On the 28th, with the start of the 2026 MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE just around the corner, representative Makoto Taguchi, Hometown Headquarters Director Yakushiji Tomoyuki, sports directors Satoshi Horinouchi and Takahiro Sekine paid a courtesy visit to Saitama City Hall.

The visit began with Sekine presenting Urawa Reds uniforms to Mayor Hayato Shimizu and Saitama City Council Chairman Ito Shi, and a commemorative photograph was taken.



During the conversation that followed, they spoke of their enthusiasm for this MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE.
Taguchi began by saying, "MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE is a short four-month tournament, but the winner qualifies for the ACL. We also view it as a preparation period for the 2026/27 season, and we hope to challenge ourselves to reach the top. We would like to ask for your continued support."



Next, Mayor Shimizu asked Sekine about his condition, to which he responded with confidence, "In the training matches in the second half of the Okinawa camp, I felt that things were gradually coming together. We are also working positively on pressing from the front and attacking power, which have been issues since last season."



In response, Mayor Shimizu sent words of encouragement, saying, "The final two Trial of last season were truly amazing. I hope you can show us the same kind of football this season as well."



The conversation then turned to the new players, with Horinouchi saying, "They are working very hard and enthusiastic. We have a wide range of age groups, from high school players to players who have just graduated from university, and our oldest field player, Katayama, and they are well-balanced and motivate each other as they train."



Chairman Ito encouraged the team, saying, "This year's season is long, which gives us citizens even more to look forward to. We will continue to support the team as one." He also commented on the transition to coincide with the European season, saying, "I am very pleased that this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that Japanese football, and Urawa Reds' football, is connected to the world."
Finally, Mayor Shimizu offered words of encouragement, saying, "All the fans and supporters are looking forward to Urawa Reds winning the championship. We would like to prepare a parade at any time, so please do your best and I hope that it will be a great season." The courtesy visit ended in a harmonious atmosphere.





[Takahiro Sekine...
"Even with the limited time we have, we have been able to have very productive training sessions and I feel that we are trying to be positive. It is difficult to improve both my own condition and the team's completeness, but I feel that things are starting to take shape little by little.
We won't be able to win the J.League title unless we improve on the issues that arose last season, but all the players are working positively and we're seeing more opportunities to steal the ball in good form. I want to further improve the reproducibility of those plays.
Soccer is a simple sport, so I think the important thing is to score goals and show our fans and supporters that we are happy.
In order to win the title, move on to the ACL, and then to the Club World Cup, we need to clear each and every step of the way, otherwise we won't be able to return to that stage. First of all, I want to make this year a year in which we can take that first step."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]