Saitama ¨C After 20 months of navigating the coronavirus pandemic with drastically reduced attendances and strict limits on active support, the J. League is optimistic that a path to normality is in sight.
Saturday¡¯s Levain Cup final served as one of the biggest tests yet for Japan¡¯s professional soccer league, which has seen clubs struggle financially due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
With a state of emergency in place over much of Japan during 2021, average per-game attendance in the first division stood at 5,862 at the end of October ¡ª an increase of 1.1% over 2020¡¯s final average but still well below 2019¡¯s record 20,751.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.