On Friday, January 10, members of Nishinomiya’s women’s futsal team “SWH Nishinomiya Futsal Club Women” paid a courtesy visit to Governor Saito of Hyogo Prefecture.
The three women in front are team members. And in the back is Governor Saito of Hyogo Prefecture~~
NHK cameras were there covering it too~. It was kind of funny how the governor quietly muttered “Oh, that’s a lot” in surprise the moment he entered the room
Still, have you ever heard of professional women’s futsal? To be honest, it may still feel like a fairly minor sport.
(From left: player Sara Oino, representative director Heitaro Watanabe, Governor Motohiko Saito, player Saki Yotsui, and player Asuka Tsukamoto)
But actually, a seriously exciting women’s team has been born right here in Nishinomiya, and last December they achieved their first league championship~
Their home and practice base is in Funasaka, Nishinomiya.
Governor Saito asked, “Which part of Funasaka is it?”
The moment Representative Watanabe said, “You go up from Nishinomiya through the Iwataki Tunnel, and there’s a convenience store. At the first traffic light, head toward Takarazuka,”
“Ohhh! I know it!! It’s south of Funasaka Elementary School, right? I’ve seen people dressed for soccer heading down around there~~” he said. Governor Saito really knows Nishinomiya, doesn’t he~
Representative Watanabe said that even though it’s a minor sport, the club’s concept is for players to balance work and competition at the same time. Maybe work and sports are kind of like school and club activities
To practice in Funasaka, everyone comes after work, training from 8 to 10 p.m. four times a week. Some members even commute two and a half hours from outside the prefecture. The other day, apparently there was snow piled up after coming through the Iwataki Tunnel
Tsukamoto said the coach’s practices are so fun that even the hour-and-a-half trip feels exciting. Hearing that made me think, that’s exactly why they were able to get results.
From A cheerful group of women came to Miyakko Ramen. YouTubers?
Apparently, the team members are also really close. Come to think of it, the three SWH members who were filming YouTube at Miyakko Ramen before looked like they were having a great time too~
Oino works in administration at Sakurabashi Watanabe Future Medical Hospital, which is run by Representative Watanabe, while other members work at sponsor companies. Representative Watanabe called them “futsal salary workers”~. That actually makes sense!
The players mentioned earlier, Oino and Yotsui, are also Japan national team players. If they win their way through the Asian Championship in April and May, they can compete in the first-ever Women’s Futsal World Cup! Since it’s still a minor sport, they said, “We want people to notice us!”
It was impressive to see him listening to everyone’s stories with such interest~
Even though they’re amazing championship-winning players, seeing a member worry about sweaty palms before shaking hands felt very relatable~
They also presented him with a uniform, saying they hoped he would display it.
Nishinomiya businesses like Miyakko Ramen and Kaisei Hospital are also sponsors! We’re looking forward to seeing what’s next for SWH Nishinomiya Futsal Club Women, a team strongly supported by its Nishinomiya hometown. Be sure to check them out before things really heat up with a possible World Cup appearance~
→SWH Nishinomiya Futsal Club Official Website
