Tuscaloosa Hosts Japan’s Obic Seagulls in Exhibition Football Game

Football is back with the Sister Cities International Bowl between the Obic Seagulls of Japan & the Amateur to Professional Developmental Football League (APDFL) Blazers!

This exhibition game will be held on Thursday, August 14th at 7:00 p.m. at the Central
High School Football Stadium. The Obic Seagulls will arrive in Tuscaloosa on Monday, August 11th and hold their practices in the local high school facilities, leading up to the game at Central High School on Thursday, August 14th. In between practices, the two teams will be touring local attractions.

The Obic Seagulls team was founded in 1983 in Narashino, Japan and is one of Japan’s top amateur football clubs. The Seagulls boast an impressive record, being 8-time X League Champions and 7-time National Champions, with 4 of their national titles being won consecutively from 2010-2013. In 26 seasons of playing, the Seagulls have won 144 of their 180 games played and hold the record for the most titles won by any team in the Japanese amateur football arena. Head Coach Makoto Ohashi will be bringing his championship team to Tuscaloosa in their first trip to the United States in an effort to promote increased sports diplomacy.

The Seagulls’ opponent, the APDFL Blazers, is an American all-star team comprised of amateur players from the southeast region. These two teams are coming together through the partnership between Tuscaloosa and Sister Cities International, a connection established in 1986 to promote person-to-person relationships and citizen diplomacy. The Sister Cities International organization strives “to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time.”

For more information, contact Brandt Garrison, Manager for Communications and Public Relations for the TTSC, at 205.391.9200.