometown with the clubs and to expand their efforts. Another challenge was to stabilize the management of the clubs after the J.League’s inaugural boom had passed.

What do you think about the collaboration with Optus Sport? Has it been a success overall?

Hisao Shuto: Since 2020, Optus Sport has provided a valuable platform for the J.League to reach audiences in Australia, and we’ve appreciated the opportunity to engage with a new audience in the region and promoting the league outside of Japan. We are proud of our collaboration which has been beneficial for both parties and successful in driving new fans to the sport.

 

Can you please explain to me how the promotion and relegation setup is run across the three division? Has it been a success in your opinion?

Hisao Shuto: According to the annual ranking of J1, J2, and J3 (20 clubs each), three clubs in each category will be promoted or relegated. For promotion from J2 to J1 and J3 to J2, the top two clubs are automatically promoted, and the remaining one slot is decided in a playoff.

The promotion playoffs will make the league more exciting until the last day of the season, as many clubs will still have a chance to be promoted until the end of the season. The promotion playoffs have been a success with large spectators at each stadium.

One of Japan’s greatest successes in football has been its breeding ground for home grown players, what was the approach by becoming a hub for developing these kind of talented players?

Hisao Shuto: Prior to the start of the J-League, high schools were the primary training fields. The national high school championships, which attracted crowds of 50,000 for the finals, have long contributed to the strengthening and targeting of teenage football players.

After the establishment of the J.League, each club was required to have its own academy division for the purpose of raising the standard and promoting the spread of football. Academy players continued to compete in a selective environment, and the J.League has followed the European model by setting and managing standards for academy departments and allocating funds to support their activities to all clubs.

Each club academy created the position of academy director to clarify the role of development. In addition, many opportunities were provided for the academy generation to compete in cup competitions, league matches, and overseas tours.

Other measures included providing learning opportunities for coaches and subsidies (up to 4 million yen per club to promote the creation of opportunities for players and coaches to go overseas). We have also worked with the Japan Football Association (JFA) to invest in development activities, exchange information, and hold Elite Youth Course A coach training workshops.

We believe it is necessary to continue our development activities through ongoing learning for leaders such as academy directors and coaches, and by providing opportunities in the game environment.

What is Japan Professional Football League doing to increase the viewership so that more people from around the world tune in to watch the matches?

J.League recognises the importance of growing our global audience, and we are implementing various strategies to achieve this goal. These efforts include organizing friendly matches between J.League clubs and overseas clubs, activating on-ground promotions overseas, and actively engaging with fans on social media platforms in multiple languages. By enhancing accessibility and promoting the excitement of J.League football, we aim to attract more viewers from around the world.

Was there any type of barriers to overcome in creating J2 and J3? If so, what were they? if not, what did the Professional Football League do so well to not have any obstacles?

Hisao Shuto: There were no major barriers. The establishment of J2 was a natural step, as the creation of J.League clubs throughout Japan had been a goal from the beginning, and many clubs wanted to join the J. League after the establishment of J1. Many clubs thereafter wanted to be part of the J.League, and J3 was created to meet their needs.

How did the Japan Professional Football League promote the clubs in the J2 and J3 to the fans, considering a lot of clubs are community based? 

Hisao Shuto: J.League activities would not be possible without the support of each hometown. Therefore, since its inception, the J.League has emphasised social contribution activities in each hometown. These activities include not only the promotion of football, but also the promotion of other sports in the community, health promotion activities, and cooperation with government activities.

J.League also develops “Sharen!” program to address social issues (education, diversity, generational exchange, etc.) in cooperation with three or more parties, including companies and local governments in the hometown.

In addition, since last year, Club Support Division has been established within the league in charge of working with clubs to increase media exposure in their local communities to attract even more fans and supporters in each hometown.

What was the way for clubs to maintain their budget financially in the J2 and J3? Was it successful? Have any clubs been removed due to financial instability?

Hisao Shuto: J.League provides each J. League club with an equal allocation for each category.  In addition, a club license system has been in place since 2012 to ensure that clubs do not run beyond their scale of business and maintain sound management. This club licensing system aims to continuously improve the competitive and facility standards of football by setting standards in terms of competition and facilities, and to stabilize the management of clubs and improve their financial capacity and reliability by setting financial, personnel, legal, and other standards.

