What's so appealing about soccer? During the World Cup, spectators all cheer together and the atmosphere turns electric―but there must be some who caught themselves thinking, "I wish I knew more about the rules and the players, so that I could enjoy the game more." Lisa Bayne, a soccer enthusiast who is also active as a model and artist, has a few tips.

It’s almost been two years since the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics were held. Near my new home, I see lots of little girls kicking soccer balls around the neighborhood. I started playing soccer at a young age too, but back then I rarely saw other girls playing soccer. So seeing the girls play soccer makes me really happy.

First, let me tell you a bit about my soccer history. I’m the youngest of three siblings, and it was only natural that I started playing soccer because my older brothers were playing. I truly fell in love with it when I joined a girls’ soccer team in elementary school. We had these things called parent-child matches, and it made me happy to have my mom cheering as I played, and I also loved watching my mom play. No matter how old you get, you can still give it your all, and cheering for someone is fun too―once I knew that, I wanted to play even more. We had mixed matches against the boys, and we couldn’t win even though we tried our very best. It was frustrating, but I look back on it fondly now probably because I had so much fun. After that, soccer was at the center of my life for seven years. Even though there was a period where I stepped away for a while, I’ve come back recently, and I play regularly. Writing this out, I realize I’m quite a soccer fan.

OI was naturally rooting for the men’s FIFA World Cup held last year. I was watching a match on my phone on the train, and the moment Team Japan scored, everyone on the train got so excited, and I was so surprised that so many people were interested in soccer. And then a thought hit me: Some of the people here know a lot about soccer, but some may not understand why the whistle blew just then. But soccer is capturing everyone’s hearts like this―why is that? I thought if I could put it into words, I would be able to share information about soccer so that they would know more about it, and fall even more in love with it.

So, what is it about soccer that captures people? I think it’s probably because it’s full of moments where you can feel teamwork, trust, and perseverance. This is true especially of Japanese soccer. Absorbing pressure and defending deep, they spring to action the moment they win the ball. They keep running until the referee blows the whistle. And the smiles and the tears of frustration on their faces. It’s important to catch those moments first. That way, you’ll definitely find a player you want to follow, and by continuing to root for that player, you’ll gradually start to understand the meaning of their plays. Then you’ll feel like sharing the appeal of this sport with the people around you, just like me. I’m not a player or a commentator, but I love soccer so much I’m writing this piece to share that passion!

To truly fall in love with the game, your next step is choosing which team to support. Right now I’m rooting for Vissel Kobe and recommending them to the people around me. What I love about this team is the great mix of veterans and rookies, and the diverse ways they connect with each other. Because of that diversity, it’s easy to see the growth of the players and teamwork every time you watch a game. And when you see that, you find yourself wanting to cheer for them more than ever. On top of that, they press relentlessly throughout the match, hungry to pounce on opponents’ mistakes and take it all the way from a counter to a shot embodies the teamwork, trust, and perseverance I mentioned earlier.

The player I’m personally keeping an eye on and cheering for is rookie Shuya Izumi! I was watching the match where he scored his first professional goal after his debut (the game against Sagan Tosu on March 18, 2023), and seeing him push the ball into the net on a pass entrusted to him by a senior player, I thought, “This is exactly what the fun of soccer looks like!” It felt like I’d glimpsed the future of Vissel, and it made me want to follow him even more. By the way, after that match, Manager Yoshida said in an interview that “we win not with 11 people in the match, but with the 18 including those on the bench”―and that was so cool! When you hear words like that, you realize all over again that soccer really is a special sport.

I often get told, “I never would have imagined you were into soccer”―and I actually think that’s something of an honor. Because the fact that someone would go out of their way to talk to me about soccer, even when they think that soccer and I don’t go very well together, means that they want to share the joys of soccer so much. That’s exactly how I feel right now. Did I make you want to know more about the joys of soccer?

Lisa Bayne @_lisabayne

Writer / Model / Artist / Gallery assistant. She has contributed essays to “SHUKYU Magazine,” a football culture magazine, and wears many hats because she believes in freely crossing genres to express herself. In addition to soccer, she is also a huge fan of basketball, judo, and rhythmic gymnastics. She majored in art history at university and has also presented her own artwork.

TEXT: Lisa Bayne