At Noevir Stadium Kobe, where the 35th round of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League match against Jubilo IWATA was held, a booth was set up through syncSPORTS by Rakuten to make the game and sports more enjoyable.Quiz booths related to the articles we have dealt with so far, and message boards for delivering thoughts to the players were prepared.As a team expected to win the league and secure titles, there is extraordinary enthusiasm from the fans and supporters. They lined up to send their messages of support.Everyone, thank you very much!

As of November 1st, only four matches remain in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, including the match against Jubilo IWATA. Vissel Kobe’s fans and supporters, who are engaged in a fierce championship battle, seemed to be eagerly awaiting victory before the game, despite the out-of-season heavy rain.Given that it’s held on weekdays, you can also see people coming from school or work.Such people stopped by the syncSPORTS by Rakuten booth.

In the booth, we are conducting a project named “Athlete Quiz”, where we present quizzes in a fill-in-the-blank format, using player comments from articles published so far.Receive a question from the quiz box inside the booth and answer it. This setup will help you understand the player’s playing style and thinking about soccer.Despite the unfortunate weather, the correct answerers were able to participate in a lottery where they could win prizes, attracting a large number of fans with this special benefit.

This project was realized from the desire to create a place where people can feel synchronized with athletes, expanding the concept of “sync = empathy, agreement” from syncSPORTS by Rakuten.

We have also prepared an athlete message board with the aim of synchronizing athletes and fans/supporters.This project embodies the concept of syncSPORTS by Rakuten, which is “Sharing the inspiration and passion given by athletes and moving towards the future together”. It involves each individual writing down their thoughts and delivering these messages to the athletes on a message board.There are some who mention the names of the players they support, and, some who encourage the entire team. There were also people who wrote down specific wishes like “Let’s win the J.LEAGUE, Emperor’s Cup, ACLE, all of them!”.

With the opportunity for a second consecutive league title, the Emperor’s Cup, and the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) title, the expectations from fans and supporters towards the team are high.A strong bond can be glimpsed, saying “Let’s fight together as Vissel Kobe”. There is no doubt that the support of each individual is inspiring the athletes.

The message board was delivered to the athletes, and each one of them went through it.The encouraging words that have been written will surely support the team’s victory.

Matheus Thuler.

Tetsushi Yamakawa.

Taisei Miyashiro.

Yuki Honda.

Mitsuki Saito.

Daiju Sasaki.

Gotoku Sakai.

The sight of players and fans/supporters singing the “Kobe Sanka” together at home games is a precious moment when everyone involved with Vissel Kobe unites their hearts.In order to create more of such “sync” moments, syncSPORTS by Rakuten will continue to plan many venues where athletes and fans can interact. Please look forward to it!

PHOTO: Yukiko Noguchi
TEXT: Kodai Wada
EDIT: Yohsuke Watanabe (IN FOCUS)