SPORTS PRO MEDIA



 

Competition set to launch in 2021 with 15,000-seat stadia requirement for teams.

Japan’s rugby union (JRFU) has revealed further plans for its new domestic club competition, with the league set to launch in autumn 2021.

The governing body had initially drawn up plans for the new league last year, hoping to capitalise on the Japanese rugby team’s run to the quarterfinals at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and the massive interest created domestically and overseas.

Now additional details have shed more light on the requirements for entry into the competition. Prospective teams will need to play in a stadium that can seat at least 15,000 people; employ a modern commercial staff, including an executive in charge of the club’s business dealings; the determination of a ‘home’ area which the club represents; and the inclusion of the home area name in the club’s own.

Notably, the league is said to be open to both company-owned and independent teams. Historically, domestic sports teams in the country have been owned by a corporation, potentially stifling growth due to financial reliance on these parent companies.

Japan’s top soccer and basketball leagues have broken away from this as an exclusive model, but its baseball league, the nation’s biggest sports competition, continues to have many company-run teams.

The new rugby league will apparently require its clubs to be run in a more independent manner than company teams. This includes ensuring their commercial department is separate from any parent company’s, as well as mandating clubs to submit accounts to the league.

The new league will also consist of two divisions, made up of 12 teams each. These will replace the existing top two club competitions in Japan, the 16-team Top League and the eight-team Top Challenge League.
Applications from teams need to be submitted by March. According to the Nikkei Japanese news outlet, 25 parties have signified interest, with around half of them hailing from the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Local media reports add there will be a transition period until 2023, allowing teams to play in stadiums smaller than the 15,000-seater requirement, during which time the JRFU will work with the new league and its clubs to secure bigger venues. Teams will also be permitted to host games outside their home city during the same period.