On June 16th, when the sunlight reminiscent of midsummer poured down, the Rakuten SUPER MATCH, which is a title-sponsored match by Rakuten Group, was held at the Japan National Stadium."Powered by Sports. Playing for All."A special day where you can deepen your understanding of environmental issues while enjoying soccer matches, under the concept of "A BETTER FUTURE TOGETHER".Through this initiative, what does the Rakuten Group want to convey?

The environment and climate surrounding us are changing on a daily basis.There are likely many people who are acutely aware that climate change, such as concentrated heavy rain and intense summer heat, has a significant impact on their lives.Due to the linear precipitation zone, there has been continuous rainfall causing floods, or the temperature exceeding 40 degrees Celsius has led to health problems.I have increasingly realized in recent years that such anomalies can impact our daily lives and become a problem.

The same thing is happening even in the context of sports.During the Tokyo Olympics, there were cases where the venue and start times for events had to be changed due to the heat, and in the J.LEAGUE, there were also cases where matches had to be cancelled due to heavy rain.In fact, on the day Rakuten SUPER MATCH was held, the highest temperature in downtown Tokyo was 28.7 degrees Celsius.Could it be that the pitch exposed to the sunlight was even hotter?During the match, a drinking water break was arranged, but due to the heat-induced fatigue, there were players who suffered from leg cramps.It is anticipated that the conditions will become even more severe in July and August.In order to comfortably engage in sports, it is required to curb global warming and abnormal weather conditions, and create an optimal environment.

In such circumstances, the Rakuten Group is undertaking various initiatives to realize a better future for sports.For instance, the “Circularity Assessment” introduced in Vissel Kobe’s home games quantifies the environmental impact required to implement a match, and is used for improving it.There are few examples worldwide, and Vissel Kobe is taking a progressive approach in Japan.

In this Rakuten SUPER MATCH, panels were set up in part of the trash bin area within the venue, displaying trivia about the environment and initiatives that visitors can take into consideration for the environment.At the Rakuten booth, you can experience waste sorting and digital card creation, all while being “Powered by Sports. Playing for All”.They also conducted activities where you can enjoy and learn about environmental conservation, such as receiving special edition player cards.Hearing about environmental issues may make one feel it’s a serious matter, but if you view it as part of entertainment, it becomes interesting.Instead of being “forced,” it is also important to engage in environmental conservation with a positive attitude.

Similar to last year’s Rakuten SUPER MATCH, eco-friendly cutlery was introduced at some of the food and beverage outlets within the stadium.By utilizing recyclable materials and materials that reduce environmental impact, the aim was to hold matches with consideration for resource circulation.We hope that these efforts will spread further and a better sports environment will be established.

Before the match, Takayuki Tsujii, J.LEAGUE executive in charge of sustainability, and Tomoaki Makino, a Vissel Kobe evangelist, took the stage to conduct a talk session.While communicating the efforts of Vissel Kobe, the necessity of environmental conservation in sports was also emphasized.>/p>

Tsujii: “In the case of the J.LEAGUE, since 2018, the instances of matches being cancelled due to heavy rain and such have increased by about five times.Driven by the fear that the future of soccer could be ruined if things continue as they are, we are actively addressing climate change.For instance, measures are being implemented, such as switching all the electricity used in J.LEAGUE matches to renewable energy.However, the project has just started, so first, I hope that we can change our awareness towards the environment together, then change our actions, and ultimately, it would be great if the framework of society could change.”I believe that my job is to provide an environment where players can focus on the game. Ultimately, I would be happy if this leads to creating an environment where everyone can enjoy soccer.”

Makino: “For me, it may seem obvious, but I am consciously doing things like properly sorting out trash, not leaving the lights on, and always carrying an eco-bag around. Such initiatives by Vissel Kobe provide a good opportunity to learn about the environment through soccer, and also serve as a time to reconsider our own actions towards the environment. If we can understand how it leads to the improvement of the future soccer environment, I believe our awareness and actions will change, so I would like you to continue it.”

This year’s Rakuten SUPER MATCH saw a face-off between the champion of the 2023 Meiji Yasuda J1 League and the Emperor’s Cup champion.With the victory of Vissel Kobe, I feel it was a significant progress that we were able to promote the need for environmental preservation, aiming for a better future in sports.The power of each individual may be small.However, if the approximately 50,000 supporters who gathered at the National Stadium on this day take action, it could become a major movement.The initiative to protect the future of the soccer world starts from here.

TEXT: Kodai Wada
PHOTO: Suguru Tanaka
EDIT: Yohsuke Watanabe, Shiori Saeki (IN FOCUS)