A Shooting-Focused Sport Designed to Tackle Japan’s “Lack of Finishing Power” and Overcome the “Fear of Failure” Soccer Culture
, /PRNewswire/ — LEIFRAS Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFS) (the “Company” or “Leifras”), a sports and social business company dedicated to youth sports and community engagement, today announced the official launch of “SIX SHOOT”, a new soccer competition focused on shooting and goal scoring. SIX SHOOT was conceived by Leifras employee and former J.League player Itta Terada, aiming to foster a mindset among young people to embrace challenges and shoot without fear of failure through sports. The Company has also launched official social media accounts for the competition and plans to share updates on how various prestigious teams across different age groups take on the SIX SHOOT challenge. The Company also plans to hold tournaments by age groups in the future.
Development Background: Addressing the Need for a Goal-Scoring Mindset in Japanese Soccer
One of the long-standing issues facing Japanese soccer is the lack of strikers. Partly due to Japan’s strong culture that values harmony, Japanese players tend to choose a “100% success rate back pass” over a “50% success rate shot” in critical moments. However, to compete at the highest levels and realize the goal of winning the World Cup, players must develop the confidence and technical ability to seize even the smallest opportunities in front of goal. Taking a shot is the very essence of “challenge” in life. SIX SHOOT was born from the belief that more players, and more people beyond the field, should develop a “shoot without fear” mindset: the resolve to shape their own future on their own terms, despite the risk of receiving criticism if they miss.
What is “SIX SHOOT”? A New Shooting-Focused Competition Format
SIX SHOOT is a “shooting-focused competitive event” where players attempt six different types of shots and compete to score the most goals. It is designed to hone the players’ shooting skills under match-like pressure and engage the social media audience with its clear outcome—whether a goal is scored or not. Promotion and rule explanation videos can be viewed via the competition’s official accounts.
- Six Designated Situations
Penalty kick, direct shot, one-touch shot, mid-range shot, etc. - Win or Lose Determination
The player who scores the most goals (or the goalkeeper who has made the most saves) at the end of the sixth round is the winner. - Match Format
Competitions can be held in individual or team formats, with flexible structures depending on the number of participants and categories.
Going Forward: Age-Group Tournaments to Cultivate Japan’s Next Generation of Strikers
SIX SHOOT is more than just entertainment. As a serious project aimed at discovering the world’s best striker, age-group tournaments are being planned for players aged U-9 (3rd grade elementary school) and above to determine the top striker in each age group. By focusing on shooting, Leifras seeks to improve the shooting skills and mindset of young players.
Launch of Official Social Media Accounts Under the Theme “The World’s Best Striker, From Japan”
The official social media accounts for this project have been launched. The Company plans to share the journey of founder Itta Terada’s challenges, the practice of SIX SHOOT by prestigious teams from each age group, spectacular plays from SIX SHOOT competitions, and showdown events featuring star guests.
Official Social Media Accounts: SIX SHOOT | The World’s Best Striker, From Japan.
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/six_shoot_lfs/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@six_shoot_lfs
About LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Leifras is a sports and social business company dedicated to youth sports and community engagement. The Company primarily provides services related to the organization and operations of sports schools and sports events for children. As of December 31, 2024, Leifras was recognized as one of Japan’s largest operators of children’s sports schools in terms of both membership and facilities by Tokyo Shoko Research. The Company’s approach to sports education emphasizes the development of non-cognitive skills, following the teaching principle “acknowledge, praise, encourage, and motivate.” The holistic approach that integrates physical and mental development sets Leifras apart in the industry. Building upon deep experience and know-how in sports education, Leifras also operates a robust social business sector, dispatching sports coaches to meet various community needs with the aim to promote physical health, social inclusion, and community well-being across different demographics.
For more information, please visit the Company’s website: https://ir.leifras.co.jp/.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may,” or other similar expressions in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks, including, but not limited to, the uncertainties related to market conditions, and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the registration statement and other filings with the SEC. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. References and links to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the information contained on such websites is not incorporated by reference into this press release.
For more information, please contact:
LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.
Investor Relations Department
Email: [email protected]
Ascent Investor Relations LLC
Tina Xiao
Phone: +1-646-932-7242
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.
