Some people may have devoted themselves to sports through school clubs or lessons as children or students, and dreamed of becoming professional athletes one day.
However, it seems that few people continue playing sports after graduating from school.
Because work is busy, because there is nowhere to play, or because there are no teammates to play with.
There may be various reasons, but some people may still feel in their hearts that they want to pursue sports seriously even after graduation.
In Mizushima, Kurashiki City, there is someone who started a women's volleyball team to create a place for children who want to keep playing the sports they love.
That person is Kurashiki Ablaze head coach Suzuki Hideo.
We’ll introduce what inspired Suzuki to start a women’s volleyball team and what kind of team Kurashiki Ablaze aims to be.
The information presented was current when this article was published in November 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Kurashiki Ablaze
Kurashiki Ablaze is a professional women's volleyball team based in Mizushima, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture.
Founded in 2019, it belonged to the corporate league.
In October 2022, it met strict standards, including those for cooperation with local government and competitive results, and obtained an “S3 License.”
The team finally entered the top-tier V.League and the professional world, making its first appearance in the “2023-24 V.LEAGUE DIVISION3” tournament, which begins in November 2023.
The origin of the name
The “Ablaze” in the team name Kurashiki Ablaze means “passion.”
The emblem is red and features a “fox.”
It embodies the hope that the team will be more passionate about volleyball than anyone else and grow into a team that makes a spectacular transformation.
About Kurashiki Ablaze’s head coach
Kurashiki Ablaze’s head coach is Suzuki Hideo.
Suzuki is from Nara Prefecture. As a student, he devoted himself to volleyball with the goal of competing in the Inter-High School Championships.
However, due to work, he temporarily quit volleyball and moved to Kurashiki.
Then, at the age of 20, Suzuki founded Shuei System Techno Co., Ltd.
Today, he balances two roles—as head coach of Kurashiki Ablaze and president of a construction company—and continues taking on challenges for the players and the community.
Employment of Kurashiki Ablaze players
All Kurashiki Ablaze players, including the coaches, are employed by Suzuki’s company.
However, since Suzuki’s company works in construction, the players cannot be taken to job sites.
Instead, the players work at companies that have contracted with Kurashiki Ablaze as job partners.
They work at various placements, including general office work, nursing homes, kindergartens, and sports instruction.
This also gives them experience for a second career, so they can take on a variety of jobs as working adults after retiring from playing.
The players work as company employees during the day, then practice volleyball every day after work.
Player profiles
Most Kurashiki Ablaze players have focused exclusively on volleyball since elementary school and attended high schools or universities known for strong volleyball programs.
However, none of them were famous players who excelled during their student years.
As a result, they are exceptionally determined and practice every day with a fierce competitive spirit.
Community contribution activities
Kurashiki Ablaze is committed to community contribution activities.
You may have seen players in uniform at events and local gatherings.
Here are some of Kurashiki Ablaze’s community contribution activities to date.
- Rintetsu Garden (now Ablaze Garden Mizushima)
- Food bank activities
- Mizushima Clean-Up Campaign
- Mizushima Morning Market
- Volleyball Festival
- Mizushima Flower-Planting Campaign
- Sports classes
- Agricultural support
- Cleanup activities
- Multicultural community events
- Sports classes for young children
All the players take part in these activities to become a team loved by the local community.
When I spoke with the players, I found them all cheerful, with lovely smiles, and very polite.
If you see them at an event, be sure to say hello and cheer them on.
Kurashiki Ablaze’s international exchange
Because head coach Suzuki had coached volleyball in the Philippines, the team was invited to play in the Philippines’ top league.
It was the players’ first time competing in front of tens of thousands of spectators.
With the cheers of the Filipino spectators drowning out their own voices, they managed to claim a miraculous victory.
In the end, more than half of the spectators were cheering for Kurashiki Ablaze from Japan.
The team has reportedly received a steady stream of inquiries and coaching requests from Filipino coaches, asking, “How can you beat our team, whose players are 180 cm tall, when your average height is only 170 cm?”
Exchange with the Philippines is likely to become more active from here on.
Joining the V.League
The team will make its first appearance in the V.League tournament “2023-24 V.LEAGUE DIVISION3,” which begins in November 2023.
Home games will be held on December 2 and 3, 2023, at Mizushima Ryokuchi Fukuda Park Gymnasium.
The team hopes many people from Kurashiki City will come and cheer them on, and, remarkably, tickets for these matches are free.
As residents of Kurashiki City, we should definitely go and cheer them on.
We spoke with head coach Suzuki Hideo, who wanted to create a professional women's volleyball team in Kurashiki and even built a dedicated gym for the team, with the costs shared between his company and himself personally.
Kurashiki Ablaze facts
| Organization name | Kurashiki Ablaze |
|---|---|
| Industry | Professional volleyball team |
| Representative | Suzuki Hideo |
| Year founded | 2019 |
| Address | 2-23-1 Minamiune, Kurashiki City |
| Contact | 086-455-5500 |
| Website | Kurashiki Ablaze |
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