The soccer J-League has resumed aloud support at the stadium, which has been banned as a countermeasure against infection with the new coronavirus, from the official game held in Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture on the 11th.
This is the first time that Korona-ka has become a vocal support in major professional sports in Japan.
The J-League of soccer has banned aloud support at the stadium since February, saying that there is a risk of flying infection with the new coronavirus, but the government's basic policy is to take measures at the venue. Last month, we decided to restart the event in stages because it was approved to hold a loud event if the accommodation rate was set to 50%.
Then, after 3:00 pm on the 11th, aloud support was resumed at the match between Kashima Antlers and Avispa Fukuoka of the J League Cup held at Kashima Stadium in Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Approximately 1,700 people were allowed to cheer by speaking out, and before the match, they entered a special area behind the goal, wore a non-woven mask, turned to the pitch, and named the team and players according to the rhythm. By making a loud "call" and singing a cheering song called "chant", he made a loud voice for the first time in a long time and repeated cheering to liven up the atmosphere of the stadium.
It is the first time in Korona-ka that support is given aloud in major domestic professional sports such as baseball, rugby, and basketball.
Background of selecting "Voice support"
Since Yoshikazu Nonomura, chairman of the J.League, took office in March, one of the most focused efforts has been to create an environment where he can resume his support aloud.
Under the government's basic coping policy, non-loud events can accommodate up to 100% of the capacity, but for loud events the capacity must be 50%.
Furthermore, the average number of visitors to J1 this season is 12,517 per game, which is only about 60% of the season three years ago, and attracting customers in the Korona-ka is still a big issue in the J League. increase.
Nevertheless, Nonomura Chairman decided to restart this time because he thought that it would lead to an increase in fans in the long run if an environment where he could support aloud, which is a big taste of watching soccer games, could be prepared.
Regarding this, Chairman Nonomura says, "If you think of soccer as a work, the amount of heat that customers make is an important factor. There is also the aspect that new fans will come because you want to see the work."
On the other hand, he said, "There may be a J-League club that wants to get 100% of the audience without making a voice. It is important how the league can meet the conditions that the club can choose." He also expressed his desire to create an environment where the club hosting the event can choose to support aloud.
Non-woven mask can reduce flying 96-99%
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and Professor Tomoaki Okuda of Keio University, who have cooperated with the J-League survey, investigated how to fly a flying object by vocal support late last month. It summarizes that it can be suppressed to.
Specifically, if you make a "call" that yells out the names of teams and players in rhythm, or sing a cheering song called "chant", experiment with how much flying will spread and wear a mask. We compared three patterns: when not wearing, when wearing a non-woven mask, and when using a urethane mask.
As a result, it was found that wearing a non-woven mask reduced 96% to 99% of the fine particles of 3 to 9 micrometers scattered in the air compared to those without a mask.
The particles that could be cut with a urethane mask were 83% to 89% compared to those without a mask.
Professor Okuda says, "I found that if you wear a non-woven mask properly, you can significantly reduce the amount of flying even if you cheer loudly."
On top of that, "In the coming hot season, it is necessary to think about things other than poor ventilation, the risk of heat stroke, and suppressing flying. I want various people to share their wisdom and think about it. He also pointed out future issues.
"Voice support" introduced in stages
The J-League has decided to gradually introduce aloud support after the match at Kashima Stadium on the 11th.
On the 12th, in the J2 league match held at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chofu City, Tokyo, up to 3000 people will be provided with seats that can support their voices, just like on the 11th.
The second step is to set up seats that can support up to 7,000 people in a total of 6 games that will be held early next month.
Three J2 league games will be held at Soyous Stadium in Akita City, K's Denki Stadium Mito in Mito City, and ND Soft Stadium Yamagata in Tendo City, Yamagata Prefecture on the 2nd of next month, and Kashima Stadium and Ajinomoto Stadium on the 6th. In addition, the three J1 league games held at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama City will be the target.
With the cooperation of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, we also conducted a survey of carbon dioxide concentration in the area of voice support, verified whether the game could be managed properly, and in August the desired club We want to create an environment where we can introduce vocal support.
Supporters are "exciting" "I'm looking forward to it after a long time"
A large number of supporters visited the match between Kashima Antlers and Avispa Fukuoka in the J-League soccer team, where aloud support at the stadium was to be resumed.
A woman from Kashima City, Ibaraki Prefecture, who has been a supporter of the Antlers for 30 years, said, "I've been cheering with applause, but I was excited because I wanted to make a voice. I'm a little worried, but I thoroughly reviewed and practiced. I think that cheering aloud will convey to the players. "
A 10-year-old girl from Tsukuba City who came to support her family said, "I'm looking forward to it because it's been a while. I want to support her a lot."
In addition, a man in his 40s, who has been a supporter since the founding of Antlers, said, "I was frustrated even if I couldn't make a voice. I wanted to make a voice. I want to make a bold voice because it is a long-awaited voice. "
Rules for voice support
According to the guidelines set by the J.League, the definition of voice support is "to repeatedly and continuously speak in the audience seats with a louder voice than usual", and temporary cheers such as when scoring are not applicable. And.
In the voice cheering area, you can make a "call" that shouts out the names of teams and players in rhythm, or sing a cheering song called "chant", but in principle, wear a non-woven mask and pitch. You have to turn to the direction of and make a voice.
At present, seats must be arranged at least one in front, back, left and right, and in the first two games, one row in front and back and one seat in left and right are vacant, and the capacity is 25%, which can accommodate up to 3000 people. ..
Exceptionally, it is necessary to secure a distance of 2 meters square for the call leader of the cheering squad who is allowed to cheer without facing the direction of the pitch.
On the other hand, cheering that has a risk of spreading flying such as finger whistle and trumpet, and cheering that comes into contact with people by high-fiving or crossing shoulders are still prohibited.
In addition, it is prohibited to bring food or alcoholic beverages into the voice support area.