Hi! I am Kayo Kimizono currently a third year studying in the Faculty of Economics, PEARL. 

We are on spring break now so we all have much more free time for our hobbies outside of volleyball. One hobby of mine that I want to introduce today is watching the Premier League and especially my favorite team Arsenal. 

For many of you who may not know, the English Premier League (EPL) is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious football leagues in the world, with a rich history, high level of competition, global appeal, and significant financial power. The EPL has a high level of talent and attracts some of the best players and managers from around the globe. It consists of a total of 20 teams and my favorite team is Arsenal! 

Last year, Arsenal released a documentary series called “All or Nothing” following their 2020-21 season to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at the club, including access to the locker room, training sessions, and boardroom discussions. Usually, during football halftime, players go back to their locker rooms so as fans we do not know what happens. However, through this documentary, I got to see everything that goes on in the locker room and especially how our coach Mikel Arteta guided and supported the team. This series showcased many heartwarming/motivational speeches from Arteta during halftime but a particular one stuck on to me and I want to introduce it today in this blog!

This speech that Arteta gave emphasizes the importance of a “big heart, big brain, and people” in football. It sounds very abstract or even childish but I love it. He stated that in order to succeed in football, you need to have a big heart, meaning that you have to care about what you do and be passionate about it. He also emphasized the importance of having a big brain, which means being intelligent, disciplined, and making the right decisions on and off the pitch. However, the most powerful thing that ties these two together is the people. He believes that football is much more than just kicking a ball. It’s about the people. It’s about the emotions. It’s about the relationships that you build, and how you can influence others around you. It is also the fans and teammates who give you energy and support. When you connect these 3 things, you can achieve anything in life!

 I like this quote because this applies to not only football but to anything in life. In volleyball, we need a big heart, a deep passion, and a love for this sport to push through training and hardship. A big brain to improve, come up with new strategies and make good decisions every day. But what ties these together is the people, my teammates who will always do something funny during training to make every day unique and OBOGs and coaches who give us endless support… We need all three elements to succeed and missing any factor will break the bond. 

Since we are on spring break, we have so much more time to focus on practice and volleyball so I am looking forward to February and March! On a side note, the EPL is currently still going on and since it is in the UK timezone, I always have to stay up to watch the games but don’t worry I make sure to get enough sleep before training! Also, a Japanese player Tomiyasu Takehiro is in Arsenal so check it out!! 

As a team, we will all use our ‘big heart’ and ‘big brain’ and along with our teammates and your continued support, we will do our very best!