Written by: Rayhansyah Jasin
Edited by: Ahmed Labib Daiyan
Like any other popular university, APU has its own lineup of sports clubs! Most people may know its baseball and soccer teams, and APU's Lacrosse and Rugby Teams have been joining various competitions across Oita and Kyushu. Moreover, APU supports many martial arts clubs like Judo and Kendo Clubs. These clubs are open to beginners, and some are handled directly by professional instructors.
However, have you ever heard about APU Flag Football Highlanders? Well, what is it, FLAG FOOTBALL? What does it mean? How different is it from the ball-kicking sport, or is it similar to American Football?
Let's talk to two APU Flag Football Highlanders representatives, Chikara and Arkan, to get to know it better.
When Tanaka Chikara first got into Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, he already had a plan in mind for his passion for a particular sport, Flag Football. Enrolled in the Spring Semester of 2020, Chikara faced the hard reality of an online first semester.
Luckily for Chikara, he met another freshman online who shared the same passion for Flag Football. They decided to apply for the new club in May 2020, way before they could actually move into AP House.
“I think our first practice was held on November 20 and we only had three (members) at the time,” said Chikara about the early days of the club.
“Now, we have 22 members.”
Yet, most people have never even heard about Flag Football. Not only the APU community, but many people might also have no clue about this sport.
“Flag Football actually is a development from American Football,” said Arkan, one of the club’s members.
“What differs Flag Football and American Football is that Flag Football does not (involve) physical contacts that (American Football) has.”
Arkan told us that initially, Flag Football was used as an introductory tool and practice method for early kids to get to know American Football. The lack of significant contact between players makes this sport safer and more suitable for kindergarten and elementary students.
“It is also played by elderly people so that they can enjoy playing the sport without worrying too much about injuries,” said Arkan.
As a third-year student from Indonesia, Arkan had only landed in Beppu in April 2022 because of Japan’s strict immigration policy imposed for almost two years.
“I (first) knew about flag football when I was in high school in Indonesia. My school established this club in 2014/15 and I had joined it since my first year in high school.”
Arkan continued his flag football journey even after his graduation from high school by participating in an amateur club during the time of the pandemic.
“I found out that APU also has its own flag football club from Instagram. So, by the time I arrived in Japan, I asked them about the schedule practice and that’s how I joined,” Arkan has been a member since July this year.
APU Flag Football Highlanders, the nickname itself has its story of origin.
“It’s our team’s name. We started practicing here at APU and you know since it’s on top of the mountain and thus a highland,” Chikara shared the story behind it.
Chikara intended to have flag football in APU due to its versatility and flexibility of having players from any level. The minimum physical contact also meant that the sport was gender neutral and could be played by mixed teams. He also mentioned that many teams in Kyushu have a mixed composition of players regardless of their gender. Inclusivity was also part of the prime reason to break that stigma of circles’ dichotomy of Japanese and International circles. The team currently consists of people from Indonesia, Zimbabwe, and the US along with Japanese students.
APU Flag Football Highlanders have grown big in this short period of two years. It has joined several competitions starting from this summer break in Kyushu level.
“The first competition that we had was in Fukuoka and it was a Kyushu-wide competition open to all teams,” Arkan mentioned the Highlanders’ first engagement. The team has competed with various opponents and some of them are adult semi-professional teams that have many experienced Americ
an Football players.
“However, we have improved a lot and we managed to get wins (afterwards) against
these older teams,” APU lag Football Highlanders is actually the youngest team in the Kyushu league, Arkan explained.
“...It is not that famous (flag football) in Japan as in we are the only team in Oita. I think they have no (flag football) teams before us,” said Chikara. The history of the Highlanders may be the beginning of the history of flag football in Oita as well.
Next year around February, APU Flag Football Highlanders is planning to have an open competition held in APU. Chikara said that he is working on the permission with the Student Office for it.
“It will be a tournament (for the entire Kyushu stage) and those who win can go to the national championship,” Chikara shared some of the details around the upcoming APU held regional competition.
“We have very athletic young players and some of them used to play American Football. Also, other teams have their history and pride, so they don’t want to lose. But we are new, so we don’t care. We (have) nothing to lose.”
Being an official club in APU gives many benefits, especially getting the front-page promotion, especially to first-year students during the clubs and circles introduction event. It also gives these clubs responsibilities to report regularly to the office on its activities, especially for COVID-19 prevention measurements. However, aside from that, it is important for clubs to get more financial support, especially those joining competitions outside of Oita.
“Sometimes we have to travel to Fukuoka or Kumamoto to join competitions. It takes a lot of money and especially for international students who might not have sufficient support is quite burdening,” said Chikara.
“It would be very helpful if APU gives more financial assistance in covering the club expenses, especially the transportation fee,” hopes Arkan also shared.
APU Flag Football Highlanders, although young and new, has a lot of appetite to compete in more tournaments to gain more experience. Moreover, they also want to diversify their players, hoping that other clubs will also try to be more open.
Arkan also invites all students to join and learn more about Flag Football. “I think it’s one of the easiest sports out there. Even without prior knowledge, you could learn the game pretty quickly. We also have lots of competitions year-round,” said Arkan.
APU Flag Football Highlanders has scheduled practice sessions every week on Wednesday and Saturday from 2:30 to 4 PM in Shoningahama Park. All interested students can contact them through their social media and join the games.