The Japanese J1 League will this week air on UK TV for the first time.
A two-year deal has been signed which will see four games shown each week with early morning and afternoon fixtures on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The J1 League has recently become home of some notable past stars of European football including, most notably, former Barcelona star and World Cup winner Andres Iniesta.
Iniesta plies his trade for Vissel Kobe, who last season qualified for the AFC Champions League group stage - the Asian equivalent of the UEFA Champions League.
As of 2019, there is now no longer any restrictions placed on the number of foreign players a team can buy. There is, however, a restriction of 5 foreign players allowed in a matchday squad.
FreeSports COO Richard Webb spoke of his delight at bringing more free live football to UK football fans, saying: "We have seen with the successful ratings from Major League Soccer there is an appetite in the UK to access leagues from outside Europe."
Chairman of the J League Mitsuru Murai, meanwhile, added: "We are very excited to partner with FreeSports to bring exciting Meji Yasuda J1 League matches to fans in the UK."
"I hope many more people in the UK will enjoy the best league in Asia on FreeSports."
Opening Televised Fixtures
- Fri Feb 21st – 9.55AM - Shonan Bellmare v Urawa Reds
- Sat Feb 22nd – 6.55AM - Vissel Kobe v Yokohama FC
- Sun Feb 23rd – 1.30PM - Shimizu v FC Tokyo
- Sun Feb 23rd – 1.30PM - Yokohama FM v Osaka
Where can I find FreeSports?
Freeview - Channel 64
Sky - Channel 422
Virgin Media - Channel 553
Freesat - Channel 252
TalkTalk TV - Channel 64
BT TV - Channel 64
