FC Tokyo finished the 2024 season. While it was a year that saw numerous record-breaking figures in business aspects such as average attendance and annual revenue, the team also faced the reality of not being able to compete for titles. We interviewed President Shigeya Kawagishi to reflect on the year’s battles from both business and football perspectives regarding the club's current position. In the first part, we asked about the positive reception of the strong business performance. There were initiatives for the future woven in that were not visible through just the strong numbers.
Interview and Composition = Kei Sato (Freelance Writer)
Record Numbers and Commitment to the Future
──How are the business and football aspects of the 2024 season being summarized? First, let me ask about the business aspect.
A clear indicator is the league match attendance. For FC Tokyo, the highest number was 31,540 in the 2019 season. And in the 2024 season, we were able to surpass that number. With an average of over 33,000 per game, a total of 630,000 people came to see us. Although it was difficult to win at home Ajinomoto Stadium, we are truly grateful that many fans and supporters came and cheered us on until the very end. We were able to win all four home games held at the National Stadium, but we deeply regret and sincerely apologize for not being able to deliver many victories at Ajinomoto Stadium.
──How do you perceive the factors that contributed to the increase in spectator attendance?
1The 2019 season, where the average attendance exceeded 30,000, was a season of championship contention. The goal of surpassing that number was challenging for the club, and we did not think it could be achieved quickly. However, in the 2024 season, we were truly able to have many people attend and succeeded in that challenge. Of course, unlike the 2019 season, where all matches were held at Ajinomoto, the 2024 season hosted four matches at Japan National Stadium, with a total attendance of 210,000. Since the number of home league games has increased by two, we cannot simply compare the figures, but I believe it is significant that we were able to exceed the large target we set.
The advantage of holding matches at Japan National Stadium, as explained so far, is that it allows us to reach a wider audience who cannot be reached by Ajinomoto Stadium alone. While keeping Ajinomoto as the main venue, we plan to strategically utilize Japan National Stadium going forward. The J.League is also promoting it enthusiastically under the name 'THE National DAY,' and since the club and the J.League share the same intentions, we want to continue working to attract more fans and supporters.
──It was mentioned that merchandise sales are also steadily increasing. What are your thoughts on this?
This season has truly been very successful. Changing to the new emblem may have had a positive effect. Of course, I don't think the new emblem itself was accepted by everyone, but looking at the numbers, they have improved compared to last season, and I feel that many people have picked up our items. Usually, merchandise is purchased only by existing fans and supporters. From that perspective, I believe there was strong demand for replacing items with the new emblem. In addition, I think it was significant that we properly prepared merchandise at affordable price points, such as towel scarves, which are easy for casual fans to pick up. As I mentioned in the previous interview, expanding the stores and maintaining sufficient stock for sales at the stadium also brought about positive effects.
──Looking at the numbers from the past two years, merchandise sales increased from 400 million yen to 600 million yen. How will merchandise sales be for the 2024 season?
This year, it is expected to exceed 700 million yen. We believe that the efforts not to fear the risk of inventory, which I also mentioned in the previous interview, have led to these results. We intend to continue building on this moving forward.
──As a new initiative, there was the sale of U-12 tickets. Please tell us again about its purpose and effects.
From this season, we have introduced a ticket category called U-12 for certain seating areas. Analyzing the customer base for this category, we found that ticket sales for adults in these seating areas have also increased. In other words, the U-12 tickets have encouraged families to attend together. Although this analysis is based on data from summer, a closer look reveals that the average age of attendees has decreased by about one year. This is likely related to the relatively younger age of families attending with their elementary school children who hold U-12 tickets. As the J.League marks 30 years since its inception and the average age of spectators has risen, both the league and clubs have faced the challenge of rejuvenating their fan base. From this perspective, we believe this initiative has had a positive impact.
This initiative was undertaken from a fairly mid- to long-term perspective. When considering which club children support, the influence of their parents is significant. From that standpoint, I believe it is important to create experiences where children think, "I came to like FC Tokyo because my parents took me to the stadium." By continuing such efforts, we want to build an environment where FC Tokyo fans and supporters continue to thrive and pass down their passion over 10, 20 years, and beyond. If we only consider immediate profits, increasing the number of elementary school customers by one versus increasing the number of adult customers by one results in a difference in so-called "customer unit price," so the focus would naturally be on adults. However, a mid- to long-term perspective is absolutely necessary, and looking 10, 20, 30 years ahead, we want to create a cycle where support is passed from parents to children, and from children to grandchildren. In that sense, we want to continue our approach toward family demographics going forward.
──As another initiative, there was a partnership with overseas clubs for the 2024 fiscal year. Could you explain the partnership with Legia Warsaw (Poland) and SL Benfica (Portugal)?
When it comes to partnerships with overseas clubs, people often think there is player exchange between clubs, but in reality, the type of players required differs for each league and team, so it is not such a simple matter. Legia Warsaw focuses on a scouting partnership, exchanging scouting information they each have. We get second opinions on EU players we are considering acquiring, and in return, we provide information on Japanese players they are paying attention to. This partnership was realized because our needs matched each other.
SLBenfica is a partnership related to player development. I believe the academy is one of FC Tokyo's strengths, but how to properly create a career path for players is a challenge not only for FC Tokyo but also for the Japanese football community in the age group referred to as “post-youth.” Whether to advance to university or play in the J.League. Even for players promoted to the top team, there is the option to change categories. Securing match appearances for that generation is quite difficult. Sometimes, we create playing opportunities through loan transfers to J2 clubs, but that alone is not enough. We wanted to expand various possibilities to enhance the players' value. Among those options, we came to the idea that being developed overseas is also one choice, and since SL Benfica is one of the world's leading clubs in maximizing player value, our intentions aligned, leading to this partnership.
──What kind of results do you expect for the 2024 fiscal year's sales? It's before the financial results, but please share your current impressions.
Last year's sales were 5.929 billion yen, but this year we expect to significantly exceed that amount. Thanks to everyone's support, each business segment is likely to achieve record-high figures. The details have not been finalized yet, so we plan to report this again as a management report after the financial results are finalized.
The second part is here
