Japan’s new fully-professional women’s league will kick off in September 2021, and will require at least one female executive at each club. At least half of all staff roles must be filled by women.

The league, which will run between September and May, is expected to feature between six and 10 clubs. The formation of the new league was announced by the Japanese football association last year, but more details emerged over the weekend.

Teams will be required to have women in at least half of their staff posts within three years. Women with years of service playing for Nadeshiko Japan, the country’s national team, may be recruited to fill posts in the league hierarchy.

Teams’ names will include the name of their city or region, but can have a corporate element, too. The league will, unlike the male J-League which has a spring start, follow the European calendar.

The existing women’s Nadeshiko League will continue as an amateur competition beneath the new professional league.

It is not planned to operate promotion and relegation between the two competitions. The league’s parent company will be set up in April, and the first teams are expected to be announced this summer.