Empress' Cup - Results Sunday 40 of 48 teams WE League - 12 Nadeshiko 1 - 12 Lilas Consadole (Hokkaido) Bunnys (Kanto) Ichihara (Kanto) NTV Menina (Kanto) OSA Rhea (Kanto) Kanagawa Uni (Kanto) Yamanashi Gakuin Uni (Kanto) Nihon Uni (Kanto) Fujizakura (Kanto) Waseda Uni (Kanto) Sakuyo Gakuen HS (Chugoku) Tottori Johoku HS (Chugoku) AICJ High School (Chugoku) Renofa (Chugoku) Tohoku (2) 2nd round Mynavi Youth 5-0 Sendai Ikuei Gakuen HS Shoshi HS 1-4 Sendai Uni Seiwa Gakuen HS 1-1 (3-1pk) Senshu Uni Kitakami HS Fukushima www 1-4 JFA Kanto (9) 2nd round Nihon Uni 2-0 Nankatsu Fujizakura 2-0 Nojima Due Yamato Sylphid 0-2 Waseda Uni Quater finals Ichihara 6-0 NTV Menina Hokushinetsu (1) 2nd round Niigata Uni of Health and Welfare 7-0 Fukui Uni of Technology Fukui HS Niigata Uni of Management 1-3 FC Echigo-Tsumari Tokai (2) 2nd round Veertien 5-0 Lvina Yokkaichi (Lvina not Rubina) Chukyo Uni 1-0 Aichi Toho Uni Fujieda Junshin HS 1-0 Nagoya Uni of Economics Lucre MYFC 1-3 Tokoha Uni Tachibana HS Kansai (1) Quater finals Meiji Uni of International Medicine 2-3 Kobe Koryo HS INAC Kobe Leontina 0-1 Daisho Gakuen HS Mukogawa Women's Uni vs Otemon Gakuin Uni Kainan FC Shout vs Osaka Uni of Health and Sport Chugoku (4) 1st round AICJ High School 6-2 Diossa Izumo Youth Shikoku (2) Semi finals Naruto Uzushio HS 3-3 (pk 3-5) Shikoku Uni Eagles Kochi Gakuen Kochi HS 5-1 Ehime Mikan Also there's no mention of Imabari Ladies anywhere in the qualifying. Possibly through as Bunnys are?
Attendance Orca vs Harima - 1,518 Nittaidai vs Speranza - 1,012 Shizuoka vs Belle - 915 Ehime vs Viama - 825
Fuka Nagano played 64', Risa Shimizu since 88' for Liverpool against Everton of Yuka Momiki, Rion Ishikawa (whole match) and Honoka Hayashi (first half). Dang it, Nadeshikos have colonized Liverpool haven't they?!
Hina Sugita (Portland), Manaka Hayashi (Chicago) played dying minutes for their teams, Narumi Miura (Washington) was benched - played whole Concacaf Champions League match on Thursday though:
Chihiro ISHIDA (former Nojima and Albi) played whole game for Pec Zwolle (Eredivisie Vrouwen) against FC Utrecht. She scored on her debut but lost 1:2. https://www.instagram.com/p/DOTwMULDOlM/?igsh=MW54eTI0am10NzV2Zg==
They were leading until extra time and then conceded two goals. They looked like the much better team but could not take advantage of their dominance. Just some other random news regarding former WE League players that have represented Nadeshiko: Miyu Takahira has moved to Denmark and is playing for Fortuna Hjørring. Her former teammate at Sendai Emi Nakajima has moved to Gyeongju KHNP WFC in Korea.
Feyenoord V1 starts competition with difficult win in Breda Feyenoord has started the new season with a win. In the Rat Verlegh Stadium, Jessica Torny's team had a very difficult time against newcomer NAC Breda, but Feyenoord eventually managed to win the match 1-3. In a sunny Breda, Feyenoord actually struggled from kick-off on Sunday with a sharp and fierce NAC, which wanted to give the historic first match in the Eurojackpot Women's Eredivisie some extra shine. Feyenoord was the better team, but was sloppy with their own possession and opportunities. After just over half an hour of play, there was a liberating opening goal: brand new captain Celainy Obispo popped the ball in hard from a corner. Just before halftime, Feyenoord managed to double the lead. Kokona Iwasaki, who signed in Rotterdam this summer and made her debut in Breda, made it 0-2 in injury time of the first half. Second half With a comfortable lead in their pocket, Feyenoord went looking for a third goal after the break, but the team was too sloppy. Chances came, but there was a lack of sharpness in front of the goal. Fifteen minutes before time, the game suddenly became unprecedentedly exciting again, when NAC managed to score the 1-2. Feyenoord faced a nerve-racking final phase, in which it had to be careful that the match was not given away. Just before time, it was substitute Sanne Koopman who put an end to all uncertainty by making it 1-3 with a dry slide. Score 36' 0-1 Obispo 45' 0-2 Iwasaki 76' 1-2 86' 1-3 Koopman Feyenoord line-up Weimar; Van Bentem (89' Pijnenburg), Obispo, Brandau (78' Verspaget), Van der Sluijs; Iwasaki (46' Stoit), Van Deursen, Itamura; Hulswit (62' Van de Lavoir), Van Kerkhoven, De Graaf (61' Koopman)
Ishida seems to play in a higher position than she used to be in Japan. Takahira may have the chance to play the Champions’ League or at least the Women’s Europa Cup contrary to Shiho MATSUBARA who left to Pitea in Sweden. A transfer that I didn’t understand unless her contract with Fortuna had ended.
