The Premier League side, Everton FC, and Japanese J1 League club, Nagoya Grampus, have announced a wide-ranging strategic partnership designed to accelerate collaboration across football development, coaching, and commercial growth.
The alliance sees the two clubs exchange expertise in player development, scouting, and high-performance coaching, while also exploring new commercial opportunities and community-led projects. Covering both men’s and women’s football, the agreement underscores a shared ambition to create meaningful long-term impact on and off the pitch.
Regular knowledge-sharing initiatives between technical and performance staff form the backbone of the deal, with a strong emphasis on emerging talent, data-driven training methodologies, and sustainable development practices.
Everton Chief Executive Officer Angus Kinnear welcomed the partnership, describing it as a significant milestone for the Merseyside club, and said, “It is a true honour for Everton to be entering into a special partnership with Nagoya Grampus. This partnership reflects Everton’s ambition to build purposeful, rewarding, and long-term relationships with organisations and clubs that share our values and vision. Nagoya Grampus is an organisation with a deep community focus and a clear commitment to development, and we’re excited about the opportunities this collaboration presents across football, commercial growth, and social impact. We look forward to learning from each other and delivering meaningful benefits for both clubs – and our respective communities.”
Nagoya Grampus Chairman, Moritaka Yoshida, added, “We are extremely pleased to have entered into this strategic partnership with Everton, a club with a long history and a strong connection to its community. Everton is actively engaged not only in football but also in sustainability and social contribution activities, values that align with Nagoya Grampus’s vision of becoming ‘the number one club in our town’. Through this partnership, we aim to strengthen player development and team growth with initiatives such as data analytics systems, information exchange in scouting, and various sustainable initiatives, all of which will contribute to the growth of both clubs.”
Katsuhiro Shimizu, President of Nagoya Grampus, continued, “It is a great honour and a privilege to sign a strategic partnership with Everton, following our collaboration with AS Roma. For Nagoya Grampus, which aspires to be ‘a club competing globally and attracting attention from around the world’, this partnership offers an invaluable opportunity to absorb the expertise and know-how of Everton. We aim to strengthen our footballing capabilities and share resources and knowledge to enhance the value of the club on a global scale. Through exchanges with academy players and coaches, knowledge sharing in business and marketing, and collaboration in Japan, Asia, and European markets, we hope to create new value for the club and strive to become a truly community-rooted club, like Everton.”
The deal also deepens Nagoya’s position within the global football ecosystem of the Friedkin Group, which owns both Nagoya Grampus and AS Roma. Everton now joins this network, opening the door to a broader collaborative framework spanning Europe and Asia.
For Nagoya Grampus, the agreement is expected to elevate the club’s international profile while enhancing technical and commercial growth. For Everton, it represents a key bridge into the fast-growing Asian football market, strengthening ties with fans, businesses, and communities across the region.
With concrete plans in place, the partnership goes beyond symbolism, uniting Everton’s Premier League pedigree with Nagoya’s strong domestic foundation to deliver long-lasting benefits across football, business, and society.
