Yokohama Hayato High School 1

"LEAVE THE JOB TO US":
Ball-Kid Pros Prepare for the Final

	The 14 members of the ball kids team.

Imagine yourself holding a soccer ball, standing on the sidelines of the playing field at International Stadium Yokohama. It's the World Cup final, and you are one of the ball kids. Just as you contemplate how lucky you are to be there watching the great game, the ball is kicked out of play right near you. A player rushes up to you and gestures for the ball. But wait, the referee says the other team should get the ball. The player starts shouting at you, demanding the ball. His team is one goal behind and time is running out, and he is eager to get back to the game. He sounds angry and irritated now, almost threatening. All this goes on within a matter of seconds, and you must decide what to do. Panic! At times like this, what do you do? Call in the boys from the Yokohama Hayato High School!

"You mustn't be overwhelmed by the vigor of the players," says Kazuya Amaha, a midfielder on the soccer team at Hayato High School who will take part as ball kids in the World Cup's final match on June 30. "You have to concentrate on the game completely to lessen the possibility of mistakes." Yuki Kikushima, a fellow midfielder, comments: "The important thing is to do our best so that the players, staff, supporters, and everyone watching on TV appreciate our job. That's the key to running the game smoothly."

If they sound like they know their stuff, that's because these guys are experts at being ball kids - you could call them 'pros.' Boys on the Yokohama Hayato High School soccer team have been doing the job of ball kids five or six times every year since 1995. They've taken part in J. League (Japan's professional soccer league) games and in every major match at International Stadium Yokohama, including the Kirin Cup and the Emperor's Cup.

"I think we were chosen because of our experience as ball kids," says midfielder Takanori Yamada, who thinks the most difficult part is making sure there aren't two balls in the field at the same time. "We must establish eye contact and keep up communication between ball kids so that it's clear who will return the ball to a player."

(Left) Coach Ishikawa; (right) The students listen carefully to their coach.

"Our message in the video letter [created for applying to the ball kids contest] was 'leave the job to us,'" says coach Shingo Ishikawa, who has also trained other ball kids chosen for the 2002 World Cup matches. While the coach is confident his boys will do an expert job, he confesses that he was quite nervous and excited himself when they were chosen for the most important match of the tournament. "I'm telling the boys not to become conceited. They should consider themselves lucky, but not overestimate their skills," he says.

The job of ball kids involves instant decision-making. Players on the losing side could get irritated if the ball isn't returned quickly, and players on the winning side could delay receiving the ball on purpose to use up time. If the ball bounces back into the field, ball kids must tell the player to pick up that ball instead of handing him another ball, and constant attention must be paid to the referees to know the right player to pass the ball to. Ball kids must know the game very well to keep the match going smoothly.

"Once the ball is out, come forward quickly to let your presence be known to the player! Full-speed, full-speed!" Coach Ishikawa shouts during special practice. In groups of two or three, he tests his boys in their decision-making skills by simulating real-life situations that may arise in the match. "The boys don't really need the extra practice. But the girls from the Tokyo Metropolitan Kokusai High School did such a perfect job, and we can't let girls beat us!" he jokes.

The Hayato boys are gearing up for the big match. Midfielder Keisuke Honma is ambitious. "We're going to aim at 45 minutes of in-play (the time when the ball is on the field and the game proceeds uninterrupted)," he says. "We are perfectly prepared, and will do our best," says defender Yasuhiro Matsuo.

Reassuring words indeed. The most important match of the 2002 World Cup promises to be an exciting battle, and the Hayato boys are expected to play a major role as ball kids in running the game smoothly. We're counting on you, guys!