Mobcast Cup (International Women's Club Championship 2012)

Hi people. I didn't see a thread dedicated to this tournament (if there is one already, somewhere else than Women's International, please excuse me ), but I guess it's a quite interesting attempt at a World Cup for clubs in women's football.

This is the logo:


It will be held in Japan, 22th-25th of november, and 4 club will take part: France's (and Europe's) Champion Olympique Lyonnais, Australia's Champion Canberra United, Japan's Champion (most likely INAC Kobe Leonessa) and the winner of Japan's League Cup NTV Beleza.

All info here: http://www.womenssoccerunited.com/g...ing-the-mobcast-cup-international-womens-club

Ok, this is no World Cup organized by FIFA, and it's a Japan-centered event, organized by JFA and local sponsors, but I guess it's anyway a start, to take women's international football one step forward.
I guess if USA currently had a league, their Champion would have been invited too, but...
What do you all think about that? Is it interesting? Is it a step in the right direction? Wouldn't it be fun if a World competition for women's club would become a fixture?

JFA (Japan Football Association) has indeed announced that there is a hope to make it a real World Cup for clubs, inviting more of them in the competition in the next years and involving FIFA in its organization:
http://www.jfa.or.jp/eng/topics/2012/379.html

Aren't these very good news for women's football?

You're right, but I guess that, except Women's Champions' League, women's football lacks any exciting international competitions for club teams. And less competitions means less development, each big club being content of dominating its domestic league, with no chances of playing other big clubs except for the occasional friendly match.
So I guess a tournament like this could be the chance for the women's club football to grow a little on an international level, expecially if more clubs from more continents (hint, hint! America... cough) get involved.

I hope this would be a good start to create more international Tournaments like different Women's Champions League in any Continent, my congrats to JFA for create Mobcast Cup

This sounds great! I'm pumped for this (especially since Canberra's participating ^.^).

I dunno... Unless the Japanese teams are better than I'm expecting, I'm betting OL blows everyone out of the water.

Still, love the idea of this tournament. Shame they didn't try to invite WNY Flash or Ottawa Fury Women, though. (Or maybe they did and just got refused; who knows?)

Agree, but the timing seem a bit off to achive that goal. Having it at teh same time as the second most important existing International Womens Cup for club teams Copa Libertadores Femenina, and thus not being able to have the South American champions attending.

Apart from that I agree about the team selection, after taking the two Condeferation champions one would have to go with the champs from the two strongest Leagues outside the Condeferations with such Cups and that is most likeley Japan and Australia (in that order).

I agree with you that having the tournament in a time when South American Champion could take part would have been better (but why using the bold character to say it? ).
I can only say that it's important to start it in some way: if it works, next year it could be done better, with a different timing and more clubs involved. But an imperfect first step is better than no step at all, in my opinion.

I am happy that someone else than me is as pumped up as I am.

Well, INAC Kobe Leonessa is basically half japanese National Teams + some players from other countries: since OL is half french National Team... well, we all know how France-Japan ended at Olympics this year, don't we?
Ok, I know OL is probably stronger and more solid than France, with some of the best players of NT + some world-level stars, like Schelin, Dickenmann, etc., But INAC Kobe Leonessa is a strong side and could surprise them...

It would be very interesting to know that. Probably the current lack of a pro-league in USA made difficult to decide which club was going to be invited, but it's not impossible than some north american clubs were invited instead, and they declined. If anyone has more info about it, please let us know.
Personally I would have liked a lot a Cup with (south and north) american clubs involved, but as I said above, maybe, if we let it grow, we could have them in the next years...

I don't like that some people see this as a Japan vs. France competition (INAC vs. Lyon)

best point in Japan is defense and any of the Japanese CB play in INAC and best point in France is the attack (I guess) and the Lyon's striker is not french

Yes, it is a good start. Hope they continues (and get both Americas involved, although until USA have one clear cahmpion they may be a bit hard to get).

INAC Kobe Leonessa just won their 2012 Nadeshiko League title on sunday (not that there were many doubts about it, but now it's official) and so they got their invitation to Mobcast Cup (as you can see in the photo above).

So now the starting team are defined: Olympique Lyonnais, Canberra United, NTV Beleza and INAC Kobe Leonessa.

In fact Beleza is portuguese; in italian it would be bellezza.
It's portouguese, but probably carried in Japan through Brazil.

If you'd read Nadeshiko Japan Thread more often , you'd know that Nadeshiko League's clubs names are modeled on leagues that were highly considered in male football at the time when japanese football started to grow: so we have, of course, Nadeshiko clubs with italian names (INAC Kobe Leonessa, Speranza FC Osaka Takatsuki), but also german names (AS Elfen Sayama), english names (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies, JEF United Chiba), portuguese/brazilian names (NTV Beleza), even franch names lol (Okayama Yunogo Belle)...

In Japan's women's second division (Challenge League) there are even funnier names, like Bunnies Kyoto, but I'll leave that kind of discovery to your personal research.
(ok, I can't resist at least this one: Je Vrille Kagoshima, that is a phonetic translation of french "je brille" ).

even in male's League there are Spanish names like Jubilo Iwata, Omiya Ardija and Kashiwa Reysol, is funny to read

I'm excited, too. I hope it will be a step forward for all women's football, club and country. Will matches be on the internet?

And more importantly will they be NOT geoblocked?

I am not sure, I seem to remember that someone on the Nadeshiko Japan thread said that japanese TV was going to broadcast them, but I'll have to ask again...

Maybe they will be (I hope so !) but at what time of the day ? The Nadeshiko League matches are at 4 or 5 am in Europe...

Well, that is if they play in the japanese afternoon, but if they'd play the matches in the evening, it could become a more viable time for us Europeans! I am definitely going to ask exact info about that on the Nnadeshiko Japan thread and I am also going to ask when exactly the draw to define the matches will take place.

By the way: Gromit from WSU? Welcome here!

Maybe you can see what time they start.
【一回戦】　
２０１２年１１月２２日（木）　浦和駒場スタジアム ※同日2試合開催
1回戦第1試合　１６：３０ＫＯ
1回戦第2試合　１９：２０ＫＯ
【決勝／三位決定戦】
２０１２年１１月２５日（日）　ＮＡＣＫ５スタジアム大宮 ※同日2試合開催
第1試合　3位決定戦　１３：３０ＫＯ　
第2試合　決勝　　　 １７：２０ＫＯ

All games will be televised on BS Fuji.

The tree means Thursday, and the sun of course Sunday.

Yes, same one. Had to add a number here. But my avatar is the same : myself and my dearest Kiddy Saki
I suppose you are on WSU under another name...
Whoever you are, thank you for your welcome !

If you like Saki, you'll be in a good company by joining Nadeshiko Japan thread here...
(I am Saki fan too ).

Actually I often read WSU, but I don't use to post there.