LEARNING PROCESS
May 15, 2023
A Rough Start to the League
As we had just signed up four new exciting players, I expected our first official league match of the season to be part of a fun day, and I had hoped for a good result. But football is a metaphor for life, and at times (often, actually) things do not go as expected.
In fact, thirty minutes before the match, it turned out that the registration of the new players did not go through on time with the federation and since we also had one injured and an International player still waiting for his transfer, that saw us go from 15 players down to… nine.
Yes, we did start our season with only nine players on the pitch and an injured one on the bench. Half an hour into the first half, a player who was not available for the day managed to rush to the field and we were up to ten, but despite a very valiant performance and creating many chances, we did lose the opening match 2-1 to Clube Trevo.
It has been now a few months since I have been in charge of the club, and despite all my sincere efforts, the first day of the season was a bit of a disaster. It might not be my direct fault, but surely it is my responsibility, and because of this I feel truly sorry, and I apologise to the players and to all those who care about KAMUI FC HIGASHIKAWA.
However, from such a difficult day there were many lessons to be learned. First of all, for the players who fought on the pitch, it was a chance to consolidate their relationship as team-mates and as friends; while for me and those who help me manage the club a harsh reminder that beginning something new as big as running a football club is not easy, and needs extra care.
In fact, I came to realise that running a club in the Japanese sixth division is in a way very similar to running a club in the first division when it comes to regulations. There is a lot to learn and metabolize, and it will take some time. The Japanese love rules and there are A LOT when it comes to playing in the Japanese football sixth division, including the colour of the bibs you must wear on the bench (we have lime colour, but we better buy blue ones — not sure why, but so we were told and so we will do…).
The good news is that one day after the events, both me, the management and the players are back in high spirits, and within a little more than 24 hours we have exchanged probably over hundred messages on LINE and several calls to figure out how to improve and not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
What I love about this group is the genuine love for football, the sense of community and how nobody points fingers and gets angry when things go wrong. We are football people, we know that not everything goes as expected and that after a defeat there is always the next match.
Cepo
@CesarePolenghi