The Japanese national is giving back to the Okinawa community by starting the Copacabana Beach Soccer School
Brazil has the richest history of beach soccer in the world, and Copacabana is at the heart of that story. Appropriately, a Brazilian-born beach soccer star, now a nationalized Nippon National Selection player, Ozu, has begun a school for children in Okinawa, Japan. The school will serve multiple purposes, first and foremost, the health and well being of the youth in Japan. The training will help the children grow into better athletes, and also serve as a farm system for improving Japanese beach soccer.
Ozu Moreira was born in, and grew up playing beach soccer in Copacabana, and the name of the school is an homage to the city and those momentous events in the stars’ life, as well as a sign of credibility and force in the ever growing sport. The school is the first for Moreira, commonly known simply as Ozu, and it had its launch event on the 4th of April, which was extremely successful and will pave the way for more schools in the future and the groundwork for a sustainable and bright future for the game in Japan.
Ozu is known for his technical skill in the sport and amazing bicycle kicks. The star has helped lead Japan to success worldwide and most recently to the upcoming FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Portugal 2015 in July. Japan came in second in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2015 – AFC Qualifier Qatar, falling to Oman in the final, but not before securing a berth in the biggest event of the year. The presence and teachings of Ozu in Okinawa has already been more than welcomed and wil undoubtedly prove to be helpful in all areas of beach soccer, in more than just the lives of the children, but also in the improvement of the sport.
