On the 27th, Urawa Reds 'Shusaku Nishikawa and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Urawa Reds Ladies 'Sakiko Ikeda participated in the "22nd Midori Ward Citizens' Festival" held at the South Plaza of Saitama Stadium as one-day Midori Ward mayors. As the faces of the area, the two, who have ties to Midori Ward, interacted with local residents, fans and supporters who came to the event.



When Nishikawa arrived at Saitama Stadium after finishing his morning team training, the appointment ceremony for the one-day Midori Ward Mayor was held on the stage in the stadium. Nishikawa, who took over from Ikeda as Midori Ward Mayor for the day after receiving the letter of appointment from Midori Ward Mayor Yasunori Masuda, greeted the visitors, saying, "I love this town, which has lots of greenery and warm people from children to the elderly. On my days off, I visit the Minuma rice fields with my family and experience rice planting, and I enjoy many places in Midori Ward."





After the appointment ceremony, Nishikawa walked around the South Plaza, interacting with local residents and receiving many kind words for Urawa Reds and himself, such as "We're always rooting for you" and "I'll come to see the next game," and Nishikawa responded by taking photos with visitors and signing autographs, spending a pleasant time with them.

Finally, a handshake session was held with about 180 people, where he shook hands with each and every participant while smiling and communicating with them, thus concluding his activities as Midori Ward Mayor for the day.



[Shusaku Nishikawa]
"This was my first time participating in the Midori Ward Residents' Festival, but many more people came than I expected. At the end we were able to hold a handshake event and I heard people say things like, 'I was really happy about the victory in the previous match against Kashiwa,' and one child commented, 'It was because of Nishikawa that I started to like Urawa Reds and started playing goalkeeper.' It made me realize once again that I have been a catalyst for something and have become a part of people's lives, and it makes me really happy.
I think it was a wonderful event that allowed us to once again feel the support we receive from the local community."

[Sakiko Ikeda]
"The Midori Ward Residents' Festival was a very lively event, and I really enjoyed being able to participate. This was my first time doing a one-day event, and I was very happy to be entrusted with it by my local Midori ward. I would like to come again if I have the opportunity.
Many of the people who came were young couples with children, and some even came from local junior high schools, and I was able to chat with them.
I think there were a lot of people there who weren't Reds fans or supporters, so I thought it was a great opportunity for them to learn about the Reds and Reds Ladies. I had fun promoting the team.
Reds Ladies have four home games in November, and the men's top team is also reaching its climax, so I would be very happy if you would support both teams."





[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]