Support Provided to Vietnam’s Hung Yen Province U-11 Football TeamInviting the team to the 20th TDK Teiichi Yamazaki Cup Youth Football Championships

Sumitomo Corporation, Thang Long Industrial Park II Corporation (“TLIP II”), YURI Holdings and Seiko Industry Vietnam (a subsidiary of YURI Holdings and a tenant of TLIP II; “SIV”) supported Vietnam’s Hung Yen Province U-11 football team in making a road trip to Akita. The Hung Yen team participated in the 20th TDK Teiichi Yamazaki Cup Youth Football Championships held in Nikaho City, Akita Prefecture from May 3 to 5, 2019, thereby becoming the first overseas team to participate in the competition.

Intended to help children—the next generation of leaders—to nurture their creativity through science and sports, the event features eight-a-side games held in three divisions (U-12, U-11 and U-10). The Hung Yen team participated in the U-12 and U-11 divisions, with a total of 20 team members joining the games.

The games started with the Japanese and Vietnamese players shaking hands. Despite the small build of many of them, the Hung Yen players impressed spectators with their dogged pursuit of the ball. The team did well and ended up taking third place in the U-12 division and second place in the U-11 division.

On the day before the event started, the Hung Yen team visited Mt. Chokai, still crowned with the last of the season’s snow, and enjoyed the cherry blossom scenery. “Akita is a very beautiful place,” they said, excited by their first experience of snow as well as seeing the cherry blossoms.

President Sigeru Kumagai of SIV, who originally proposed the Akita road trip, was enthusiastic about its success. “We want to contribute to both the Akita and Hung Yen communities,” he said, “and have actually been able to do so by providing them with an opportunity to interact with other through the event.”