Shimizu only played about 6 minutes at the end of the Liverpool-Everton match, but she looked in good form, which is gratifying after 13 months of rehab: 1964675028714504702 is not a valid tweet id
Kuwahara Ai, WE League best offence in August: https://weleague.jp/news/1712/ Asano Natsumi, WE League best defence in August: https://weleague.jp/news/1713/
Koga Toko was chosen as POTM of the game against West Ham. 1965052514019254633 is not a valid tweet id
https://www.nadeshikoleague.jp/news/2025/0909_1100.html September 9, 2025 Nadeshiko League's Birthday - A Special Interview Connecting History and the Future On September 9, 1989, the Japan Women's Football League (Nadeshiko League) was born. In that memorable season, Handa Etsuko played for Shimizu Football Club and was named MVP. As a native of Shizuoka Prefecture, a place famous for its soccer, league matches had been around since elementary school, and she may have had more opportunities to experience soccer than people in other regions. Even so, Handa, who was 24 years old at the time of the birth of the first domestic top league, was filled with anticipation. "At the time, the bubble economy was in full swing, and each team was backed by local businesses. Before the league was formed, we worked full-time, practiced in the evenings, played games on the weekends, and played soccer after 5pm. But then we got a sponsor, and we only had to work in the mornings, and we were able to spend the rest of the time playing soccer. It felt like for the first time that what we had done was being recognized." Matches began to be played on well-maintained grass pitches, and three matches were held at the same venue in one go (six teams participated at the start of the season). This was a valuable opportunity for the teams to watch other teams play at the same venue, and it was an inspiring experience for both teams. It seems as though Handa's path has always been one of upward momentum. It's no wonder that she says, "The football environment around me has been changing at a dizzying pace." The first Asian Championship (now the AFC Women's Asian Cup) since the Japan Women's National Team was established, the first Asian Games as an official event, the Olympics, and the first World Championship (now the FIFA Women's World Cup) -- Handa has been on the pitch at every one of these milestones for Japanese women's football. "I was lucky. For the first Asian Cup, only high school students and above were allowed to go, so I was 16, just in time to go. At the time, I had stopped playing soccer and was in the track and field club, but when I was on a break from club activities in my third year of junior high school, Shimizu Daihachi Sports Club invited me to play in a match, and I won the tournament, which led to me being selected for the national team (laughs)." It was a close call that a talented player who could have built the foundation of Japanese women's soccer would end up in the world of track and field. However, in the 10 years since the Asian Cup, the first year of this transformation, women's soccer has made great strides at an unimaginable speed. The most notable example of this is the holding of the World Championships, also known as the Women's World Cup. "At first, this was also a common scam (laughs). We had heard that the World Cup could be held, but for a long time no one knew for sure when or where. At that time, about half of the national team members were fixed, and the national team was like another team of our own. I was talking with Kioka (Futaba), Takakura (Asako) (former Japan women's national team coach), Noda (Akemi) (current Bunnys Gunma FC White Star coach) and we said, 'I can't imagine it, but if the World Cup can be held, we'd like to play.'" It's not like I had a specific goal to aim for from the start. Over the past 10 years, major competitions have been set before me as I started running. Meanwhile, a string of world-renowned players joined the Japan Women's Football League, including Chou Taiying, the ace player for Chinese Taipei, a powerhouse in Asia at the time. "I played against her on the national team and knew how amazing she was... Even in one-on-one matches, she was just too physically strong and I couldn't take the ball from her at all. The days I spent training with a player who could be said to be the number one in Asia were a great experience." After that, Prima Ham FC Kunoichi (now Iga FC Kunoichi Mie) acquired China national team midfielder Li Xiufu and Canada national team player Charmaine Hooper, and Nikko Securities Dream Ladies acquired forwards Linda Medalen and Hege Liisa from the World Cup runner-up Norway national team, bringing together truly world-class players. "Every team had players from other countries working away from home (laughs). They would say they could build a house for themselves when they returned home. There's no doubt about it, the Japanese league was the best in the world. Thanks to the foreign players, the level of Japanese women's soccer rose dramatically, and it was a time when all the Japanese players, not only my teammates but also those on opposing teams, grew." 8th L League Shimizu vs Prima The uniform actually worn by Handa The Japanese women's national team (Nadeshiko Japan) built on this growth period and continued to grow in strength. Homare Sawa, a member of the team that won the 2011 Women's World Cup, also experienced this period alongside Handa. "I played with Sawa on the national team, and I was secretly cheering