At the end of 1998, Yokohama Flugels was merged into Yokohama Marinos, which also has Yokohama as its hometown, due to the mismanagement and withdrawal of the investing company, but since then, no club has been removed due to financial instability.

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Brisbane Roar partners with PlanPay for 2026/27

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Image Credit: Brisbane Roar

TWELVE months ago, as the 2025/26 A-League Men’s season kicked off, Brisbane Roar’s active supporter group surged back to life.

‘The Den’ – as they’re known – had been a famous feature of the Roar’s Championship-winning glory years. Now heavily re-populated by a younger wave of supporters, their enthusiasm through early-season results against Macarthur, Melbourne City and Newcastle made them, momentarily, the talk of the A-League.

The Roar’s administration understand what a crucial role their supporters play in the health of the club – be they the new generation at the front of The Den, or the loyalists who have ridden the ups and downs of their 21 A-League seasons.

So, they have partnered with Australian-founded company PlanPay, to soften the financial barriers and increase fiscal flexibility for those wanting to cheer on the Roar’s men’s and women’s sides, helping to get them in the stands as early as possible.

‘Membership is the most important thing we offer, but given the current cost of living crisis, it’s also the hardest ask at the moment,’ Roar’s Head of Public Relations and Communications, Joseph Esposito, told Soccerscene.

‘When you’re targeting families of four, or youngsters, a full membership can be a big hit in one go. It’s important to be realistic, so having an option like PlanPay lets members spread that cost over time with no interest and no credit check.’

‘It also means we can get people to commit to membership earlier, to come on board and be part of something. It works on both ends, allowing us to offer an earlier price point for potential members – and most importantly, we’re not asking them to spend beyond their means.’

One of PlanPay’s key advantages is its ability to align payment schedules with how Australians actually earn their income.

According to Australian Bureau of Statistics payroll data from March 2024, approximately 86% of Australian employees are paid weekly or fortnightly, with 33% receiving weekly wages and 53% paid fortnightly. In comparison, just 12% are paid monthly.

Despite this, many traditional membership payment options are structured around upfront or monthly payments, which don’t necessarily align with household cash flow.

By offering weekly, fortnightly or monthly instalments, PlanPay allows Roar supporters to choose a payment schedule that suits their payday and household budget, making football memberships more manageable without relying on credit, interest or debt.

The partnership is also timely in a local sense; the ABS has also found sports participation costs in Brisbane rose 9.6% in the year to June 2025. Furthermore, as of March 2026, 41% of Australians had used a BNPL service in the past six months (Finder).

‘From our end, it’s essentially a bit like a modern layby. You choose your membership, pay a small deposit, and then pay the rest in instalments on the schedule that suits the individual,’ said Esposito.

‘Once the first payment is made your membership is fully active. We have previously had monthly payments to ease the pinch, but opening it up to have fortnightly or weekly options, more often makes it a whole lot easier to have people in.’

PlanPay was founded in Sydney in 2022 as a digitised lay-by for travel, and has since moved into ticketing, sports, and live events alongside expansion into the US and UK.

The company is now based in Charlotte, North Carolina, while maintaining its engineering, customer support and onboarding presence in Australia. PlanPay continues to partner with merchants globally to bring another way to pay, to more fans, Brian Learst, Chairman of PlanPay said:

‘We are thrilled to help Brisbane Roar FC lower the total cost of attending their matches by providing fans with debt-free, interest-free flexible payment plans.’

‘PlanPay allows fans to purchase the best seats early and customise their payment size and timing.’

Both the Roar’s men’s and women’s side present as fascinating prospects this season.

Newly-appointed women’s manager Johnathan Clemente is the youngest manager in A-Leagues history, with his charges looking to better last season’s impressive semi-final finish.

Meanwhile, the men’s outfit kicked off their second season under Michael Valkanis on Friday at Suncorp Stadium with an impressive win over Perth Glory, and will again rely on the energy and passion of those in the stands to drive their success both on and off the field.

‘Our fans are not just the present, but the future. In that regard, it’s not about getting them to spend beyond their means; it’s about allowing them to get in earlier, and in an easier way,’ continued Esposito.

‘Lots of younger fans are students, or they’re early in their working lives. Being realistic about it, paying a full season membership can sometimes be a real barrier, especially if they’re living out of home, paying rent for the first time.

‘Having PlanPay allows them to have the option that isn’t acquiring interest or debt, makes it easier for them to budget, and most importantly allows them to do what they do, without spending beyond their means.’

