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【SOUTHAMPTON FC BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP SIGNING CEREMONY】 Signing and Meeting Report

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Today a  Business Partnership Signing Ceremony was held with Southampton FC (England・Premiership League) was held in Shizuoka City. From now on Shimizu S-Pulse and Southampton FC will contribute to each other club’s player training・strengthening both at junior and senior levels, players・coaches human interaction as well as providing mutual knowhow on club financial operation and fan service improvement.
Comments on the Signing Ceremony and Press Conference as below:

<Signing Ceremony Main Participants>
Southampton FC Owner, Mr. Gao Jisheng
Shimizu S-Pulse Co. Ltd Chairman, Mr. Kenichirou Suzuki

[Witnesses]
(Public Property) Japan Football Association Chairman, Mr. Khozo Tashima
(Public Corporation) Japan Soccer League Chairman, Mr. Mitsuru Murai
Shizuoka Prefecture Governor, Mr. Heita Kawakatsu
Shizuoka City Mayor, Mr. Nobuhiro Tanabe


Shimizu S-Pulse Co. Ltd Chairman, Mr. Kenichirou Suzuki’s comments (Summary)
We at Shimizu S-Pulse have been looking for and overseas partner who can and is willing to develop a long term partnership beyond name and shape. We are convinced we can achieve this goal through deep and meaningful exchanges with Chairman Gao and Southampton FC.

In the case of this business partnership I personally feel the building of a very deep relationship. Chairman Gao has already had the occasion to visit Shizuoka on business and moreover he is a native of Zhejiang Province which has been a sister Province of Shizuoka Prefecture for more than 30 years. I have had the personal pleasure to share many things with Chairman Gao and I truly hold my senior businessman in respect and to be allowed to conduct business with him is an immense gratification. Furthermore I would like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to Mr. Ito, a close friend of Chairman Gao, who played such an important role over many years in the Japan And China Friendship Council Shizuoka Prefecture. This signing ceremony would have never happened without Mr. Ito’s work. I cannot express well enough my most profound thanks. Thanks to him this relationship could be built around this common purpose shared by the cities of Shizuoka-Shimizu and Southampton, both port cities which share history and a common purpose in spite of the vast distances separating them.

I visited Southampton last autumn. I discovered the ideal football club there.  A magnificent stadium, a sublime hospitality, the perfect club house, and state of the art training facilities. Southampton FC have so much to teach us. This will be achieved through learning by the means of a business partnership to enable us to positively grow through the challenge to provide a meaningful partnership with Southampton FC. Moreover it is my humble opinion that this will all lead to a great friendship not only between our clubs but also between the cities and citizens of Shizuoka-Shimizu and Southampton.


Southampton FC Owner, Mr. Gao Jisheng’s comments (Summary)
Today, thanks to this signing of a business partnership between Southampton FC and Shimizu S-Pulse, I would like to express my profound gratitude and heartfelt congratulations to everyone. It just feels like a happy wedding! It was made possible thanks to my old friend and mentor, Mr. Ito. Shizuoka is my second hometown/home province.

I do a lot about Shizuoka. Shizuoka is a great producing and constantly developing region. I was offered the opportunity 30 years ago to pursue training in Shizuoka. So many people looked after me and helped me with so many experiences. Furthermore I was granted invaluable help in promoting economic and cultural exchanges with our Province of Zhejiang. In particular the Japan And China Friendship Council Shizuoka Prefecture spared no effort in helping us. I will never forget such generosity.

I believe this is only the start of a very long relationship. 130-year old Southampton FC with its top-flight team and a port town like Shimizu is a beautiful city with ardent football fans who support their team in an exceedingly competitive league. We at Southampton FC produce top-class players who achieve fame, not only in England Premiership but also in many teams all over the World. This year alone we produced no less than 11 players in different European Leagues.

Japan also has many top class Asian teams. Shizmizu S-Pulse is a very young team gathering an ever-increasing momentum inside the Japan Soccer League. It is also our strong wish for your team to produce as many top-flight players as possible. Soccer is here to nurture human resources of quality and diversity with high standards of thoughts and philosophy. Our present collaboration will cover not only the formation of players and human resources mentally and physically but also contribute to wider economic and management exchanges.

<Meeting attendees>
Southampton FC Commercial Director, Mr. David Thomas
(Co. Ltd) S-Pulse President and CEO, Mr. Shigeo Hidaritomo


Southampton FC Commercial Director David Thomas Comments
Konnichiwa, Hajimashite!
As the representative of Southampton Football Club, I truly consider it a high honor to be here in your company. It will a great pleasure to work for the business partnership with Shimizu S-Pulse. Apart of competing in our leagues I do think we have a lot to learn from each other.


S-Pulse President and CEO, Mr. Shigeo Hidaritomo comments (summary)
What I wish to say about our present partnership is that Southampton FC have a particular talent at forming young players, a merit that compels us to explore their system to the full. It is a personal comment but I would like to say that I spent time in England and watched Southampton FC forming young players and playing their matches in their own league apart of following them ardently on TV and in newspapers.

I also lived in Newcastle and had the pleasure to watch the famous English captain, Alan Shearer. He lived in Newcastle but is a product of Southampton FC youth system. Not only was he supreme in leading his team mates but he was daily active in their practices and trainings, thus becoming an almighty hero attaching great importance to his interaction with supporters. Whenever I see him or his image Shearer reminds me of someone who formed athletes. Among the various systems and infrastructures I had the occasion to observe I understood why such a player as Alan Shearer was produced by Southampton FC. It is my wish that all our members learn from your club.

It is also my wish for our club office to develop along a worldwide global line. Our goal in competing in the Japan League is to eventually participate to the Asian Cup and win it, produce players capable of featuring in the World Cup and exporting them overseas. In doing so we will contribute to the prestige of the J League. For this we have to develop global soccer business cycle. Accordingly we need to study Southampton FC’s management to set a benchmark to our ticketing and stadium fans engagement. We are building a sports business platform with IBM for a total fusion.

Partnership signing ceremony attendees ©︎︎︎S-PULSE

Southampton FC Onwer, Mr, Gao, S-Pulse Chairman, Mr, Suzuki, Japan Football Association Chairman, Mr. Tashima, Japan League Chairman, Mr,. Mura, Shizuoka Prefecture Governor, Mr. Kawakatsu, Shizuoka City Mayor, Mr. Tanabe photo session ©︎︎︎S-PULSE

Press conference View ©︎︎︎S-PULSE

Southampton FC Commercial Director, Mr. Thomas and S-Pulse CEO, Mr. Hdaritomo photo session ©︎︎︎S-PULSE

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