Taunton Town to be featured on Japanese TV thanks to unlikely link-up

ONE of Japan’s biggest sports channels are sponsoring and will analyse Saturday’s Evo-Stik League Southern Division One South & West clash between local rivals Taunton Town and Tiverton Town.

Despite J Sports’ Tokyo headquarters being 9,000 miles away, the broadcaster have thrown their weight behind the fixture between the two play-off hopefuls.

The unusual link-up has come about thanks to J Sports’ football analyst Ben Mabley, originally from Taunton, who has been spreading the word about the Somerset club.

He has given the Peacocks a big boost with the exposure in the far east and the game will be anaylsed on the J Sports Daily Soccer News show on January 12.

“I have made it my personal mission to tell our viewers in Japan as much about Taunton Town as I can possibly get away with,” said Mabley. “I am absolutely delighted that J Sports have been able to do a little bit to help out my hometown team.”

Ben Mabley, left, wears a Taunton shirt in a recent J Sports broadcast

Taunton chairman Kevin Sturmey added: “We’re really pleased that Taunton Town has now gone international. I’m delighted that Tauntonian Ben Mabley who works for J Sports has secured this sponsorship and hope it may open up doors in Japan for us.”