I was at Amino Vital over the weekend and saw several spring college games including Ritsumeikan's and Keio's blowouts of Tokai and Tokyo Gakudai, and a game between Teikyo and Hitotsubashi that was much closer, at least until later in the 4th quarter.
Meanwhile, there was a large family event going on at Ajinomoto Stadium, and the "Big Flea Market" going on just outside the gates.
This of course, was a good chance to expose and promote football to families attending. Indeed, inside the gates of Amino Vital, there was a popular attraction with mini footballs for kids to try to throw through a hole and volunteers instructing them- that was fun; and a table with information on American football, and helmets for kids to try on a get Polaroid pictures taking. A nice start. I'd like to see more of this, and perhaps a bit more aggressive promotion (e.g. sending volunteers (perhaps in Teams Japan jerseys and helmets) through the flea market, and outside Tobitakyu Station and Ajinomoto Stadium. Perhaps there are other attractions for the kids and families as well. One of the things that makes football special in the US is the tail gate picnic atmosphere that I think would be fantastic to adopt here. I hope to post more about this subject of promoting football in Japan in the near future, and welcome any comments and suggestions you may have.
More needs to be done to draw families into becoming fans, so let's applaud that effort, and really hope to see more, and more often.
