On Tuesday, May 30, 2023, this reporter had an in-depth interview with Tetsuya Aida, Executive Director and Head of Overseas Affairs of the Japan Professional Football League (J League). Tetsuya Aida revealed the exciting news that from this season onwards, the J League will be streaming some of its matches live and for free on YouTube, aiming to make the soccer extravaganza accessible to fans who are unable to watch traditional broadcasts, such as those in Hong Kong.
Since this season, every week, J League matches are broadcast live on YouTube. Tetsuya Aida explains that this initiative aims to make J League moments available to fans around the world: for example, Thailand already has a channel broadcasting our matches, so we won't repeat the live broadcasts on local YouTube; however, there are no TV stations in Hong Kong broadcasting J League matches, so fans in Hong Kong will be able to watch the matches via YouTube.
When it comes to foreign players who have played in the J League over the past 30 years, Hong Kong fans may immediately think of familiar names such as Leniga, Ennistar, Kolan and Pudovsky. Tetsuya Aida pointed out that these foreign top players have played an immeasurable role in promoting the J League, and took Ennistar as an example: although Ennistar is leaving soon, he has made more people realize the J League. some fans watch Kobe Victory Boat's matches specifically to see Ennistar's matches, and if he hadn't come to the J-League, it might have been difficult for us to invite Barcelona to play friendly matches in Japan. Japan for a friendly match.
J League has grown over the years and has gradually become known by fans around the world. According to Tetsuya Aida, this is quite a success, but he was not satisfied with the status quo, but saw a decline in the number of local fans. Therefore, he is determined to attract more Asian fans: J League has only been running for 30 years, but has managed to expand its fan base. However, our popularity in the local area has declined, so I think it is necessary to attract more Asian fans to our matches.
