Efforts to realise the strategy “60 clubs will shine in their respective hometowns”

In the 2024 season, J.LEAGUE recorded the highest attendance since its inception. One of the main reasons for this can be attributed to the increased media exposure of football, including coverage of match results in each region. The J.LEAGUE has focused efforts on boosting media exposure in each region as a means of promoting football in order to realise one of its two growth strategies: “60 clubs will shine in their respective hometowns.” The aim is to boost media exposure in each region, stir interest in football and J.LEAGUE clubs, and promote the spread of football.

The Japan Football Association (JFA) and J.LEAGUE, in cooperation with the football associations of each region, their respective J.Clubs, and local broadcast stations, started broadcasting the football TV programme “KICK OFF!” in 30 regions (45 prefectures) in April 2023 (the TV programme was launched ahead of this in October 2022 in the five prefectures of Fukushima, Toyama, Ehime, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima). In April 2024, with the addition of Fukui Prefecture and Kochi Prefecture, the programme was expanded nationwide to cover 47 prefectures in 32 regions. The launch of “KICK OFF!” has led to an increase in football coverage in all regions, with media exposure of football information on national commercial broadcasters 416% higher than before the 2022 initiative (according to an advertising agency survey).

Increased media exposure of football information is also linked to clubs attracting more spectators. In particular, for matches where the clubs focused on attracting spectators, they worked with local TV stations to promote the matches on many programmes prior to the match date. Also, the clubs and J.LEAGUE club support staff worked together to implement a wide range of initiatives to attract spectators by planning activities and events on the day of the match. The dissemination of information in advance through various media, especially television, led to unprecedented attendance. For example, J2 club Oita Trinita’s attendance of 28,359 (MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE, Matchweek 26) was almost triple their usual attendance, while Fujieda MYFC, also in the J2, broke the club’s all-time attendance record three times in one season, with an attendance 136% higher than in 2023 (the highest attendance was 10,667 for MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE Matchweek 32 vs. Shimizu S-Pulse).
Efforts to boost the media exposure of local clubs in each region and generate interest in football have encouraged many fans and supporters to attend matches that focus on attracting spectators.

Examples of initiatives by individual clubs

Fujieda MYFC

Date	Fixture	Stadium
Saturday, July 13	Fujieda MYFC vs. Ehime FC	Fujieda Soccer Stadium

The club’s 15th anniversary match was set as a match focused on attracting spectators. Despite the rainy weather, 9,640 people attended the match, the highest number in the club’s history (as of July 13) and almost three times the usual attendance. The club visited all the broadcasters in the region and as a result, ten programmes (listed below) announced the match in the week leading up to the day of the game.

Oita Trinita

Date	Fixture	Stadium
Sunday, August 11	Oita Trinita vs. Roasso Kumamoto	RESONAC DOME OITA

A midsummer match was named “Turtle Festival,” and set as a match focused on attracting spectators. It recorded the highest attendance for a J2 club (28,359). This was almost three times the normal attendance (without free ticket plan). For a quarter of all spectators, it was their first visit to the stadium.
In the run-up to the match, the club collaborated with local broadcasters, who devoted a total of 3 hours and 35 minutes of airtime (around 2.3 times more than the usual coverage in Oita Prefecture) to introduce the match in their programmes.

FC Osaka

Date	Fixture	Stadium
Sunday, June 2	FC Osaka vs. Nara Club	Higashiosaka Hanazono Rugby Stadium

The club set the Mount Ikoma Derby with Nara Club as a match focused on attracting spectators and stepped up its pre-match publicity. A record-breaking 6,459 people attended the event, around three times the usual attendance and the largest number of spectators in the history of the club.
In addition to the pre-match broadcast, the club hosted a stadium event as KICK OFF! KANSAI.