Former Japan attacker Keisuke Honda has founded a new type of national soccer tournament for children age 10 or under aimed at helping them think for themselves and play without direction from a coach on the bench.
The move by Honda, who is also active as an angel investor, comes as elementary school-level national tournaments in sports such as judo have been halted amid criticism of a win-at-all-costs mentality that has been a long-term problem in Japanese junior sports.
In the format promoted by Honda, children play four-on-four soccer on a futsal court to guarantee each child playing time. They also come up with their own strategies and substitutions.