On February 24, Ayumi Niekawa Ikegawa and Hayate Ueki visited Minami-Urawa Elementary School in Saitama City, and on March 3, Toshikazu Teruuchi and Ryusei Sato visited Dosodo Elementary School in Saitama City, where they served as "Reds Teachers" and conducted lessons on the theme of "dreams" for sixth graders.

"Reds Sensei" is an initiative undertaken under Urawa Reds philosophy of "contributing to the healthy development of young people as members of society," aiming to help children in the hometown feel closer to the club and players through interaction, while also delivering dreams, hope, and courage.

■Ayumi Ayumi Niekawa-Hayate Ueki Elementary School
February 24th (Tuesday)



In a lesson at Minami-Urawa Elementary School, the two players shared their journey from childhood to becoming professional soccer players, using a dream timeline. They talked about what inspired them to start playing soccer, their time in high school and university, and the changes in environment due to transfers. Based on his experience of transferring teams, Ikegawa sent a message to the children saying, "As you move on to middle school and high school, your environment will change, so it's important to showcase your strengths and become someone that others need." Ueki also reflected on his disappointing experience at the National High School Soccer Championship in his first year of high school, saying, "At university, I worked hard for four years to build up my skills and was determined to become a professional." The children listened intently to the two players' heartfelt stories. In the Q&A session, a student who swims asked about how to cope with pressure, to which Ueki replied, "I don't have any special routines, but I try to approach it with confidence knowing that I've worked hard and practiced to get this far." In the latter half of the lesson, they played with a ball, and finally, a student representative gave a thank you speech.

■ Toshikazu Teruuchi, Ryusei Sato, Saitama City Dosodo Elementary School
Tuesday, March 3rd


In the class at Dosodo Elementary School, the two introduced their soccer careers to date and their childhood dreams. Urawa Reds Terouchi, a graduate of the academy, said that when he was a child, he had always wanted to be a baseball player instead of a soccer player under the influence of his father, and that he often played catch for fun. However, he recalled that he naturally started playing soccer after his older brother played the sport. Urawa Reds It was at the end of his second year of elementary school that he decided that he wanted to become a player of the "Mere Old Man" and applied for selection. He played in the junior, junior youth, and youth academies at Urawa Reds. In a scene looking back on those days, he said that even in an environment where "you had to get results to move up," he naturally grew because he valued the enjoyment of soccer itself. When he was promoted to the top team, "I wondered if I was good enough, but I was just happy," he said of his feelings at the time.

Sato said that when he was a child, he dreamed of becoming a train conductor because of his love of trains. He started playing soccer when he was five years old, influenced by his older brother. He played as a field player until junior high school, when he took on the challenge of playing goalkeeper on the recommendation of his coach. He said that it was there that he first realized the joy of playing goalkeeper. He then went on to Otsu High School, a strong soccer school in Kumamoto, where he was runner-up in the National High School Soccer Championships. He went on to Tsukuba University for college, where he reflected on his college days, saying, "I always thought about what I needed to do to grow.

Speaking to the children about their childhood experiences, the two said, "Even if you are not good at something, it is important to finish it. The experience of working hard for soccer has led me to where I am today," they said in their message. The two told the audience that while they have fulfilled their dream of joining Urawa Reds, they are continuing to challenge themselves to achieve their new dream of "playing an active role in Urawa Reds," and spoke of the importance of thinking about what they need to do to make their dreams come true.

During the question-and-answer session, children asked questions about their favorite color of Urawa Reds uniforms and what is important to make their dreams come true, and the players answered each question carefully.
In the latter half of the class, the children's representatives and the players exchanged passes, and goalkeeper Sato deepened the exchange with the children as he took their powerful shots. The day's lesson ended with a commemorative photo.

Reds Sensei" is conducted for children in the hometown under the activity policy of Urawa Reds philosophy, which is "to contribute to the sound development of young people as a member of society. By interacting with local children, we hope to make them feel closer to the club and its players, and continue to send messages of dreams, hopes, and courage to the children.