Kids' Activities 06-2

We're Going to be Ball Kids!

	Shimoda Middle School Soccer Club members. (Shimoda Middle School)

During World Cup matches, when a ball goes out of play, ball kids will pick it up and give it back to the players or the referee. Some 836 youth soccer teams from all over Japan applied to be ball kids, and 30 teams were selected on April 22.

Each match will be patrolled by 12 ball kids and two substitutes, so there are 14 places available on each team. Ball kids must be between 12 and 16 years old and be a member of their school soccer team or a recreational soccer team. The girls' soccer team from Tokyo Metropolitan Kokusai High School is one of the teams that has been chosen. Soccer commentator Sergio Echigo, the chairman of the selection committee, said, "Ball kids play an indispensable role in the flow of the game. We hope that they will play a big role in the event alongside the players."

In Shimoda City, Shizuoka Prefecture, the 14 members of the Shimoda Middle School soccer team were chosen. Club vice captain and third-year student Tsubasa Suzuki's father, Masafumi, videotaped the team's practices at the beach in January and February and submitted an application after conferring with team members. Tsubasa said, "We never thought we would actually be selected! We'll do our very best to pick up the balls so that the game can proceed smoothly."

Masafumi, who runs a restaurant, coaches a soccer team made up of elementary-school kids. Thanks to the influence of his father, Tsubasa began playing soccer when he was in first grade. He says, "I want to be a player like Alessandro dos Santos of Shimizu S-Pulse."

Makoto Suzuki, the teacher at Shimoda Middle School who also acts as coach of the soccer team, says, "It's like a dream come true for these kids. They get to see the soccer stars they love right in front of their eyes. They're so lucky to have this chance." (Chunichi Shimbun)