{"id":8504,"date":"2023-05-31T10:36:22","date_gmt":"2023-05-31T09:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/?p=8504"},"modified":"2023-05-31T13:54:49","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T12:54:49","slug":"player-pathways-how-japanese-football-can-maximise-its-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/player-pathways-how-japanese-football-can-maximise-its-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"Player Pathways: How Japanese Football can Maximise its Talent"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2  blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-2  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  thought-leadership-heading '><div class ='av-subheading av-subheading_above  ' style='font-size:15px;'><p>Thought Leadership<\/p>\n<\/div><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Player Pathways: How Japanese Football can Maximise its Talent<\/h2><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='color:#80808a; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><h4><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\"><\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 9<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">MIN READ<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-author '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3><strong>By Ben Marlow<\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>May 30, 2023<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  style='height:5px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><p><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-9  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-8465 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8465 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/GettyImages-1257772536.jpg\" alt='' title='FBL-ENG-PR-BRIGHTON-MAN CITY' height=\"683\" width=\"1024\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/GettyImages-1257772536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/GettyImages-1257772536-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/GettyImages-1257772536-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/GettyImages-1257772536-705x470.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div  style='height:5px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_image  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-share '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>Thought Leadership<\/h3>\n<p>Inspired by what you&#8217;re reading? Why not subscribe for regular insights delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-button-wrap avia-button-left  avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock ' ><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/contact\/news-signup\/'  class='avia-button  avia-color-theme-color   avia-icon_select-no avia-size-small avia-position-left '   ><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >Subscribe<\/span><\/a><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><hr \/>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='av-social-sharing-box  avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  '><div class='av-share-box'><h5 class='av-share-link-description av-no-toc '>Share this story<\/h5><ul class='av-share-box-list noLightbox'><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-facebook' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href='https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/player-pathways-how-japanese-football-can-maximise-its-talent\/&#038;t=Player%20Pathways%3A%20How%20Japanese%20Football%20can%20Maximise%20its%20Talent' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f3' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Facebook' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-twitter' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Twitter\" href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Player%20Pathways%3A%20How%20Japanese%20Football%20can%20Maximise%20its%20Talent&#038;url=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/?p=8504' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f1' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Twitter' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-linkedin' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" href='https:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;title=Player%20Pathways%3A%20How%20Japanese%20Football%20can%20Maximise%20its%20Talent&#038;url=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/player-pathways-how-japanese-football-can-maximise-its-talent\/' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8fc' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on LinkedIn' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-17  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Japanese football continues its march to maturity with Urawa Red Diamonds being the fourth Japanese team to contest the AFC Champions League Final in the last six years since 2017, emerging victorious in a tight tie against Saudi Arabia\u2019s Al Hilal. The two seasons where a Japanese team did not contest the final &#8211; 2020 &amp; 2021 &#8211; were covid-affected potentially providing some mitigation for deviating away from what is now becoming a customary dominance of club football in the East.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That Japan is home to quality footballers is being noticed by those European clubs willing to look beyond Europe\u2019s borders. We have written previously about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/japan-an-undervalued-market\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Celtic\u2019s success in finding value in the Japanese transfer market<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but this is only one example of Japanese players successfully plying their trade in some of the world\u2019s strongest leagues.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-19  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-20  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div   avia-builder-el-21  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='padding:10px 30px 10px 30px ; border-radius:0px; '><p><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-22  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-01-2-1030x740.png' class='avia_image'  ><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2534\" height=\"1821\" class='wp-image-8546 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8546 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-01-2.png\" alt='' title='Japans Pathways-01 (2)'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-01-2.png 2534w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-01-2-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-01-2-1030x740.png 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-01-2-768x552.png 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-01-2-1536x1104.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-01-2-2048x1472.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-01-2-1500x1078.png 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-01-2-705x507.png 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2534px) 100vw, 2534px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">*Players from countries with at least 1 appearance in the top two divisions in European countries. It is interesting to note Saudi Arabia\u2019s lack of talent exports. The Saudi Pro League\u2019s top teams are among Asia\u2019s strongest &#8211; Al Hilal were Urawa Red Diamonds\u2019 opponents in the recent AFC Champions League Final &#8211; but perhaps struggle to export Saudi players due to the domestic league allowing 8 foreign players per squad and the league\u2019s limited international recognition. Cristiano Ronaldo\u2019s recent move to Al Nassr and the ongoing discussions with Lionel Messi may change this.