The J.League’s ‘Asian Berth’ promises to provide a grand platform for talented players from AFC’s 46 Member Associations
By Etsuko Miyazaki Picture a talented footballer from the Maldives or Afghanistan turning out for Asia’s richest club Urawa Red Diamonds in the J.League.
Come 2009, such an unlikely scenario may be possible, thanks to the J.League’s ambitious plan to give players from the backwaters of the continent a foothold in Asia’s best league.
The J.League’s ‘Asian Berth’ guarantees one place in each of the 33 clubs (J1 and J2) for a deserving player from AFC’s 46 Member Associations (MA).
This means a club can field a maximum of four non-Japanese players (three foreigners plus one AFC MA player) at any time on the pitch.
The result could be 33 new Asian players in one of the most competitive leagues in the world.
“We expect this to improve our standards while competing with other Asian players, to exploit new markets, have more international exchange,” said J-League Chairman Kenji Onitake.
TURNING POINT
For the J.League, which will enter its 17th year in 2009, it could well prove to be another turning point, with the clubs responding positively.
Vissel Kobe President Sadayuki Adachi told the-afc.com: “It is necessary to improve the Asian standards as a whole in order to improve Japanese standards. I think we can motivate players in Asian countries by this move which will see more Asian players in our league.”
Vissel Kobe and JEF United are the only two clubs who have registered players from the AFC’s Member Associations in their quota of three foreigners.
THE NUMBERS
The J.League’s 18 first division clubs employ 48 foreign players and all but four are Brazilians. Most imports play attacking roles and the fact that eight of the top 10 leading scorers in the J.League are foreigners means they are crucial to their clubs’ success.
A total of 551 senior players are registered in the 18 J1 clubs, an average of 30.6 per club. The number of Japanese players in the J1 is 503 and they compete for 150 places in starting line-ups.
Vissel’s Adachi highlighted a hidden benefit using the example of a Korean player who currently plays for his club.
“We can register him in our ‘Asian Berth’ and sign one more player from outside Asia. Or we can register him as we have done now as a foreign player and opt for an Asian player,” said Adachi.
But if all the 18 clubs applied the ‘Asian Berth’ principle in toto (3 foreigners + 1 player from AFC Member Association), then the quota of Japanese players will be reduced to 126, leading to cut-throat competition.
RAISING THE BAR
And if Japanese football honchos are to be believed, it is this battle for places that will lift J.League standards.
Capturing the essence of the J.League’s fast evolving world view, Mitsunori Fujiguchi, President of Urawa Reds, said: “Nowadays world football is centred around Europe. And it is important to have a good local league with good administration for Asian football to reach the standards of Europe and thus the world level.”
NEW MARKETS
The J.League would not have been the most successful league in Asia if not for its sound business sense. And here is where another benefit of the ‘Asian Berth’ kicks in - unexplored television markets.
As Asian economies boom, the J.League bosses hope to tap into the untold television riches of the continent and add to their largely regional audience.
In Japan, stadium attendances have averaged 18,000 spectators since 2004 and growth has been slack in recent years. Four of the nine official sponsors have pulled out, forcing the league to scout for new business opportunities.
“After 16 years of its launch, the J.League is now the top league in Asia but if we aim to improve our standards we need to improve Asian football as a whole. I think when quality players from various Asian countries play in the J.League, it will lead to raising our benchmark further,” said Urawa’s Fujiguchi.
The logic is plain to see. If Indonesian pin-up boy Bambang Pamungkas, for instance, joins the J.League, he can attract Indonesian audiences and Indonesian sponsors.
And what’s best is that this scenario can be potentially replicated 18 times over!
(Edited by R. Ravi Kumar)
Source:
Goal.com 
Participants in the Vision India - Project Kerala seminar learned how to administer the sport in their region.
