On Tuesday the 18th, in preparation for the opening of the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League home game on Sunday, March 2nd next week, Urawa Reds players and alumni visited the local area. They visited three locations - Takasago Elementary School, Urawa PARCO, and Kamikizaki Elementary School - to announce the start of the season and convey their gratitude to the local community.

Participating this time were current players Jumpei Hayakawa, Toshikazu Teruuchi Kenta Nemoto and Tomoya UGAJIN.

The first stop was at Takasago Elementary School, where they delivered messages to the graduating sixth graders next month in the gymnasium and presented the three representatives with autographed posters and banner flags.



Some of the children were wearing uniforms, and when the players entered the gymnasium, they erupted in loud cheers. When the players asked, "Who has come to watch Trial?" many hands went up.



At the end of the talk, Ugajin, based on his own experience, said, "Even though you will all be graduating and going your separate ways, I hope you will cherish your connections with your friends."



The next stop was Urawa PARCO, where the players expressed their gratitude to the staff for their continued support, signed autographs on a group photo of the players displayed on the exterior wall of the store, took commemorative photos, and handed out posters to be put up in the elevator hall on the 5th floor.





The last part of today's hometown activities was a visit to Kamikizaki Elementary School. On the same day, we attended the Urawa Ward Elementary School Principals' Meeting. The Principals' Meeting is a regular meeting where all 12 principals in Urawa Ward gather together to exchange opinions on educational activities and community cooperation. As only staff were scheduled to attend, the participation of the players came as a surprise to the principals, who welcomed them very warmly.



During the principals' meeting, we expressed our gratitude to each principal and handed out a schedule poster to announce the opening match. By coincidence, Teruuchi, who is from Saitama City, was able to reunite with the principal from his elementary school days.



This visit was the first hometown activity for Nemoto and Teruuchi, but Ugajin and Hayakawa set good examples and it was very impressive to see the change in their professional attitudes and behavior even during the course of a day.



In addition, two second-year students from Urawa Junior High School accompanied the team as part of the Saitama City Junior High School Work Experience Program, Mirakuru Work, to experience working in their hometown. During this time, the players were able to show some of their professional activities and attitudes.

Urawa Reds will continue to work together with the local community and deepen ties with all those who support us.

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]