The Japan Football Association (JFA) announced on the 11th that it has launched the “JFA × SCO GROUP ‘FUTURE CAMP’ inspired by BLUE LOCK” in partnership with SCO GROUP Co., Ltd.
This project aims to discover talents active overseas, serving as an “overseas version of the National Training Center.” The camp targets players born between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2011 (U-16) who hold Japanese nationality or have at least one parent with Japanese nationality. The first camp will be held from August 3 to 6 at Great Park in Irvine, Orange County, California, USA. Approximately 25 participants will be selected, with applications accepted online until June 12.
President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto expressed his expectations, stating, “We don’t have a complete grasp of all players overseas who have ties to Japan and could potentially play for the national team in the future. This is a chance to see how many such players exist.” He added, “I’m very much looking forward to seeing what kind of talents will come. We want to make this camp a success and steadily expand it to Europe and Asia through solid JFA management.”
The project also collaborates with the popular soccer manga “BLUE LOCK” to raise awareness and boost player morale.
This marks JFA’s first initiative in overseas scouting operations. In recent youth categories, players like MF Nick Schmidt (St. Pauli), born in Germany and selected for last February’s U-20 Asian Cup, and GK Shuji Muramatsu (LAFC), born in the U.S. and chosen for the U-17 World Cup, have chosen to represent Japan while based abroad. Many other players with Japanese roots exist, and this project aims to unearth rough diamonds with unique characteristics not found domestically.
