On the 8th, the "2025 Season Urawa Red Diamonds Appreciation Party" was held at a hotel in Saitama City, inviting partner companies, hometown officials, and related organizations that support Urawa Reds. The event was held as a chance for the top team manager, coaching staff, players, and club staff to express their gratitude to the 406 people who attended, and to deepen their friendships.



Following an introduction by TBS announcer Toshiyuki Doi, who acted as MC, players, coaching staff, and interpreters took to the stage one by one. Finally, manager Maciej Skorza stepped to the center. Doi explained that the design concept for this stage was "RED JOURNEY," depicting Urawa Reds' journey and future challenges, and that the design evoked the club's pride, its trajectory to date, and the journey of challenges it will take to soar high into the future. He also explained that the design embodied the time the club has spent together with all of its supporters, as well as its hopes for the next season, before the event began.



Representative Makoto Taguchi, saying, "We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our partner companies, our hometown community, Urawa Reds Supporters' Association, and our fans and supporters for the overwhelming amount of encouragement and support we have received in the 2025 season." He continued, "This season, we have played 45 official Trial in the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, J.League YBC Levain Cup, Emperor's Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. We have made major reinforcements with an eye on the Club World Cup, and in the league we have been accumulating points since the start of the season, building on our recent disappointments. However, we lost momentum after the summer and finished in seventh place in the J.League. We regret that we were unable to live up to everyone's great expectations."

He also reflected on his Club World Cup experience, saying, "We faced some of the world's best clubs, and it really brought home to us the high level of their game and the challenges we must overcome." He continued, "Although we weren't able to accumulate any points, the experience we gained on the world stage is a valuable asset for our club, and we will use it to further strengthen our team." He also commented, "We take our failure to win titles, including the YBC Levain Cup and Emperor's Cup, as a lesson we must learn from and will work towards next year." Despite these challenges, he expressed his gratitude for the club's continued support, which has led to an average attendance of over 37,350 fans at home games at Saitama Stadium, and annual attendance exceeding the 700,000 mark for the second consecutive year. He also expressed his gratitude for the support of our partner companies, who have helped the club's operations to flourish. He concluded his speech by saying, "These numbers, along with the results on the pitch, are what really make it worthwhile, so next season we will lay the foundation for a return to the Asian and global stage."



Next, coach Maciej Skorza said, "We started this season with very high expectations, but it has turned out to be a difficult season. Despite all that, I would like to thank everyone for their support." He continued, "I would like to use the experience we have gained this season to build a strong team. We already have skilled players, but I would like to make them capable of executing those skills tactically as well, and make next season an even more fruitful one."



Afterwards, Eisaku Ito, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. delivered a speech on behalf of the attendees, expressing his hope that "we will see Trial like the 4-0 Trial in the final game of the season" and congratulating the team on their 500th J1 win in the final match. "The representative and manager mentioned earlier that this season was a tough one, but we want to establish a winning formula for Urawa Reds next season, win the league title for the first time in 20 years, and share that joy with everyone in attendance, as well as fans and supporters. Today is a 'thank you party,' but I also want it to be a party to encourage the players, manager, coaches, and everyone else," he said.



Saitama Prefecture Governor Ohno Motohiro said, "This season has been a tough one, with the Club World Cup and other events underway, but I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the team, the manager, the coaches, and especially the players, who fought so hard until the day before yesterday. Saitama Prefecture has worked with Urawa Reds to hold various events to unite the prefecture through the power of sports, including carbon offsetting and promoting the circular economy, and we would like to continue to take on various initiatives in the future."



Finally, Mayor of Saitama and Chairman of the Urawa Reds Supporters Association, Hayato Shimizu said, "I have to say that this year has been a disappointing season, but the final game was a fantastic Trial. I hope that the team will not only win the league and cup, and then participate in the Club World Cup, but also grab points and spread the word to the world that Urawa Reds exists." Everyone then raised a toast. Afterwards, the event moved on to pleasant conversation, with the manager, coaches, and players splitting up to chat with the participants at their respective tables.








In the middle of the conversation, a "player talk show" was held, with Taishi Matsumoto, Ryoma Watanabe, Kenta Nemoto, and Jumpei Hayakawa taking to the stage and exciting the audience with their lively talk.
Afterwards, Shusaku Nishikawa, Marius Hoibraten, Shoya Nakajima, Samuel Gustafson and Yusuke Matsuo took to the stage for the "Player Autographed Goods Raffle" and were given mini-interviews on stage before the players presented the prizes to the winners.





After the draw, the players, manager, and coaches lined up on stage again, and Takahiro Sekine, who served as the team captain this season, spoke of his determination for next season, saying, "In order for Urawa Reds to become a strong and attractive club in the future, I think we need to make history by sticking to our own style of football. Just as you all felt in the final match, we would like to create an atmosphere at Saitama Stadium that is exciting to watch and makes the cheers rise naturally. Next season, we will first compete in MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE, and we would like to work hard as a step towards building a strong Urawa Reds for the future. To do that, we will need your support. We would appreciate your continued support." The venue was filled with thunderous applause as he spoke of his determination for next season.



Finally, to conclude the event, which was based on the design concept of "RED JOURNEY," the players threw paper airplanes into the venue to express their determination to fly even higher and bigger next season, as well as their gratitude to everyone and their challenge.





[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]