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-24  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-25  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-26  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the obvious progress in Japanese football, little is known about Japan\u2019s player pathways and the various routes that players take from being a promising young talent to a professional player in Japan\u2019s now-elite domestic competition, J League. Japan\u2019s current player pathway system is effectively a hybrid of the European academy and the US systems where elite sporting talent emerges from educational institutions. Specifically, Japan has three routes for promising players looking to make it to the top of the professional game:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Academy:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Like Europe, young players join a Japanese academy and emerge straight into the professional game. Recent example: Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>High school: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like in the US, players complete their high school education before turning professional. Recent example: Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>University:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 Similar to the college system in the US, players complete their university education before turning pro. Recent example: Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generally, all routes remain relevant in Japan with players able to succeed irrespective of the route taken &#8211; each route was well represented in Japan\u2019s 2022 World Cup squad with 11 players making their professional debut from a club\u2019s academy, 7 from high school and 8 from university. In principle, this may impinge on the development of elite Japanese talent. Our research suggests that minutes in adult professional football before the age of 21 has a significant impact on a player&#8217;s chance of developing into an elite talent (e.g. playing at UEFA Champions League level). The impact of the varied pathway is perhaps reflected in the average age of debutants in J League relative to Europe\u2019s \u2018Big Five\u2019 leagues:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-28  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-29  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div   avia-builder-el-30  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='padding:10px 30px 10px 30px ; border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-31  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-02-1030x591.png' class='avia_image'  ><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2534\" height=\"1455\" class='wp-image-8547 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8547 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-02.png\" alt='' title='Japans Pathways-02'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-02.png 2534w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-02-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-02-1030x591.png 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-02-768x441.png 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-02-1536x882.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-02-2048x1176.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-02-1500x861.png 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-02-705x405.png 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2534px) 100vw, 2534px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-32  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-33  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-34  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taking Japan\u2019s 2022 World Cup squad as an (admittedly small) sample, it bears out that the longer players stay in education, the later they debut in professional football. Interestingly, the older the age at debut, the higher quality the player, with the change in quality broadly consistent with what we\u2019d expect based on average performance age curves suggesting that the minutes accrued in High School or University are valuable from a development perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-36  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-37  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div   avia-builder-el-38  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='padding:10px 30px 10px 30px ; border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-39  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-04-1030x740.png' class='avia_image'  ><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2534\" height=\"1821\" class='wp-image-8462 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8462 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-04.png\" alt='' title='Japans Pathways-04'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-04.png 2534w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-04-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-04-1030x740.png 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-04-768x552.png 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-04-1536x1104.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-04-2048x1472.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-04-1500x1078.png 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-04-705x507.png 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2534px) 100vw, 2534px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-40  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-41  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div   avia-builder-el-42  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='padding:10px 30px 10px 30px ; border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-43  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-03-1-1030x740.png' class='avia_image'  ><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2534\" height=\"1821\" class='wp-image-8548 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8548 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-03-1.png\" alt='' title='Japans Pathways-03 (1)'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-03-1.png 2534w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-03-1-300x216.png 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-03-1-1030x740.png 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-03-1-768x552.png 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-03-1-1536x1104.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-03-1-2048x1472.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-03-1-1500x1078.png 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Japans-Pathways-03-1-705x507.png 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2534px) 100vw, 2534px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-44  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-45  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-46  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The variability of the player pathway presents a number of interesting challenges both for the Japanese Football Association (JFA) and the J League clubs. From the JFA\u2019s perspective, better understanding whether a player\u2019s route impacts on his peak performance will inform how to evolve the pathway to maximise the chances of National Team success in the long run.\u00a0 For clubs, there is a need to be knowledgeable about the talent on each route to compete for the best players, for which data analytics can undoubtedly help. And this extends beyond Japan\u2019s borders &#8211; smart European clubs seeking to attract quality talent into their academy system would do well to consider the potential in the Japanese system, providing they can find a way to navigate it. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Either way, each of the player pathways are working to the extent that all three were well represented in Japan\u2019s march to the last 16 in the 2022 World Cup, with defeats of Spain and Germany lending further weight to the general effectiveness of the Japanese pathways. But better understanding the relative merits of each will help inform how Japanese football can match its ambition on the pitch with the production of elite talent off of it.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here at Twenty First Group, we\u2019re developing a system to better enable the technical scouting of players across Japan\u2019s pathway.\u00a0 If you would like to find out more about our Performance Intelligence services, or our work in Japanese football, please get in touch with <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/contact\/get-in-touch\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ben Marlow<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/contact\/get-in-touch\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kaita Sugihara<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (in Tokyo, Japan).<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-48  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_codeblock  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":8465,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,52,33],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.0 - 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