When J. League Chairman Yoshikazu Nonomura took over the fledgling WE League a year ago, he was tasked with improving the competition¡¯s value proposition as a sporting product and bringing the balance sheets to a favorable standing.

The early evidence suggests that a series of scruff-of-the-neck promotional efforts made by the former J. League player have indeed breathed life into this long struggling competition, although all is not yet perfect.

¡°I feel that this season has been the most exciting yet, with the title race running right down to the final matchday for the first time,¡± he said during a postseason news conference on May 29.