for them when they were struggling after not being able to go to the Sydney Olympics. I was also there to watch the final qualifying match for the Athens Olympics at the National Stadium, where they beat North Korea for the first time and secured their place in the tournament. I was watching that moment in 2011 on TV and cheered! It was right after the earthquake, so it felt like an invisible power had gathered in Germany, but that doesn't mean they could suddenly win. It was all the hard work that had been building up up until then that led to that victory." This World Cup was a time when the feelings of not only the winning members, but also many alumni, were sublimated all at once. She played in 75 international A matches for the Japan Women's National Team, scoring 19 goals (1981-1996). After retiring, Handa opened the door to coaching, teaching junior and senior high school students in her hometown of Shizuoka Prefecture. When the first professional soccer league, the WE League, was launched, she was invited to take charge of Chifure AS Elfen Saitama, where she also marked her first step as the WE League's first female coach. And this year, Handa will once again be involved with the Nadeshiko League in the role of director, so how does the current situation look to her? "Now, 36 years later, we can watch so many matches on live streaming that it's almost impossible to watch them all. Our perspective has changed dramatically. Our involvement with the local community has also been upgraded, so I feel that it's even more difficult to continue." With the launch of the WE League, many strong teams have decided to go professional. The role of the top domestic league has now shifted to the WE League, but how does Handa see the new responsibilities of the Nadeshiko League and its value? "The WE League is a place where you can grow and gain professional status, but I also feel the need for a separate amateur league. When I was at Shimizu, employees came together and we aimed to attract 10,000 people, although we didn't actually achieve that. My work creates connections with the places I come into direct contact with. In the local area, there are always people who will support me when I'm at work. Nadeshiko League players often play soccer while working, so if we change our perspective, we might be able to connect more deeply with the local community and make women's soccer feel more familiar to them." The appeal of Japanese women's soccer has always been rooted in this "connection." This is the Nadeshiko League's greatest strength, as players often have direct contact with society. Connecting with society is essential, both as an athlete and in personal development. And now, a trend is being established where if a player excels in the Nadeshiko League, they can open the door to playing professionally in the WE League. "From the Nadeshiko League to the WE League, and from the WE League to the world, I think now is the time to 'go out'. But the time will surely come when they will return. Some players will retire overseas, but there will also be players who want to spend their final season in Japan, with the team that raised them, in the hometown where they were born and raised. When that time comes, I want to create an environment where they can be welcomed back!" When Handa was coaching junior and senior high school students, he was particular about building a team with local players, rather than recruiting players from all over the country. This meant that players from his hometown were loved. Whether during his playing days or now, "interactions with people" has always been firmly at the heart of Handa's being. As a senior, she says there is something she really wants to convey to the children of the future who will be standing on the pitch of the Nadeshiko League, which moves forward together with the community. "There are some things in this world that you cannot do anything about on your own. At times like these, I feel that I want to be a player who is supported by others. Of course, I should always play with gratitude and do my best, but I also want to cherish the fact that I am a role model for children." She was smiling throughout the interview, and spoke with ease and sincerity. There's no doubt that the players who supported the league in its early days had their struggles. However, the stories she recounted were not only weighty, but also refreshing, and vividly recall the time she spent purely focused on soccer. Finally, she laughed and said, as if it were the most obvious thing, "Nothing gets started unless you interact with people." This creed, so simple yet so difficult, seemed to be the very essence of the passion that has long been at the heart of the Japan Women's Football League and has continued to connect the two. The trophy for the best player at the first tournament Text and photography by Noriko Hayakusa ◆ Profile of Etsuko Handa Date of birth: May 10, 1965 (Shizuoka Prefecture) Position: FW [Career] Shimizu Daihachi Sports Club ~ Shimizu FC Ladies / Suzuyo Shimizu FC Lovely Ladies [Major competitive careers and records] ◆Japan Women's National Team: 75 international A matches, 19 goals (1981-1996) ◆Japan Women's Football League: 131 matches, 73 goals (1989-1996)
Not the kindest draw for Beleza in the AWCL group stage, being in pot 2. Suwon FC Women (Korea) Tokyo Verdy Beleza Naegohyang Women's FC (DPRK) ISPE WFC (Myanmar) Like last year, 8 out of 12 teams go to the QF, so two of the "best 3rd team" are qualifying.