On the second day of the expedition, two training sessions were held in the morning and afternoon. The morning session took place on a natural grass field. Many children were playing soccer at the same facility, and whenever FC Tokyo started their training, they were always surrounded by many spectators (and recorded on video). Whether it is because of the atmosphere of the training or the attention given to the development of Japanese players, training in a different environment than usual will be a good experience for the players.

There are always many spectators at FC Tokyo's practice

Practice on natural grass field

In the afternoon practice, we confirmed the defense of set plays in preparation for tomorrow's match. The intense training, just like a real game, received high praise from coaches of other clubs, who said, "FC Tokyo's training is very disciplined, and the players are focused."

Concentrate and perform training	Confirmation of set plays

Now, as I mentioned a little yesterday, let me introduce you to the "Guangzhou Evergrande Football School" that is currently on a training expedition here. This school, created as a subsidiary organization of "Guangzhou Evergrande," the reigning champion of the AFC Champions League last year, is a boarding school equipped with 48 football fields, a gymnasium, a library, student dormitories, and accommodation facilities. "Evergrande" is the name of a huge Chinese conglomerate. They also have a partnership with Real Madrid, and I saw many Spanish coaches. The number of students exceeds 2,500, and it has even been certified by Guinness. However, not all of these 2,500 students are elite selected through a selection process. Rather, anyone can enter as long as they pay the tuition fees. It can be said to be a combination of a soccer school and a boarding school (elementary and middle school) similar to what we have in Japan.
I thought this place was a soccer elite education institution with a scale of nearly 3,000 people before coming here, but it seems that it is not the case. According to the staff, the school operation is not covered only by the students' tuition fees (which are quite high), but a large part is supported by Evergrande. It also seems that Evergrande has a strong aspect of social contribution as a company, as it creates many local job opportunities.

The facility is very clean and above all, the food (of course, authentic Chinese cuisine!) is very delicious. The climate is also excellent, and the people's response is very polite, so it is a very good training environment. Considering the future of the players, it might be better to struggle a little more. I hope to achieve good results in the tournament starting tomorrow and repay this environment.

48 practice courts

The number of students has been recognized by the Guinness World Records