Nippon TV and Tokyo Verdy Beleza held WE ACTION DAY events on December 11th in their hometown of Kita-ku, Tokyo. The event was split into two, "SPORTS FESTIVAL～Fun Day with the Athletes and Dads" in the morning and "Hometown Cleanup" in the afternoon.
The "SPORTS FESTIVAL～Fun Day with the Athletes and Dads" was held in the morning with 22 Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza players and 4 athlete-employees from the Johoku Shinkin Bank, which has a regional cooperation agreement with the club. The event aimed to deepen the connection between the pre-school children and their fathers through part taking in physical activities together.
Riko Ueki and Momoko Tanaka, who had been involved in the event since its conception, served as the MCs of the event. The two players spoke to the children as they organized the program. The program began with some stretching, followed by an activity to climb over the dads and catching the balls. The group was then divided into three, where the players and participants competed in a relay of carrying the ballas they exchanged smiles.
Next, the participants experienced kicking a mitt led by Miyu Yamada, a taekwondo player who is with the Johoku Shinkin Bank, a corporate partner of Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza. The children and their fathers also tried their hand at kicking energetically, in which they kicked up and down with their feet high in the air. Difficult at first, but gradually they were able to perform the difficult kicks as well. The audience was excited when Yamada performed the wooden plate split kick.
Yamada commented on the event, "I'm happy to be able to help boost my hometown, as both my training and the Johoku Credit Bank are in the Kita Ward. I was nervous because it was my first time to participate in an event with other athletes, but it was fun to cooperate with them.
The program also included a quiz game by the Jyohoku Shinkin Bank Athletes Club, a football juggling demonstration by the Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza players Oto Kanno and Yuzuki Yamamoto, a lecture on "How to wash hands and take care of your skin after exercising" by JOYCELEE inc., a children's skin care brand as well as a program to interact with the dads. The whole program went smoothly and completed without any incidents.
A four-year-old participant Hinako Ono, who has watched Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza games with her father, said "I like Ayano Kurosawa, so I was happy to meet her. I enjoyed doing different things," with a smile.
Azusa Iwashimizu, who is a player and a mother of a child, took the role of borrowing participants' cell phones to take photos and videos during the event. “I took pictures so that the mothers could see them, too. That's what I was most particular about at this event. I would want them to share all of this with the family. From my own experience, when the dad takes their children outside, the relationship between the dad and child improves, and mothers can rest and do housework, so I am glad that we were able to host an event for the dads.”
In the afternoon, the participants cleaned up the area around Oji Station in Kita-ku, Tokyo, together with the supporters. The cleanup activity was done using tongs for picking up trash which was made from recycled Ziploc® containers.
The 20 players worked together with the supporters, picking up trash one after another. Although the city was originally quite clean already, they found piece of trash here and there hidden between the plants and roads. As time passed, the plastic bags became full.
The group circled the city, spending about 40 minutes cleaning up. At the end of the day, Ziploc® products used at home was also collected.
Yamana Sawa, a 7-year-old wearing the Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza uniform said, "There is Ajinomoto Field in Nishigaoka, my neighborhood. I often go there to watch the games, so I feel very close to Beleza. It was fun to pick up trash while talking with the players. I was happy to receive a gift from Aoba Fujino, a player I support, for participating in the event.”
Tomoko Muramatsu said "I was very encouraged by the interactions with the supporters during the cleanup activity. I was also very happy that our hometown was cleaned up. I would like to do more of these types of activities since Beleza's training location and hometown are far from each other. It is very important to work together with the local community to make the WE LEAGUE more exciting. As a player I have a strong desire to contribute more to the community," she said, adding that she would like to actively engage in community activities more as a WE LEAGUE player.
With this, Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza concluded two events in their hometown. After a full day of activities, the players felt close to their supporting community which made them smile and feel energized for the future.
