Several HCES families welcomed the new year opening their homes to a visiting soccer team from the Japanese Football Academy (JFA).

 

The squad, which is comprised of girls ages 13-16, competed in the annual Disney Soccer Showcase in Orlando, where they competed in the U17 bracket, winning the championship over a highly ranked team from Virginia.

 

After the tournament, the team and support staff made its way to Tallahassee where homestays were arranged by our HCES Director of Athletics, Frank Amidon, and Liz Chamberlain, a representative from Chiles High School.

 

The host families were introduced to their guests at a welcome dinner on Saturday, January 5^th, kicking off their two-night stay in Tallahassee. Since the girls spoke very little English, smartphone translation applications were used to help communicate throughout the weekend.

 

The girls were treated to a wide variety of experiences, including trips to Wakulla Springs, the St. Marks lighthouse, local beaches, and several youth hangouts, such as Fun Station, Capital Lanes, movies theaters, shopping malls, and more. The girls visited many local restaurants where they seemed to really enjoy pancakes, bacon, hamburgers, and plenty of steak!

 

The HCES Student Center was made available on Sunday afternoon for indoor recreational activities, including soccer, basketball, and football. Small-sided soccer games provided a great opportunity for everyone to “speak the same language” through friendly competition. The games were enjoyed by kids and parents of all ages.

 

“It was a unique and positive way to bridge the language and cultural barriers between our two countries,” according to Amidon. “There was a tremendous amount of positive feedback from both our host families and our soccer friends from Japan. It was a wonderful learning experience for everyone involved and something we hope to do again next year, when they return to Florida.”

 

Their visit came to a close on Monday evening when the coaches and players from JFA hosted a soccer clinic at the Florida State women’s soccer complex.

 

Many thanks to our HCES host families, which included the Amidons, Carters, Heuchans, Hosays, McGibanys and the Mitchells.

 

WCTV was on hand during the welcome dinner and the training session at FSU. The airdate has not yet been determined.

 

More information about the JFA:

The JFA is a boarding school for soccer that was created to further develop soccer in Japan. It was modeled after France’s National Football Academy and is proving to be very successful. The Japanese Women’s National Team is the reigning World Cup Champions, after defeating the United States in the 2011 final. They are currently ranked third in the world. The men’s team is also on the rise, making the round of 16 in the 2010 World Cup.