V-Varen

Today I went to a professional soccer game. Nagasaki's team V-Varen just moved up to J-league Division 2 (J-2) from the semi-pros. Although they just moved up, they are contenders to move up to J-League. There a couple games left in the season, then playoffs. The top two teams move up, as the bottom two from J-league move into J-2.

We sat in the cheering section which was exceptionally fun. The fans cheer and sing songs constantly through the game- in fact they start an hour before the game even begins! Despite all of our hard cheering, the score was tied. I hope it doesn't ruin V-Varen's chance at the playoffs!

What the heck is V-Varen anyway? It comes from V for Victory and "Varen" from the Dutch word meaning "to sail". Since Nagasaki has a rich history with the Dutch, they brought it into the name.

Teams all over Japan have whacky names. Today V-Varen played Fagiano Okayama. Other funny names include: Montedio Yamagata, Roasso Kumamoto, Thespa Kusatsu and Tokyo Verdy. I can't explain those names but there probably is some hidden meaning.