A Next-Generation Soccer School Uniting World-Class Dribbling Technique with Leifras’ Nationwide Educational Infrastructure to Unlock Children’s Potential
TOKYO, May 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LEIFRAS Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq: LFS) (the “Company” or “Leifras”), a sports and social business company dedicated to youth sports and community engagement, today announced the launch of “1v1 DRIBBLE ACADEMY D-UNLOCK” (“D-UNLOCK”) across six schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area beginning in June 2026. Developed in strategic partnership with Masakazu Okabe, an acclaimed dribble designer, D-UNLOCK is expected to bring together Mr. Okabe’s world-class technique and Leifras’ leading position in youth sports education to cultivate both technical excellence and mental resilience in the next generation of competitive individuals.
Why “Dribble-Specific” Now: Unlocking the Potential of Japanese Children
In recent years, youth soccer in Japan has faced growing challenges tied to low self-esteem among children, characterized by a fear of making mistakes and hesitation to take risks due to peer pressure. D-UNLOCK is designed to go beyond a conventional skills academy by redefining dribbling as a vehicle for courageous self-expression. Grounded in Mr. Okabe’s core philosophy, “Do not compare, do not criticize, and never stop trying,” the academy is designed to treat mistakes as an essential part of the learning process, fostering a positive environment where children feel empowered to take on challenges with confidence.
The Globally Acclaimed Masakazu Okabe Theory: Transforming Intuition into a Structured Curriculum
Mr. Okabe has built a global presence as a dribbling coach, with a social media following exceeding 2.4 million and training experiences spanning Asia, Europe, and South America. D-UNLOCK marks the first structured youth program based on Mr. Okabe’s “99% Unstoppable Dribble Theory,” which has been highly praised by international football players. The program brings this expertise into youth sports education by transforming his dribbling philosophy into a structured curriculum. While dribbling is usually regarded as a matter of pure talent or raw intuition, D-UNLOCK aims to demystify the skill through a logical, teachable methodology grounded in Mr. Okabe’s systemized 150,000-word analysis of the technique.
- Highly Reproducible Instruction: The curriculum introduces a unique methodology that structurally explains “why a player can get past a defender,” breaking it down into actionable language.
- Standardized Coaching Quality: Utilizing Leifras’ extensive operational know-how, Mr. Okabe’s technique has been standardized into a scalable coaching manual, ensuring top-tier instruction quality across all school locations.
Leifras × Masakazu Okabe: Building a “Next-Generation Educational Infrastructure”
By uniting Leifras’ robust nationwide sports school infrastructure with Mr. Okabe’s proven technical expertise, the Company believes this partnership will generate meaningful synergy between scalable sports school operations and specialized youth sports education.
- World-Class Technique × Non-Cognitive Skill Development: Mr. Okabe’s technical mastery, detailed in his 150,000-word theory, is integrated with Leifras’ long-standing coaching methodology centered on “acknowledging, praising, encouraging, and motivating.” This holistic approach is designed to nurture world-standard players by fostering balanced development across mind, technique, and body.
- Global Influence × Domestic No. 1 Network with Approximately 4,500 Locations: Leveraging Mr. Okabe’s extensive digital reach for student acquisition, coupled with Leifras’ rapid rollout capability across its approximately 4,500 domestic locations and rigorous safety standards, the Company believes it is well-positioned to scale these high-quality academies nationwide at an accelerated pace.
Future Outlook: Cultivating a “Culture of Challenge” Across Japan
Following the initial launch in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Leifras plans to expand D-UNLOCK to major cities nationwide. Through this expansion, the Company aims to transcend the boundaries of a traditional soccer school and foster a “culture of challenge” across Japan, inspiring children to confidently embrace new opportunities and view failure as a stepping stone to growth.
About LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.
Headquartered in Tokyo, Leifras is a sports and social business company dedicated to youth sports and community engagement. The Company primarily provides services related to the organization and operations of sports schools and sports events for children. As of December 31, 2025, Leifras was recognized as one of Japan’s largest operators of children’s sports schools in terms of both membership and facilities by Tokyo Shoko Research. The Company’s approach to sports education emphasizes the development of non-cognitive skills, following the teaching principle “acknowledge, praise, encourage, and motivate.” The holistic approach that integrates physical and mental development sets Leifras apart in the industry. Building upon deep experience and know-how in sports education, Leifras also operates a robust social business sector, dispatching sports coaches to meet various community needs with the aim to promote physical health, social inclusion, and community well-being across different demographics.
For more information, please visit the Company’s website: https://ir.leifras.co.jp/.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Investors can find many (but not all) of these statements by the use of words such as “approximates,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may,” or other similar expressions in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks, including, but not limited to, the uncertainties related to market conditions, and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of the registration statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the registration statement and other filings with the SEC. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov.
For more information, please contact:
LEIFRAS Co., Ltd.
Investor Relations Department
Email: IR@leifras.co.jp
Ascent Investor Relations LLC
Tina Xiao
Phone: +1-646-932-7242
Email: investors@ascent-ir.com
