There has been a lot of noise on twitter after our last match concerning the lack of fans who attended the match. It’s understandable considering there were close to 8,000 people at the opening match two weeks prior in much poorer weather conditions compared to around 2,500 for this last one. Hopefully it can be attributed to the poor weather and this article can be a distant memory going forward; but at the end of the day the bottom line is, FCR must get more fans into the stands to have a sustainable future in the J2 and beyond.

In my opinion, there are three potential factors acting against FCR when it comes to getting people to attend matches. They are: affordable public transportation to the games, the climate of Okinawa and the demographics of the island. First is the accessibility issue. The only forms of public transportation to and from the match are buses. There is no rail system and taxis can be expensive depending on your origin. It is not realistic to think that many fans are willing to sit on buses for long periods of time just to attend a match at their own expense. I know FCFR has offered shuttle services in Naha and Awase but there are so many more areas on the island to consider.

Second is the climate of Okinawa. Despite being a tropical destination for many tourists, playing matches between 1200 and 1800 is not feasible during the summer months. I can recall back in 2014 and 2015 when FCR was playing matches at these times and it really dampened the football watching experience. Players had to take constant breaks in that heat and at times it derailed the overall momentum for those teams. It just isn’t safe conditions for either the players or the fans and I am glad to see the JLeague schedule a majority of FCR games in the evening during these months.

Finally, the population of Okinawa is spread out over a wide swath of land and a majority of the workforce here is possibly employed in the tourism or retail (izakaya, restaurant and bar) industries. Therefore, those people who could afford the cost of a ticket on a regular basis are probably at work during the 1800-2000 kickoffs and cannot attend the games on a consistent basis, thus potentially limiting the number of season ticket holders and casual fans. When added together these three factors almost reinforce one another and make it difficult to find a large audience to attend matches on a regular basis.

Please keep in mind that I pulled a majority of this data from the Japan External Trade organization but I am making some very liberal assumptions when it comes to the number of employed persons per industry and overall median income for the people of Okinawa. You could poke numerous holes throughout that argument.

All this points to the notion that more community engagement is required by FCR. This is not to say that FCR is doing nothing in the local community, quite the opposite actually, but maybe there is potential to target more of the Okinawa and foreigner populations on the island. Let’s look at what could be done to target some of the foreigners on island.

As an American living and working in Okinawa I rarely see any advertisements for FCR on any of the bases. There are around 50,000 American military personnel, families and civilians here on Okinawa and a majority are sports fans. As an American it is quite challenging watching your local sports team due to the large time differences between the Japan and the U.S. and that makes FCR an attractive option. I am aware that FCR will offer free entry on occasions to the SOFA personnel but what I am talking about is engaging more with the likes of the Marine Corps Community Services and Moral, Welfare and Recreation organizations. Simple things such as announcing upcoming home games over the AFN radio during the morning and evening commutes could impact a very large audience and draw in more potential fans. Now let us look at what can be done to attract the local populace.

Since a majority of the FCR website is in Japanese I assume that most people in Okinawa are aware of what community engagement events FCR conducts. What I am suggesting are some changes that I’d like the club to explore to entice greater attendance at matches. First, let’s try to improve the awareness and atmosphere as you approach the Tapic Stadium. Hang some pennants on the light poles of the road ways indicating the presence of a professional football team. Walking off the train in Omiya it was immediately apparent that the town was Orange and Blue and there were pennants everywhere leading up to the stadium. Simply an awesome atmosphere and made me excited as an opposing teams’ fan. Leverage the fact that Okinawa City claims to be the home of FCR and get them to authorize the hanging of pennants on their streets surrounding the stadiums at no cost to FCR.  

I am not sure if FCR conducts any meetings with the head of their supporters’ club, Hiro, but he is the most visible supporter of the club and the strongest voice. Engaging with Hiro on issues concerning the fans and locals will go a lot further than simple surveys at the stadium.

Another idea would be to team together with the Ryukyu Kings and attempt to market a total Okinawa Sports package that included a ticket to both a Kings and FCR game on the same weekend (SAT & SUN or vice versa) at a reduced price. Getting insight from an organization that seems to constantly sell out home games and keep a lively atmosphere can only help.

Offer greatly reduced ticket prices across a wide spectrum of categories. For example: slightly reduced tickets for college students every game (if they don’t already), drop the price of tickets at or after kickoff and at half time, provide reduced pricing on the special select S seating for each game if tickets go unsold so people can experience the match from a different vantage point. Explore the possibilities of special seating sections for families away from the rowdy supporters, or sell special seating on the track near the pitch at premium prices for those that want to get as close to the action as possible.

I am not aware of the dynamics for any FCR partnerships so this is all speculation that FCR doesn’t do this right now. I therefore have no idea if partnerships with resorts, resort groups or restaurant establishments on island could be beneficial to the club. It certainly would be nice if some places like Sukiya, Yoshinoya, KFC or Blue Seal would offer a food promotion based on the presentation of a ticket stub or Season Pass from FCR supporters following a match.

In the end we must consider a some of things. First, unlike some professional teams in America, FCR faces the realistic possibility of promotion and relegation throughout different leagues that require different operating budgets. It is imperative to increase the demand signal from the population of Okinawa now so in the event FCR does achieve high levels of success, the fan base can support and sustain the club. Finally, it’s not realistic to think that one day there will be a 35,000-seat stadium filled to the brim for each match. The island just cannot support a stadium that size. But consistent attendance levels of 10-15,000 is a very realistic possibility. Third, FCR may have already explored a majority of these options and found them not feasible.

Those of us that support FCR want nothing but the best for this club and that means allowing the club to execute their immediate, mid-term and long-term goals for success. This hinges on several factors but a crucial one is attendance levels. If we wish to buy top players and compete at high levels, near capacity attendance is required for each home match. It also means FCR cannot simply say it is too hard to do these things if they wish to grow their fan base. 19 home games are left, not including the Emperor’s Cup, so let’s do all we can as supporters at the grass root level to draw in more fans.