Make Membership More Accessible for Your Fans — Talk to PlanPay

The Spreadsheet Is Dead: Majestri’s Fix for How Clubs Actually Assess Players

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If you’ve ever sat through a club’s end-of-season review, you’ll know the drill. A coach pulls out a folder of notes, someone half-remembers what a player was like back in Round 3 and a parent quietly wonders what they actually got for their rego fees beyond a team photo. Football club platform Majestri says it has a fix for that, and it’s built directly into its Player Assessment module.

Why clubs bother assessing players in the first place

According to Majestri, clubs run player assessments for one of three reasons – usually more than one at once. Some are chasing genuine development, using the data to lift the level across their high-performance squads. Others are after a fairer way to pick teams, putting every player on the same measurable scale so selection is based on evidence rather than a coach’s gut feel about who “looks the part.” And for clubs operating under a Football Australia or state federation licence, assessments at set intervals often aren’t optional – they’re a compliance requirement, with the paperwork to prove it when asked.

Whatever the motivation, Majestri’s pitch is the same: don’t let that assessment data die in a spreadsheet on someone’s laptop.

Build your own assessment, your way

There’s no one-size-fits-all template here. The Assessment Designer lets technical directors set their own criteria, sort them into whatever categories their coaching staff already use – think core skills, possession, defending, attacking – and decide what each point on the rating scale actually means. Crucially, every criterion also gets a comment field, because a bare number rarely tells the full story of a player’s development.

The Assessment Module Builder for an NPL Juniors assessment
The Assessment Module Builder, showing an NPL Juniors assessment with a 1-10 rating scale banded from under performing through to excelling and role-specific criteria grouped into core skills, possession, defending and attacking. Source: Majestri.

Build it once and it’s reusable every time that assessment cycle comes around, so every player and every coach – is working off the same yardstick.

Something for the parents to actually take home

One of the more relatable pain points Majestri is targeting: most families never see much tangible return from a season of fees beyond a team photo. Player Assessment addresses that with report cards – colour-coded against the same scale coaches used, grouped by category with averages calculated automatically, and delivered as a PDF or an interactive web page a parent can read without needing a coaching badge themselves.

A player report card for an under-15 player
A report card for an under-15 player, colour-coded from under performing to excelling, with a score for every criterion and a group average across core skills, possession, defending and attacking. Source: Majestri.

 

Turning the numbers into something useful

The real value, though, sits in what Majestri calls the Player Analysis Lab. This is where clubs can plot a player against their team-mates or an entire age group across two categories at once, spotting clusters and outliers at a glance. Every score gets read against the group average – so a “7” actually means something in context – and clubs can report at the broad category level or drill into individual fields underneath. The results can be filtered down and exported for selection meetings or grading purposes.

The Player Analysis Lab comparing players in an under-15 and under-16 squad
The Player Analysis Lab comparing seven players across under-15 and under-16 squads, with a scatter plot, a sortable table of scores against the player average, and controls for choosing which categories and fields to report on. Source: Majestri.

The admin side nobody enjoys, made easier

Beyond the flashy analytics, there’s a practical layer built for the volunteers actually running the process:

  • Sweep monitoring – a quick view of which assessments are done and which are still outstanding, organised into defined assessment periods so progress can be tracked against peers.
  • Individual development plans – every player gets a personalised plan, and clubs can group common improvement areas to run cross-team training sessions that lift the whole club rather than just one squad.
  • Access control – coaches and technical staff can only see assessments for the teams they’re responsible for, and completed assessments are only visible to people linked to that player’s registration.
“Hard numbers to draw on when you review coaching staff and curriculum – and something tangible for the players and parents who pay the fees.” – Majestri

 

The bigger picture

Majestri frames all of this as sitting on top of the club’s own data – assessment results live on each player’s profile inside the platform rather than in a spreadsheet that walks out the door when a technical director moves on. For committees, it also means hard numbers to lean on when reviewing coaching staff or curriculum, rather than relying on anecdote.

It’s a fairly clear read on where club administration software is heading: less about digitising paperwork for its own sake, and more about making the data clubs already collect actually work for player development, team selection and compliance  without adding to the workload of the volunteers who run the show.

For more information on Majestri’s Player Assessment module, visit majestri.com.au/player-assessment.

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