Japan - V.League V1 (Division 1, Women) 2021-2022

    Quote from Phoenix

    Oh man she is cool. I just haven't paid that much attention to Hitachi in general.


    I was wondering why the hell she was getting so much attention from fans

    Someone shared a tweet with me comparing Nonaka's serve to Saori's one step quick flat floater. It's spot on. She's got skills, don't know about the brains yet, or that mental toughness Takeshita talks about

    Quote from musgrave

    louis is so pretty i could ship her to ran takahashi...cheers!

    who is louis :)


    Is that Nonaka's given name I have always called "Rui" because ... who knows? :rolll:

    Quote from Playmaker

    Where do new teams like Kanoa Fukuoka and Artemis Hokkaido fall under? Do the women's have an official 3rd division?

    This is something I'm interested in ... because I'm interested in who's coming up more than who's on top. There is no 3rd division on the women's side at this time because there is simply not enough teams. So forgive the long post but it helps me understand it if I try to explain it to someone else


    brahmin can help me out if I get any of this wrong :)


    "Below" the V.League there are Business Group teams and Club teams. Each has their own 'federation' and tournaments.


    I don't get the "Business Group" side as much, but, for example, the Panasonic Bluebells (best known as 9-ball champions extraordinaire) compete in the 6-person All Japan Business Group 6-person championship. Other teams in the most recent tournament were: V2's Breath Hamamatsu, Max Valu Victorina (Himeji's training team), Toyota Sunpiena, and Veertien Mie.


    Hamamatsu is where they are, Max Valu can't really advance to anything, but Toyota and Veertien Mie will try to work their way up to V.League. Teams compete in these tournaments for training/competition, bragging rights, making a name for themselves so they can raise money and hire a real coach, etc. Then ultimately apply for a License (S1, S2, S3) from JVL to join V.League


    You'll see a pic of Arisa Sato's team Ligare Sendai on that Club federation site, and they are a good way to understand this.


    Actually, I posted about them in the V2 thread. Check that out if you're interested.


    Most of these teams also compete in the National Sports Festival. Some may also compete in the Prefecture / Block Rounds of the Empress' Cup, and maybe get a chance to play the Final Round we pay attention to.


    At this point, I think we'll see Artemis Hokkaido and Veertien Mie joining V.League in the next year or two. Kanoa Fukuoka not so much.


    Veertien Mie has a men's team in V.League. There is/was also a women's team Mie Takada VC sala. Most of the players from Mie Takada quit that team to join Veertien Mie -- and this is a part I don't understand well -- because the path to V.League is different for Clubs vs Business Teams. I believe Mie Takada is a Business Team and Veertien Mie is a club team. Players can't be registered to both.


    I've seen several Veertien Mie matches and they're pretty good. I actually stan them hard for a match they played (as Mie Takada) in the 2018 Empress Cup early rounds against V2's JA Gifu (which I can't find atm to link to).


    Artemis Hokkaido started from scratch. You can tell from their very beautiful, professional web site they're serious. Kanoa Fukuoka is trying to tweet their way to glory :aww:. Artemis has a 'name' coach and Sports Director, and a few players who've played for V.League already. I haven't seen them play yet.


    Kanoa Fukuoka, btw, is a re-vamp of the Fukuoka Seacats who started up a few years ago but Covid and other things (like SAGA moving in) killed them. At least that's my take.


    In sum, new teams really need to either be part of an established organization (Veertien Mie), have help from local volleyball organizations (Sendai), or some combination of that along with "name" players/coaches (Himeji Victorina, Artemis Hokkaido) to succeed in advancing to V.League.


    To get a license to join V.League you need a real coach, a financial plan, and the ability to put a couple thousand butts in seats at an Arena you can kind of call "Home" without faking too much.

    In the past Japan had the Japan League (all-pre V.League)., where the top teams played. Teams were all owned by businesses. Teams would start in their prefecture/regional league and have to win that get a chance to play against other regional winners to possibly be promoted to the Japan League. Even the shift to the original V.League version in 1994 was still using this format. Only with the shift to a franchise license setup in 2018, was the system changed.

    New pro/business clubs can be created before entering the league provided the team meets requirements for getting a franchise license. In the past teams would be shut down without warning by The business. So with the Japanese economy sputtering in the 1990s, a number of teams no longer exist. Daiei (became Hisamitsu), Odakyu, Toshiba (Became Okayama), Unichika, Takefuji, Ito Yokado, Hitachi Bellefille (Hitachi Sawa is Rivale), Toyobo, Hitachi Mobara and

    Pioneers after the tsunami in March 2011 were the last top league team to die from the company pulling the plug.

