The Japan Football Association is trying to move the J. League schedule so that it coincides with the European season running from the fall through the spring, starting in 2010, new JFA president Motoaki Inukai said Tuesday.
The proposed change to the season, which currently runs from the spring to late in the year, is expected to provide J. League clubs with more opportunities to acquire foreign players and to allow Japanese players to join overseas clubs.
"The JFA and the J. League have been jointly working on this schedule change. Things are going forward quite well," Inukai said.
"There are many problems to overcome, but we just need to solve them step by step," he said.
"Soccer should not be played in the summer. Players can't move well."