Who is issued a J.League license ?
Why does the J.League tell local governments, “If it continues like this, club teams will not be issued licenses” ?
J.League club teams are for-profit private companies.
I completely cannot understand the meaning of conveying private company requirements to local governments.
(It can be clearly said that the J.League is begging for tax money.)
Why do local governments tell citizens, taxpayers and reporters, “If it continues like this, the club team will not be issued a license,” which is essentially a private company’s concern ?
Why does the J-League beg to construct (or renovate) luxurious exclusive stadiums using tax money ?
Why do local governments not allow citizens to use stadiums constructed with tax money ?
Why does local governments falsify J.League exclusive stadiums as public facilities and even cover maintenance costs with tax money ?
If this situation continues, citizens will believe the J.League and local governments are colluding for their own self-interest.
Am I exaggerating ?
A company asks the local government, “Our requirements for our own company building are as follows, so please construct a company building for us based on these requirements.” and “To increase revenue, a suitable company building is an absolute necessity.”
The local government explains, “If this continues, that company won’t be able to operate. Even with only two days of operation per month, but the economic ripple effect is significant.” And they construct a dedicated company building for that private company.
Of course, there are rent reduction measures, limiting the rent to a few percent of sales.
Additionally, they appoint that company as the private management company for building maintenance and even cover the management fees.
Local governments do not discriminate. They treat other private companies the same as club teams. Isn’t that only natural?
Who is issued a J.League license?
The J.League license is issued to club teams.
It is never issued to local governments.
The J.League licensing criteria should be the criteria for determining whether a club team is eligible to join the J.League.
In other words, even if a club team is not issued a license, the local government bears no responsibility.
The J.League was launched during the bubble era and is a symbol of that bubble.
It prohibited the use of company names in team names. This was reportedly to ensure development remained community-based, independent of parent company influence.
The reality was, “Both companies and local governments should just provide funding without interfering”, and it only succeeded because it was the bubble era.
- Can private companies currently afford to provide large funds unconditionally ?
This is an issue some shareholders might raise at shareholder meetings.] - Which local government currently has tens of billions of yen to afford ?
Citizens would not approve constructing a J.League exclusive stadiums funded by their tax money.
While the J.League claims to be community-based, if a local government refuses to construct J.League exclusive stadiums, the club team rejects that community-based approach and moves to another region.
In other words, the J.League’s definition of “community-based” means that local governments must construct J.League exclusive stadiums for the profit of club teams as private companies.
Based on this understanding, we believe that local governments which refuse to construct J.League exclusive stadiums for the club team as a private company should reject the existence of that club team in their community.
In fact, one club team in Kanagawa Prefecture changed the local government due to this stadium issue.
Another club team threatened to move to a different local government if stadium construction plans didn’t progress. (Actually, this might be welcome news for the local government.)
In other words, I feel the J.League’s policy is that “Money gone, friends gone.”
The root of the problem is that when the J.League was launched, it had absolutely no business model in place to generate stable revenue as a professional sport.
During the bubble era, money literally bubbled up everywhere, allowing operations to continue even without a business model.
The J.League still hasn’t emerged from the bubble era.
Not only has it failed to keep pace with the times, it has actually gone against the times by increasing the number of unprofitable club teams.
Currently, the number of club teams belonging to the J.League has expanded to 60.
Additionally, because there is promotion and relegation between the J.League and the JFL, this actually suggests the potential for stadium problems to occur beyond the number of J.League club teams.
The chairman talks about the dream of a 20 billion yen club team, but is that just a dream?
The J.League should clearly define its business model and strategy to ensure licensed club teams can sustain stable operations.
If parent company support is essential for a club team’s survival, then a business model incorporating that support is acceptable.
If that business model includes the construction of a luxurious J.League exclusive stadium as per J.League regulations, then the responsibility for constructing it should also be included.
If relying on public stadiums, existing facilities should be utilized.
If renovations are necessary, it should be carried out under the responsibility of the J.League.
The requirement for natural grass eliminates the public nature of the facility. Therefore, the J.League should pay the full standard usage fee, including for days when citizens cannot use the soccer field. The J.League should stop burdening local governments.
The B.League is pushing forward with reforms to build the pride of a true professional sport.
The J.League should also shift to a system that fosters harmony with local governments rather than burdening them.
Reference: Kaisha SHIKIHO [Japan Company Handbook] ONLINE “Influential Chairman Nonomura’s blueprint for a ‘profitable J.League’: The key is the creation of a ’20 billion yen club“ (2024/08/15)https://shikiho.toyokeizai.net/news/0/774109
Reference: J-League Club Licensing Issuance Rules (2024/08/30)
https://www.jleague.jp/docs/aboutj/clublicense2014_01.pdf
Thanks.