Kiyoshi Ohashi
Urawa Reds Supporters' Association: Mr. Ohashi's thoughts on Urawa
Kiyoshi Ohashi, who is in charge of managing Urawa Reds Supporters' Association, was born and raised in Urawa.
I spent my childhood in a time when professional soccer leagues were unimaginable, but like a true Urawa native, I loved soccer. Many of my friends also loved soccer.
It was only when I left Urawa that I realized that things I had taken for granted were actually special.
About 30 years ago, when Ohashi was working in Mie Prefecture, he lived in a dormitory. Two or three people shared a room, and there was no television. Ohashi watched the 1990 World Cup, held in Italy, late at night on the only television in the dining hall.
This was before the J.League was established. Unlike today, not many people watched the World Cup on television.
"People would say, 'What are you doing?' or 'Hey, that guy's staying up in the middle of the night just to watch soccer' (laughs). But for me, it was normal, and everyone at Urawa watched it. I really felt the difference in culture."
Not only in soccer, but Urawa itself wasn't very well-known nationwide. Also, about 30 years ago, when I was working in Nagoya, if I said I was from Urawa, people would sometimes mistake it for Urayasu in Chiba and ask, "Is that where Disneyland is?", or they would clearly ask, "What prefecture is Urawa in?"
After that, the situation changed completely. Urawa became a city that everyone knew.
Because Urawa Reds is there.
"Whenever I went to Kyushu for work this year, I talked about soccer. People always asked me things like, 'How's the Reds doing this year?' I really feel that Urawa has become a nationally recognized team thanks to the Reds."
Born and raised in Urawa, and deeply in love with the city, Ohashi joined the Junior Chamber International in 1992. In 1994, he served as vice-chairman of the "Urawa Football Town Committee," and was drawn to the club, joining the supporters' association in 2004. The supporters' association's management committee members volunteer their time to plan and manage Urawa Reds events while also holding down their individual jobs.
In 1994, they closed off the Nakasendo road and held a public viewing event to watch the Japanese national team Trial. At the time, Tetsuya Asano was the only Reds player on the national team, but with the club's cooperation, all the Reds players made an appearance at the event space, which was the Kotobukiya parking lot, then an open-air parking lot.
The supporters' club not only organizes away tours both domestically and internationally, but in 2006 they also held the "Urawa Reds Black Forest Camp Support Tour," where they went to meet Tomislav Maric, who had contributed to the team's Emperor's Cup victory the previous year. In 2008, they also went to Munich as part of the "FC Bayern Munich Visit and Exchange Program."
However, times have changed. For example, when Ohashi spent his childhood, Musashi-Urawa was a place where bitterlings lived in the ponds and rivers. He even kept a snake he caught in the town as a pet, and his grandmother would scold him, telling him to "let it go!" Now, that area has become a newly developed residential area, sometimes called a "sub-center of Tokyo."
For example, the number of attendees at the year-end party for the supporters' association, which used to be over 1,000, has dropped to around 500 in recent years. Furthermore, due to the impact of the coronavirus, the away tour that was planned last year as a "surprising event" was canceled. Supporters' association meetings can no longer be held as they used to.
"We need to think more about how to attract new people. We're trying different approaches to increase our membership."
Nevertheless, my feelings for the Reds and for the city of Urawa remain unchanged.
"The objectives of the supporters' association include the healthy development of young people, contributing to community development through sports, and supporting the Reds in becoming the 'world's best football club.' We want to continue supporting them for that purpose. The top team is important, but the ladies' team is going professional, and we are thinking about how the supporters' association can cooperate effectively."
When asked about his feelings for the Reds, Ohashi smiled and said, "It's love for my hometown. It's truly 'PRIDE OF URAWA'." He plans to continue living in Urawa, together with the Reds, while thinking about expanding the circle of support.
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