Some people enjoy watching high-level games of professional sports, while some people take part in sporting events and other sports activities for leisure and fitness. And there are people who support these sports lovers by providing assistance and guidance.
There are many professional teams in Yokohama, including the Yokohama DeNA BayStars, Yokohama F-Marinos, Yokohama FC and Yokohama B-Corsairs, and top-level competitions and tournaments, both national and international, are regularly held in the city.
Yokohama hosts a number of citizen participation sporting events, such as Yokohama Marathon and Yokohama Seaside Triathlon, with various other sports activities routinely conducted in every district of the city. Compared to other cities in Japan, Yokohama is very active in sports.
There are people who provide many different forms of support so that Yokohama residents can enjoy these sporting events and activities in a comfortable, stress-free manner.
This volume of Sports Yokohama features those people who support sports activities in Yokohama.

Information and photos provided by: NPO Wakabadai Sports and Culture Club, Yokohama 2002 (2002 World Cup Yokohama volunteer group), Nissan Stadium volunteers, Yokohama DeNA BayStars, Yokohama F-Marinos, Yokohama FC, Yokohama B-Corsairs
Written and photos provided by: Keiji Nakamura (Yokohama Sports Association)

 

A local general sports club refers to a sports club run mainly by local residents where people can enjoy sports in the nearby neighborhood. All sports-loving citizens from children to elderly people and from beginners to top-level athletes can participate in the programs of the club that suit their preferences and abilities. Mr. Katsumi Koso, a member of the sports promotion committee of Asahi Ward of Yokohama, is the manager of a local general sports club run by a non-profit organization called the Wakabadai Sports and Culture Club.

Isamu Minami (left), director of the Wakabadai Sports and
Culture Club, and Katsumi Koso, manager of the club

Ground golf tournament
New sports workshop

Wakabadai New Year marathon race
Stage performance during the cultural festival

Mr. Koso, manager of the Wakabadai Sports and Culture Club, plays a pivotal role in running the club while at the same time working full-time at a company. His range of work at the club is very wide, including creating and executing an annual activity plan, maintaining the club facilities and coordinating their use, making and controlling budgets and doing public relations activities.
Mr. Koso said: “We have received financial assistance from local community associations for our events like athletic festivals, cultural festivals and sports meets, and our sports lessons and other regular activities are subsidized by the proceeds of toto (Sports Promotion Lottery) and other funds. I think we need to increase our membership so that we can run the club on our own.”
He continued: “Human resources, location and finance are important factors in running a sports club. Fortunately, our club is privileged in terms of human resources and location. So the only issue that we need to address is to ensure financial stability on a long-term basis.” The manager expressed his wish, saying: “We want to expand our business in many ways in order to meet the needs of more people and, hopefully, that will lead to a significant increase in membership. We want to give the local residents more opportunities to enjoy sports and vitalize this community.” What Mr. Koso told us made us realize anew that local sports activities are supported by many people committed to local community vitalization who work in conjunction with local general sports clubs.

NPO Wakabadai Sports and Culture Club

The club dates back to 1985, when the municipal government and a local school jointly established an organization called Wakabadai Village of Sports and Culture (VOSC) as part of a town-building project in the Wakabadai area of Asahi Ward, Yokohama, where many residential houses were being built at the time. The organization, founded with the aim of opening up the school space to the public and managing sports facilities in the area, later became a local general sports club named the Wakabadai Sports and Culture Club. It is now run as a non-profit organization. The club has a total of eight staff members – three full-time members, including Director Isamu Minami, and five part-time members. The purpose of its activities is to help the local residents in health maintenance and enhancement. The club, which is in charge of the sports and culture division of the Wakabadai community association union, has around 1,500 members in ten local community associations. It hosts a broad range of events, from sports meets like athletic festivals and marathon races and sports lessons to cultural festivals and other cultural activities. In addition to opening up the school space to the public and managing 11 sports facilities including tennis courts, the club offers programs attended by instructors living in the area who are certified by the Japan Sports Association and other organizations. All this makes it an excellent local general sports club with well-maintained facilities and skilled instructors.

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