    Quote from brahmin

    In the past Japan had the Japan League (all-pre V.League)., where the top teams played. Teams were all owned by businesses. Teams would start in their prefecture/regional league and have to win that get a chance to play against other regional winners to possibly be promoted to the Japan League. Even the shift to the original V.League version in 1994 was still using this format. Only with the shift to a franchise license setup in 2018, was the system changed.

    New pro/business clubs can be created before entering the league provided the team meets requirements for getting a franchise license. In the past teams would be shut down without warning by The business. So with the Japanese economy sputtering in the 1990s, a number of teams no longer exist. Daiei (became Hisamitsu), Odakyu, Toshiba (Became Okayama), Unichika, Takefuji, Ito Yokado, Hitachi Bellefille (Hitachi Sawa is Rivale), Toyobo, Hitachi Mobara and

    Pioneers after the tsunami in March 2011 were the last top league team to die from the company pulling the plug.

    Do you know ... is there a flat out rule about business versus club teams with regards to eventually making it to V.League?


    Taking Veertien Mie as an example. Why did they (whoever 'they' are) create that new team, which they say is for the express intent of making V.League? Why not just keep Mie Takada sala VC, and push them?

    Of the new teams "floating to the top" in recent years, Route Inn Hotels Brilliant Aries is the only "business" team I'm aware of. They started their volleyball thing in 2017 but Route Inn has had other sports teams operating so they have some commitment and know how.


    There's Yamanashi Chuo Bank Sporting Bears, Bank of Tokyo, and Seiko Epson who actually place in National Tournaments, but they don't look like they have any intention of making V.League. Toyota is trying to resurrect a team that died a few years ago. I don't know what Osaka Superiors is.


    Seems like a good thing most all of the new teams formed in the past five years, with hopes of making V.League, are ... semi-pro?, club? teams.


    Himeji Victorina, Artemis Hokkaido, Ligare Sendai, Kurashiki Ablaze, KANOA Fukuoka, Veertien Mie. These teams with communities in their names are the future, I hope. But then again, they could die just like a business team. Fukuoka Kasuga Seacats died. Abruptly.


    That 2018 "New Vision" was all hot air though. Everything about it has been walked back by the new JVL dude except the Licensing scheme, which is probably a good thing for keeping out the riff-raff.

    the main difference is that the V.League has a list of things that as a franchise the teams must have, such as a dedicated training facility, arena with a certain capacity size, team staff with certain responsibilities, etc. let alone as you get promoted, maybe having additional requirements to pass.


    for a business only team, there are probably much fewer requirements, but also a registration with the local volleyball association and fees paid.

    Quote from brahmin

    the main difference is that the V.League has a list of things that as a franchise the teams must have, such as a dedicated training facility, arena with a certain capacity size, team staff with certain responsibilities, etc. let alone as you get promoted, maybe having additional requirements to pass.


    for a business only team, there are probably much fewer requirements, but also a registration with the local volleyball association and fees paid.

    That's wild. I would think it would almost be the reverse, as franchise teams are usually pretty closely associated with the local volleyball organizations that one would think would have access to facilities and staff. But I guess some of these business teams have things too. Panasonic has their own gymnasium, etc.


    I'm sure the requirements do get tougher as you go from S3 to S1. If you visit the GSS Tokyo Sunbeams web site you will be welcomed by their rationalization of why they don't want to go for an S1 license. They posted it after they forfeited the right to challenge PFU for a shot at V1. Basically they say it costs too much and requires staff and services they aren't interested in:


    Display Spoiler

    Speaking of Hitachi, the Yamanashi Central Bank Sporting Bears, and below the surface National Tournaments ... Hitachi just beat the Sporting Bears in the Kanto Block Qualifier for the National Sports Festival


    I guess it depends on where these things are being held. Kanto is the region surrounding Tokyo and they pulled it off.


    V2's Breath Hamamatsu's Qualifier for Tokai Block got canceled. Tokai is the Region West/South of Kanto


    PFU, Kurobe, and V2 Champs Gunma Bank are still on to compete for their prefectures . Up north


    Everything is non-spectator. Will this ever end :(

    LOL I can't tell who #'s 1, 4, and 7 are. I think 1 and 7 are switched from the real PFU Goya and Hinano. 4 must be Kyoka Seto?

    Quote from sarinseu

    1 Shima, 4 Seto, 7 Arita

    thanks, I thought Shima when she came back to serve

    PFU losing to Kurobe , not a good start fellas :)

    Kurobe falling apart in Set 4