The Chiba Jets Funabashi professional basketball team, operated by our group company Chiba Jets Funabashi Co., Ltd. is actively engaged with local communities, providing support and education for socially and economically disadvantaged people, as well as children through its Jets Assist project. In cooperation with local governments and non-profits, we aim to realize healthy communities by fostering a culture in which people feel connected and support each other.

Food drives

We run food drives in cooperation with the non-profit organization Food Bank Funabashi. People can donate excess food they have at home, and it will be delivered to people in need. Currently, one in seven children in Japan and about half of the children in single-parent households live below the poverty line.* Additionally, in cooperation with the city of Funabashi, food collected at Food Bank Funabashi is delivered to families living with food insecurity. The program also contributes to the reduction of food waste by making effective use of food in the community instead of discarding it.
*Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, “Overview of the Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions 2019”

Support for single-parent households

To support single-parent families in Funabashi (approximately 3,000 families), we invite them to home games and offer special cheerleading classes led by the Chiba Jets Flight Crew Cheerleaders in cooperation with our partner companies.

Book drives

We are engaged in a book drives to deliver books donated by local residents to children and young adults. At home games, visitors are encouraged to bring books that inspire them. To date, more than 294 books* have been donated to public elementary and high schools in Chiba Prefecture, as well as childcare support centers, after-school programs, children’s homes, and other facilities in the city of Funabashi.
*Results for the 2021-22 season

Collaboration with schools and educational institutions

As a professional sports team that values community engagement, we make sure to cooperate with educational institutions. We donate basketballs and scrimmage vests to the basketball clubs of junior high schools in Funabashi to promote exercise and combat the negative effects the COVID-19 situation has had on physical fitness. We have also donated mini basketball hoops to approximately 850 kindergartens, nursery schools, and childcare support facilities in Chiba Prefecture. Beyond sports promotion, we donate original backpack covers to first-year elementary school students in Funabashi. We also sell Jumbo Pork Buns, a food item jointly developed with local junior high school students to have them engage with the themes of local production for local consumption and eliminating food waste.