On May 1st, which was Saitama Citizens' Day, a special day when children in Saitama city had the day off school, we held an event called "Let's hop on the players' bus and go to Urawa Komaba Stadium!"



This project is the second following the "Let's go to Saitama Stadium on the players' bus!" event held on Saitama Prefecture Day last fall, and the children will get to experience a special day by riding on the team bus usually used by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Urawa Reds Ladies top team players and entering the stadium in the same way as Trial days. The aim of the event was to let the children in their hometown experience what it's like to be a player and learn the fun of sports.

This time, 23 students from the 4th to 6th grades of elementary school, selected by lottery, visited Urawa Komaba Stadium. The children gathered at Saitama City Hall and boarded the players' bus. A video message from two players (Hanae Shibata and Akari Kurishima) was played on the bus, and the children were glued to the video.

When the children got off the bus at the stadium, they were greeted by the surprise players, Hanae Shibata and Akari Kurishima, who exchanged high-fives with each of them. After that, they went on a stadium tour, following the same route as the players on Trial days. The children listened intently to the explanation of how the players usually use the locker rooms and warm-up areas, with shining eyes.



After the stadium tour, the participants split into two groups and entered the pitch to the same entrance music as during Trial. Once on the pitch, they lined up in the same order as during Trial, bowed, shook hands with each other, and then took a photo in front of the bench, just like in a real Trial.



After experiencing a part of the warm-up that the players actually do, Trial was played on the pitch. Each team formed a circle to get pumped up and kicked off. It was a very heartwarming sight to see the children running around freely on the beautiful green grass.

After Trial experience, the children pretended to be reporters and interviewed the players in the press conference room. "At what age did you start playing soccer?", "What was your dream as a child?", "Who was your favorite player?" Despite being bombarded with questions just like reporters, the two players answered in a kind and polite manner.



Finally, a commemorative photo was taken in front of the athletes' bus, and the two athletes sent off the children with smiles as they boarded the bus. The atmosphere on the bus on the way home was calm and warm, different from the one on the way there, and the children headed home with smiles on their faces, reflecting on the fulfilling time they had spent there, and the day's event came to an end.





[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]