Saki Kumagai: Women's football fading in Japan

When Saki Kumagai struck the winning penalty for Japan in their World Cup final against the United States in 2011, she was unaware of just how pivotal a moment in her life it would be.

Days after lifting the World Cup trophy in front of over 47,000 fans at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Kumagai moved to the German city from her native country after signing her first fully professional contract with FFC (now Eintracht) Frankfurt.

In the 12 years since she moved to Europe, the national team captain has become the most successful Japanese player of her era, male or female, lifting five Champions League titles and winning seven league titles with Lyon.

Internationally, the defensive midfielder followed up the World Cup win by helping Japan earn a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics before the team fell short of winning back-to-back World Cup titles against a prolific USA.

But, despite all her personal achievements, Kumagai is aware of the responsibility of being successful with the national team to ensure young girls in Japan have access to the same opportunities she carved out for herself.

"After we won the World Cup, a lot of girls started playing football," she explained to DW. "A lot of girls teams had better conditions and also a lot of people came to watch games in the Japanese league."

"Now the sport is less popular again and that's not good. Our national team hasn't won a lot recently and the Japanese people are less interested in the sport again."

"I want to be able to give Japanese girls a chance to have the same dream I had, that they might think they want to become like Saki or other players, and that it is possible."

Opportunities remain limited in Japan

In pursuit of her passion for football, and with a limited number of women's teams in Japan, Kumagai moved than 500 miles (800 kilometers) away from her home city of Sapporo, to Sendai, in order to attend Tokiwagi Gakuen High School at the age of 15.

Japanese girls from across the country attend Tokiwagi Gakuen with the aim of becoming professional football players and making it to the national team. 

The high school has a deep connection with the United States, sending an U19 team to Minnesota every year since the early 2000s for the Target USA Cup, the largest youth football tournament in North America.

Kumagai had hoped that Japan's 2011 World Cup triumph would lead to more schools like Tokiwagi Gakuen, clubs and facilities becoming accessible throughout the country.

But, the 32-year-old believes the nature of the country and its culture means only constant and sustained success for the national team can ensure persistent investment and respect for women's football within Japan.

Following the World Cup win, companies fought to make sponsorship deals with the domestic Nadeshiko League and attendances soared. But in the intervening years not even silver at the 2012 Olympics or a run to the 2015 World Cup final could sustain a high level of interest or investment at grassroots level.

"I know it's our responsibility as national players to win or at the very least we have to get good results," she said.

"The World Cup is the dream stage for female footballers but it's important for the Japanese women's football team that we go far in competitions."

"It's important to produce good performances, to try to lift the trophy but especially not just go out in the group stage. I want to show the young girls in Japan that we can play good football and that we win on the world stage."

Lyon domination eventually stagnated

Despite the battle to earn veneration at home, Kumagai forged an exceptional club career in Europe.

Across eight seasons from 2013 with the serial French champions Lyon, she formed a core part of the side that dominated women's football for more than half a decade, playing alongside Ada Hegerberg, the inaugural winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or as the world’s best player, and former German captain Dzsenifer Marozsán.

Lyon won four trebles in the space of five years between 2016-2020, in a run that included five successive Champions League titles, and was lauded as one of the greatest teams in world football. 

However, as investment in women's football across Europe began to help other teams close the gap to Lyon, Kumagai sought a challenge elsewhere and she joined Bayern Munich in 2021.

"In the last year with Lyon I saw they changed a little bit," she explained. "Lyon used to win 7-0 or 8-0, not every game but often enough, and even in the Champions League.

"Recently, other clubs improved, the gap lessened, and it was why I wanted to play with another team and try to beat Lyon.

"I played against Bayern in Champions League quarterfinal (in August 2020), and I liked how they played their football, with so many young players. After I spoke with coach Jens Scheuer, he said he needed me and that was important for me, that's why I chose Bayern."

Bayern's big run

As fairytale rematches against former club's go, Kumagai's could not have gone much better when Bayern came up against Lyon in 2021-22 Champions League group stage.

A rare goal, coming through a powerful header from a corner, earned the Bavarians a 1-0 victory and, for the midfielder, it felt like a chance to show Lyon she was still a good player.

But, while playing against Lyon in the 2021/22 campaign was personal, the focus last season was on securing silverware with Bayern as they pipped Wolfsburg to the post to lift the Frauen Bundesliga.

A title tilt at the 2023 Women's World Cup may be out of Japan's reach, but Kumagai and Co. are hoping to provide something much more important Down Under: inspiration for the next generation.

 

Edited by: Matt Pearson