FUNDED: Help 100 Young Footballers Kick Off in Furano Hokkaido

On 3 and 4 October, about 100 children from eight youth teams will play the 2nd Captain Tsubasa Cup in Furano, Hokkaido. We are raising 40,000 yen to put proper match balls on the pitch.

In the manga Captain Tsubasa, Hikaru Matsuyama is the boy from Furano: not the most gifted player on the page, but the one who never stops running. For a generation of Japanese footballers, he made a small farming town in Hokkaido part of football folklore.

Last year, Furano turned that story into a real tournament. The first Captain Tsubasa Cup, Northern Land Edition, brought youth teams from inside and outside the region to the riverside pitch by the Sorachi River. Former Japan internationals Takashi Fukunishi and Tatsuhiko Kubo ran a clinic for the children. The event’s stated aim was simple: to find the next Hikaru Matsuyama.

This year it returns. On 3 and 4 October 2026, eight teams and about 100 primary school players will compete, with more than 300 people expected once families and spectators are counted. It is run entirely by a local organising committee led by the coach of Furano FC, and funded 5,000 yen at a time by small businesses in town.

For a town of Furano’s size, that matters. Youth numbers are falling, schools are closing, and every team that travels in to play gives local children opponents, friendships and a reason to keep playing. A tournament like this happens only because a few people decide it should.

FURAPERA Community Aid Network, a sister initiative of Giveinstead.sg, is supporting the committee with one specific thing: the balls.

Our goal is 40,000 yen (about S$350). Every yen goes to match balls, the official youth size used in the tournament. The balls will be used across both days of play and stay in Furano afterwards for local youth training, so the contribution outlasts the weekend.

This is a small, fully defined ask. When the goal is met, the campaign closes.

FURAPERA Community Aid Network works with Furano residents and organisations on youth development, from a formal graduation lunch for over 50 primary school leavers to a first trip to the sea for children who grew up inland. Giveinstead.sg is the Singapore platform that lets people turn a birthday or milestone into support for a cause they care about. Together they connect supporters in Singapore to specific, verifiable needs in Furano.

Donating is really simple and secure. The money will directly go to Tokutei Hieiri Katsudou Houjin Miraito.