Hioki City Launches Project via Furusato Nozei to Support Fragolad Kagoshima's Participation in SV.LEAGUE MEN

Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture (Mayor: Yudaka Nagayama) will partner with Field-X Inc. (Headquarters: Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Representative: Yasuo Kozono), the operating company of the men's professional volleyball club "Fragolad Kagoshima" based in Hioki City, and its parent company, Change Holdings Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Daishi Fukutome) to launch a "Government Crowdfunding®" (hereinafter referred to as "GCF®") project starting July 1, 2026 (Tue) on "Furusato Choice." The project aims to promote sports in Hioki City, foster youth development, revitalize local events, and create interaction and related populations. The project name is "To the Top of Japan from Hioki City. ~Supporting Fragolad Kagoshima's SV.LEAGUE Challenge as the Pride of Our Town and the Dreams of Our Children~." Instead of offering return gifts, funds will be used for Hioki City PR utilizing home games, creating sports opportunities for children, collaborating with city events, fostering a culture of support, and reporting on activities.

Background of Project Launch

Fragolad Kagoshima is a men's professional volleyball team founded in 2021 with Hioki City as its base. They achieved their first participation and first championship in the 2023-24 V.LEAGUE DIVISION3 season, and were also crowned the first champions of the subsequent new V.LEAGUE. Their participation in the SV.LEAGUE MEN, the highest domestic league, has now been decided, and it is expected that Hioki City's name will be widely broadcasted through national television, streaming, and social media.

Hioki City is launching the "Volleyball Connects Hioki City Project" to ensure that Fragolad Kagoshima's challenge is not just the club's alone, but also leads to sports promotion, youth development, revitalization of local events, and the creation of interaction and related populations in Hioki City. The decision has been made to solicit support from across the country through GCF.

Use of Donations

Home game hosting and local collaboration support

Youth development and sports opportunity creation (school visits, volleyball clinics, etc.)

Collaboration with city events and fostering a culture of support (collaboration with city events such as "Sports Festival")

Hioki City PR and public relations (city promotion, social media/video distribution, etc.)

* The scale of the project will be adjusted and implemented according to the donation amount, regardless of whether the target amount is reached.

Comment from Mayor Yudaka Nagayama

"Fragolad Kagoshima is a precious presence that operates with Hioki City as its home town, delivering dreams and excitement to many citizens. Since its establishment, the team has steadily grown and has now reached a new stage, challenging the SV League, the highest domestic league. This is not just the team's challenge; I believe it is also the challenge of Hioki City and Kagoshima as a whole. A community-rooted sports team connects people, gives dreams to children, and creates pride in the town. That is why we want to support Fragolad Kagoshima's challenge as a whole community. The support we receive from everyone will be a great force in supporting the team's future. We would be grateful if you would join us as a partner in creating new history together with Fragolad Kagoshima."

Project Overview

Project Name: Volleyball Connects Hioki City Project

Implementing Municipality: Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture

Target Amount: ¥25,000,000 (25 million yen)

Donation Period: July 1, 2026 (Tue) - September 28, 2026 (Mon)

Listing Site: Furusato Choice Government Crowdfunding®

GCF Page: https://www.furusato-tax.jp/gcf/5447

Reference) What is Government Crowdfunding® (GCF®)?

GCF is crowdfunding implemented by municipalities. It utilizes the Furusato Nozei system, allowing donors to receive refunds (deductions) on their resident tax for the following year and income tax for the current year. It is characterized by the ability for donors to choose how their tax money is used, as municipalities present specific policy issues and project details when soliciting donations.

* Government Crowdfunding® (GCF®) is a registered trademark of Trust Bank Ltd.

About Fragolad Kagoshima

Fragolad Kagoshima is a volleyball club from Kagoshima Prefecture operated by Field-X Inc. Based in Hioki City, the club has signed sub-town agreements with 8 municipalities in the prefecture and continues to challenge and operate under the "New Form of Sports" that solves regional issues through the power of sports while being closely connected to the community. They achieved their first participation and first championship in the 2023-24 V.LEAGUE DIVISION3 season and became the first champions in the new V.LEAGUE for the 2024-25 season. The club name combines "Fragola," which means "strawberry" in Italian, with the Kagoshima dialect suffix "~ddo," conveying the desire to "move forward positively" and "walk together with the local community."

About Field-X Inc.

Field-X Inc. was established on March 18, 2022. It operates the men's professional volleyball team "Fragolad Kagoshima," which belongs to the "Daido Life SV.LEAGUE," the highest men's volleyball league in Japan, based in Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture. Beyond team operations, the company aims to achieve regional revitalization by connecting consumers, companies, and local communities through sports teams, creating new value and economic circulation.

About Change Holdings Inc. https://www.changeholdings.co.jp/

With the mission of "Change People, Change Business, Change Japan" and the vision of "Changing Productivity," Change Holdings promotes and expands two main businesses: the NEW-IT Transformation business, which supports the development of digital human resources and innovates and digitizes business processes, and the Publitech business, which aims to promote regional revitalization through DX.