NEWS

The Nadeshiko Japan women’s side will start their 2009 activities with a training camp in mid-February in Fukushima Prefecture, for which they will invite a total of 75 players, covering the senior team as well as the Japan Under-19 women’s side and the Nadeshiko Challenge Project group.

The Nadeshiko Japan group includes players who took part in last year’s Beijing Olympics tournament, including forwards Shinobu Ohno and Yuki Nagasato.
The Japan Under-19 side features Mana Iwabuchi, who was named Player of the Tournament in the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup last year.
“I’d like to share those things we will need to have in order to play on the world stage among all those players in the training camp,” said Nadeshiko Japan coach Norio Sasaki, who also takes care of the Japan Under-19 women’s side.
Sasaki invited 30 players from the Nadeshiko Challenge Project group, which consists of those players looking to make the senior team, and at the end of the camp is likely to promote about 10 players to the senior squad.
The Under-19 players will have sessions from February 9 to February 15, while the senior team will work from February 13 to February 19. The Nadeshiko Challenge Project group will join them from February 13 until February 17.
Following this initial camp, the Japan Under-19 women’s side are scheduled to have three more training camps to prepare for the AFC Under-19 Women’s Championship, which runs from August 1-13.

Nadeshiko Japan squad candidates:

Goalkeepers—Nozomi Yamago (Urawa Reds Ladies), Ayumi Kaihori (INAC Leonessa)
Defenders—Miyuki Yanagita (Urawa Reds Ladies), Kozue Ando (Urawa Reds Ladies), Yukari Kinga (Nippon TV Beleza), Kyoko Yano (Urawa Reds Ladies), Azusa Iwashimizu (Nippon TV Beleza)
Midfielders—Mizuho Sakaguchi (TASAKI Perule*), Rumi Utsugi (Nippon TV Beleza)
Forwards—Karina Maruyama (TEPCO Mareeze), Shinobu Ohno (Nippon TV Beleza), Yuki Nagasato (Nippon TV Beleza)
Coach—Norio Sasaki
*denotes that the team was disbanded at the end of last season.

Japan Under-19 women’s squad candidates:

Goalkeepers—Mayu Funada (JEF United Chiba Ladies), Erina Yamane (JFA Academy Fukushima), Ayaka Saitoh (Tokiwagi Gakuen High School), Saki Nakamura (JFA Academy Fukushima), Sakiko Ikeda (Urawa Reds Junior Youth Ladies)
Defenders—Shoko Chino (Urawa Reds Ladies), Tamami Miyazako (INAC Leonessa), Momoko Yoshitomi (Hooh High School), Chiho Takahashi (FC Vitoria), Misaki Kobayashi (Nippon TV Menina), Naoko Sakuramoto (Tokiwagi Gakuen High School), Saki Kumagai (Tokiwagi Gakuen High School), Naomi Hanagiri (JEF United Chiba Ladies), Natsuki Kishikawa (Urawa Reds Junior Youth Ladies)
Midfielders—Aya Noichi (FC Vitoria), Saki Murakawa (Osaka Toin High School), Shoko Yamada (Tokiwagi Gakuen High School), Yuria Obara (Tokiwagi Gakuen High School), Megumi Takase (Hokkaido Bunkyo Univ. Meisei High School), Yuko Takeyama (Urawa Reds Junior Youth Ladies), Yuiko Inoue (JEF United Chiba Ladies), Saori Takahashi (Nippon TV Menina), Chiaki Shimada (Nippon TV Menina), Nozomi Fujita (Hinomoto Gakuen High School), Mana Iwabuchi (Nippon TV Menina), Haruna Kawashima (JFA Academy Fukushima)
Forwards—Marumi Yamazaki (Urawa Reds Junior Youth Ladies), Yuka Kado (Okayama Yunogo Belle), Michi Goto (Tokiwagi Gakuen High School), Chinatsu Kira (Kamimura Gakuen High School), Kaede Sato (HOYO Sukarab FC), Akane Saito (Tokiwagi Gakuen High School), Haruka Hamada (JFA Academy Fukushima)
Coach—Norio Sasaki