For the fifth year in a row, the BVB Evonik Soccer School has paid a visit to Japan, where the club's coaches gave a total of 450 kids in four locations a chance to "go full-throttle like the professionals" between 8 and 19 August 2016.

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Together we are a team. An emphasis was consistently placed on team spirit.

The first stop was a four-day soccer camp in Tokyo sponsored by Evonik, PUMA Japan and the DFL. The camp was not only full of fun and intense footballing experiences, but also sought to develop social interaction by focusing on team-building measures and rehearsing important fan chants such as "Heja BVB". Now the kids in the Japanese capital can demonstrate that even off the pitch, they are true BVB fans.

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The Japanese kids were keen to learn new things.

The BVB coaches' journey continued with a series of one-day events. For example, there was a "girls' day" in which 16 Japanese youngsters had the opportunity to show their passion for football and the Black and Yellows, before the coaches hopped on the "Shinkansen" high-speed train to Sendai, in northern Japan. With the sun beating down, the youngsters there had their football fix before the coaches moved one day later to Fukuoka, in the south of the country.

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Each day, the young footballers trained for four hours with the sun shining down.

The 80 enthusiastic young Black and Yellows completed a four-hour training-session in which they not only showed their skills, but also their inquisitive nature and desire to learn. And that they did. After a selfie and autograph session, the BVB Evonik Soccer School moved to its final destination: Osaka.

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Full concentration in shooting practice.

There too, the young footballers were trained in the most important skills such as dribbling, tricks, shooting, passing and ball control, though fun was of course the main priority.

Conclusion of the Japan tour: the enthusiasm and passion of the Japanese kids made the Black and Yellow hearts of all participants beat faster. And the BVB family in Japan became even bigger.