At this stage of the site's development, I don't think we can. You can start a new "thread" by commenting at the top of an existing topic, but I don't think there is any way of making a new topic. If I'm not mistaken, the site is still in a beta release, just recently being opened for the public. We haven't had an Ambassador's meeting since the alpha release in March, but I'm going to raise that up during our next meeting.
Two football (soccer) clubs that have been (relatively) recently acquired by companies that are concerned with community development and sustainability are the Kashima Antlers (https://www.antlers.co.jp/en/) and Shimizu S-Pulse (https://www.s-pulse.co.jp/english). Interestingly, both are two of the original 10 J-League clubs from 1993.
The Antlers are primarily owned by Mercari, the popular Japanese auction site. They've implemented a lot of ICT enhancements to the club since acquiring the team in 2019. It's interesting to me that the club is only one of two of the original J-League clubs never to have been relegated to the second division and that the club seems to have proceeded seamlessly despite being managed under new ownership since 2019. The Antlers are by far the most successful franchise in the league's history and seems poised to achieve further successes as they are currently 4th in the league standings.
Shimizu S-Pulse, on the other hand, has actually been under the current ownership group for more than two decades. But because the club originally formed as a community club, the ownership group that formed after its lead-Shizuoka Television-pulled out in 1998 was managed largely as under its previous management, with no company actively intervening in the team's affairs. However, in recent years, the local logistics firm Suzuya, which is the group's largest shareholder, has taken a more active role in the club's future. Or, rather, Suzuya's young and charismatic CEO-Suzuki Keiichiro-has taken an active position in revitalizing the club. At the age of 40, Suzuki is certainly of an age that is refreshing in Japanese sports management, not to mention the entire world of Japan Inc.
Although Japanese sports, in general, has not been as financially rewarding to its ownership as for the owners of big clubs in Europe and the United States, I am particularly keen to see the future development of soccer, rugby, and basketball in Japan. All three of these sports, in their international structure, are based on a club format that links amateurs and professional clubs. And relegation/promotion provide considerable motivation for community involvement and civic pride, something I find absent in sports and leagues that don't have such a structure.
Anyhow, no matter where your allegiances lie, I think these two clubs are worth looking into. I am very impressed with the vision of their management.
How do we create new topics on this website?
Two football (soccer) clubs that have been (relatively) recently acquired by companies that are concerned with community development and sustainability are the Kashima Antlers (https://www.antlers.co.jp/en/) and Shimizu S-Pulse (https://www.s-pulse.co.jp/english). Interestingly, both are two of the original 10 J-League clubs from 1993.
The Antlers are primarily owned by Mercari, the popular Japanese auction site. They've implemented a lot of ICT enhancements to the club since acquiring the team in 2019. It's interesting to me that the club is only one of two of the original J-League clubs never to have been relegated to the second division and that the club seems to have proceeded seamlessly despite being managed under new ownership since 2019. The Antlers are by far the most successful franchise in the league's history and seems poised to achieve further successes as they are currently 4th in the league standings.
Shimizu S-Pulse, on the other hand, has actually been under the current ownership group for more than two decades. But because the club originally formed as a community club, the ownership group that formed after its lead-Shizuoka Television-pulled out in 1998 was managed largely as under its previous management, with no company actively intervening in the team's affairs. However, in recent years, the local logistics firm Suzuya, which is the group's largest shareholder, has taken a more active role in the club's future. Or, rather, Suzuya's young and charismatic CEO-Suzuki Keiichiro-has taken an active position in revitalizing the club. At the age of 40, Suzuki is certainly of an age that is refreshing in Japanese sports management, not to mention the entire world of Japan Inc.
Although Japanese sports, in general, has not been as financially rewarding to its ownership as for the owners of big clubs in Europe and the United States, I am particularly keen to see the future development of soccer, rugby, and basketball in Japan. All three of these sports, in their international structure, are based on a club format that links amateurs and professional clubs. And relegation/promotion provide considerable motivation for community involvement and civic pride, something I find absent in sports and leagues that don't have such a structure.
Anyhow, no matter where your allegiances lie, I think these two clubs are worth looking into. I am very impressed with the vision of their management.