The WE League on Wednesday announced that Kikuko Okajima will step down as chairperson at the end of September, with former V-Varen Nagasaki president Haruna Takata nominated to replace her at the head of Japan’s professional women’s soccer league as it enters its second season.
Okajima, a former soccer player and Japan international who has spent most of her career in the United States, was appointed to the role at the height of the coronavirus pandemic as telework became the norm — with the Japan Football Association hoping to leverage her experience and connections in the sports and financial worlds.
The 64-year-old participated in early board meetings remotely from her home in Baltimore, Maryland, but traveled frequently to Japan as border controls eased and was present when the league opened on Sept. 12, 2021, with 11 clubs stretching from northeastern Sendai to western Hiroshima.
Under Okajima’s leadership the league attracted a number of national sponsors, including title partner Yogibo, and gained attention for its focus on social issues including women’s empowerment and LGBTQ awareness.
Though attendance lagged — averaging 1,560 per game, in part due to pandemic-related attendance restrictions — the league completed its 110-game schedule without incident, crowning INAC Kobe Leonessa as its first champion.
At a news conference following the league’s board meeting, Okajima said that Takata more than satisfied her hope for a new wave of female leaders to step up to the forefront of Japan’s nascent professional women’s soccer community.
“With so few leadership positions available for women, I wanted to offer an opportunity to the next generation and told the selection committee I wished for them to find a female candidate,” Okajima said. “Haruna Takata is one of a rare few women in Japan who have led a professional sports club, and I can comfortably leave the WE League in her hands.”
Takata, a 45-year-old native of Nagasaki, served as V-Varen president following her father Akira, whose company Japanet Holdings purchased the financially troubled club in 2017 and steered the team to its first-ever top-flight promotion that same season.
Since joining the J. League’s board in March, Haruna Takata has focused on the league’s social cooperation initiatives including the J. League Sharen! Awards, which highlight club-led community projects. The WE League said she would not completely resign from that role, although her level of participation going forward has not yet been finalized.
“When I thought about the charm of women’s soccer, its potential and the prospects it brings to soccer’s future, I decided I would take on the challenge and accept this role,” Takata said.
“The issues we face are not small, but together, with everyone who has worked hard to develop women’s soccer in Japan and launch the WE League, I hope we can contribute to the creation of a diverse society.”
Takata’s appointment as chairperson is expected to be confirmed on Sept. 29.
Also on Wednesday, the league announced that Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies, who play in the second-tier Nadeshiko League, will join the WE League from the 2023-24 season, raising the total number of clubs to 12.
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