Fukuoka University Students Join Avispa Fukuoka's Industry-Academia Collaboration Project

Students from Professor Morita Yasunobu's seminar (specializing in management and citizen science) at Fukuoka University's Faculty of Commerce participated in the kick-off meeting for an industry-academia collaboration project with Avispa Fukuoka, held on July 4 (Saturday) at Kyushu Sangyo University.

This project involves Avispa Fukuoka and four universities—Fukuoka University, Kyushu Sangyo University, Kurume University, and Nakamura Gakuen University—aiming to achieve the highest attendance in 2026 for the J.League official match 'Avispa Fukuoka vs. FC Tokyo' scheduled for December 13 (Sunday). Students will apply their academic knowledge in marketing and consumer behavior to develop practical audience engagement strategies.

The kick-off meeting featured guest appearances by Tsutomu Nishino, President and CEO of Avispa Fukuoka Co., Ltd., and Yū Hashimoto, a former Fukuoka University soccer team member now playing for Avispa Fukuoka. They listened with interest to the students' proposals and engaged in active discussions.

Professor Morita's seminar team presented a proposal themed 'Audience Attraction Strategies Targeting Inbound Tourists.' They outlined plans to conduct surveys among foreign visitors and enhance multilingual information dissemination to promote the appeal of Avispa Fukuoka and J.League matches to international travelers. The team emphasized integrating sports events with local tourism to attract new visitor demographics.

Active discussion between Morita seminar students and stakeholders

This project offers students a valuable opportunity to apply their academic knowledge in marketing and consumer analysis in a real-world setting.

Moving forward, the Morita seminar will continue refining their proposals through further research and analysis, aiming to contribute to increased attendance at Avispa Fukuoka matches and regional revitalization.