Galaxy Entertainment Group has launched a grassroots community soccer program in Japan, the “Galaxy Entertainment Junior Soccer Cup”, which will give local children a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at the Nissan Stadium Yokohama as a curtain-raiser to next week’s Manchester City v Yokohama F. Marinos exhibition game.
Aimed at inspiring the next generation of young Japanese football stars, the program will see more than 300 kids from 32 junior soccer teams play in a series of qualifying matches across two age groups, Under-8 and Under-10, with the two remaining teams in each group to play in the 27 July finale.
The finalists will also be invited to watch the Manchester City-Yokohama clash, part of the Galaxy Entertainment EuroJapan Cup, and have the honor of escorting the players onto the pitch before kick-off. Manchester City are the current English Premier League champions and won a rare treble last season with the FA Cup and League Cup trophies also in the cabinet. Yokohama are current J-Leage champions.
“We are very pleased that we can help in this way to foster young people’s interest in soccer in Japan, and that we are able to offer new opportunities for everyone to enjoy sport in the community,” said Galaxy Entertainment Japan COO, Ted Chan.
“We hope that Japanese soccer players will be appearing more frequently on the world stage and that they’ll develop into the global star players of the future. We also hope to support the development of soccer in Japan and make a contribution to local communities for many years to come.”