J.LEAGUE AIMS TO RIVAL TOP LEAGUES

Chairman hopes it can be part of a global market, maximise transfer fees for its stars

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Kaoru Mitoma's value has soared since he moved from Kawasaki Frontale to English Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion in 2021.

(REUTERS)

Japan’s J.League can one day compete with the English Premier League if a calendar switch helps clubs bring in bigger transfer fees, its chairman Yoshikazu Nonomura told AFP ahead of the new season.

Japanese teams have sold a steady stream of players to Europe, including Brighton & Hove Albion’s Kaoru Mitoma, but the sums involved are only a fraction of the billions sloshing around the global transfer market.

Nonomura wants to change that and he believes he has taken the first step by ditching their traditional February-to-December season to align with the European football calendar.

A shortened interim competition - the J.League 100 Year Vision League — begins on Feb 6 and lasts until June, before a full league campaign kicks off after the World Cup concludes in July.

Nonomura says that will allow Japanese clubs to take full advantage of European summer spending sprees and make up ground on the world’s top leagues.