There is a serious flaw in this dependence on corporations--companies promote sports when business is good, but when a recession eats into profits and forces restructuring, a part of restructuring can involve closing down corporate sports clubs, either temporarily or permanently. This is what happened after Japan's speculative bubble burst in the early 1990s. Since then, corporate sports clubs have been closing their doors one after the other.

This recently led to growing pressure to establish sports clubs with strong links to the local community, as in the West. The new club facilities and training programs welcome both local people who want to enjoy physical activity at their own pace, and talented athletes looking for more training.

When the professional J. League was launched in 1993, one of its aims was to create community-based sports clubs. Such clubs soon sprang up for soccer and other sports as well--for example, volleyball promoted by Tokyo Verdy 1969, and ekiden relay racing by Montedio Yamagata. On another front, some of the corporate teams placed in limbo or disbanded during the economic downturn have been reborn as citizen-oriented clubs. These include the Nikko Icebucks Hockey Club (formerly run by The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.), and the Kamaishi Seawaves Rugby Football Club (formerly run by Nippon Steel Corporation Kamaishi).

Fabulous stadiums and training camps have been built in many parts of Japan for the 2002 World Cup. After the players go home, how can these facilities be used by community-based sports clubs? It is important that the World Cup trigger the development of sports culture in Japan, and for this to occur, the first step is to ensure that everyone will be able to make the most of the facilities.