On Tuesday, February 11th (national holiday), just four days before the first match of the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League, an event titled "REDS START 2025 - A Grand Rally" was held.

The venue is the "Citizens' Square" in front of Urawa PARCO at the east exit of Urawa Station. It is rare for the Reds to hold such an event in an open space where station users and Urawa PARCO customers come and go.

The event was divided into two parts. The first part, which began at 10am, featured a space for sports activities that families could easily participate in.

The event attracted many visitors and featured various activities, including "Soccer Darts," in which participants kicked a ball at a giant dart target, "ICON Soccer," in which participants entered a circle and kicked the ball at targets that randomly lit up on a 360-degree wall, and a "commemorative photo corner," in which photos will be used to create mosaic art that will be exhibited at the home opening game.







From 2pm, former and current Reds players appeared on the special stage and held talk shows lasting one hour and 45 minutes, respectively, moderated by stadium announcer Natsumi Asai. The audience consisted of 50 Rex Club members (selected by lottery) seated in front of the stage, with around 2,000 people standing.

The Shinzo Koroki, who retired from playing last season to join the club's staff, in charge of partner sales and academy role model coach, Tomoya UGAJIN, in charge of strengthening the top team, Okano Masayuki, who was recently appointed as the Reds' brand ambassador, Kashiwagi Yosuke, club ambassador for FC Gifu, and Moriwaki Ryota Ehime FC positive energizer.



First, Koroki made the audience laugh by revealing that since he retired from active play, his body shape has changed and that the suits he wears to his previous measurements are too tight and he can't sit in them.

Ugajin also revealed that he is struggling to get used to his new job, saying, "SD (sports director) Horinouchi told me to learn Excel, so I bought a book."

After seeing the team at the Okinawa camp, both players expressed optimism for this season's results, saying, "We can have high expectations" (Koroki) and "It seems like we have a lot of talented players. If we can finish the first three away games with good results we'll be fine" (Ugajin).



After the introduction by the two, this season's third uniform was introduced, and Okano made a dashing appearance wearing the black uniform, which was being shown for the first time. Okano, who served as the general manager of Gainare Tottori until last season, said that the 1,700 Reds supporters who visited Tottori for the second round of the YBC Levain Cup last season had an economic effect of about 100 million yen, and praised the enthusiasm of the fans and supporters, saying, "I felt once again how amazing the Reds are. That is true of everyone here today."





Next, Moriwaki, who retired last year, and Kashiwagi, who retired the year before, appeared and were presented with bouquets of flowers from Redia and Friendia in appreciation of their efforts. Moriwaki said, "I'm happy to be able to come back here again." Kashiwagi said, "The time I spent here was the most amazing. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to play soccer here."



Asai's witty hosting style kept the audience captivated as the time passed with the five players sharing their memories of their playing days and other valuable stories. The alumni talk show ended with all of the players sharing their expectations for the Reds this season and words for the fans and supporters.

"Last season we ended up falling far short of the championship race, but this season I think we have become a team that can compete for the title. We had good training during camp. If we win our first three away games, we can go on to win the championship. Please support us even more enthusiastically than last season." (Koroki)

"I have high hopes for (Genki) Haraguchi's) strong will and ability to get his teammates involved. I'm sure he'll produce results with his play. I'll do my best as the training manager. Let's win and have a parade." (Ugajin)

"The Reds would not exist without you all. Your support during difficult times" (Moriwaki)



"I started as an unknown player and became a professional, but I think I've made it to where I am today thanks to the support of everyone. Thanks to that, I was able to participate in the World Cup. It's a great opportunity for players to compete against the world in this season's FIFA Club World Cup." (Okano)

"Playing in front of a large audience is an irreplaceable experience for the players. With your continued support in good times and bad, we become a team that has to win," said Kashiwagi.



The talk show, which started at 3:00 p.m. and featured three pairs of active players, was started by Takahiro Sekine and Naoki Maeda. Sekine, who was appointed captain for this season, spoke of his aspirations, saying, "I know that everyone is wondering, 'Can I keep it together?' But there are players who are supporting me as the captain group, so I hope I can lead the team in my own way."





Maeda, who inherited the number 30 from Koroki, said, "There was a time when I wondered if I was the right person to wear it, but when my great senior told me to wear it, it wasn't something I took lightly, and I didn't want to see someone else wearing it. I want to wear it with responsibility and resolve." Koroki and Okano, who wore the number 30 from 2003 to 2008, who were also in attendance, took to the stage again for a three-shot photo of the number 30.



It was then revealed that Maeda has slimmed down to the slimmest he's ever been and his body fat is now at 9%, and that Sekine has also set his sights on "beating Maeda." Finally, they spoke about their aspirations for this season, including the opening game.

"When I heard about this event and saw the alumni members, my legs trembled, but with this year's results I want to work hard so that we can become closer to those legends. I want to work hard this season so that we can show what we've achieved so far, and so that I can take the lead and support everyone no matter what the team situation is." (Sekine)

"I will be wearing the number 30 from this year, so I will do my best to be recognized by everyone and not bring shame to my great predecessors." (Maeda)



Next to take the stage were Taishi Matsumoto and Hirokazu Ishihara who had both changed their hair from blonde to black.

Matsumoto commented, "Because the training camp was long, I was able to get along well with everyone. I was surprised at the number of fans and supporters, including at this event," and promoted his own play, saying, "I want you to see my energy to help the team, and my plays where I jump out from the second and third rows to score goals."



Regarding his goals for this season, Ishihara said, "I scored my first J.League goal last season, so I would like to score two goals this season," and as a year older than the transferred players, he gave Matsumoto some advice, saying, "It's important to show a fighting spirit."



Finally, regarding his goals for this season, Ishihara said, "The away game against Shonan on February 26th is my birthday. We couldn't beat Shonan last year, so I definitely want to win. I also want to fight with all my might together with everyone so that we can achieve our team's goal of winning the league." (Ishihara)

"My jersey number is 6, so my personal goal is 6 goals and 6 assists. I want to play a central role in helping the team win the league. I want to win as many titles as possible." (Matsumoto)

Each stated.



The final speakers were Reds Academy classmates Takuya Ogiwara and Motoki Nagakura.

Nagakura is known for giving short answers to questions, so the host Asai tried hard to get as many comments as possible from him, but Nagakura just kept giving short answers no matter what he was asked. Ogiwara then followed up by saying, "(Nagakura) is a genius who can easily make difficult plays. I've known him since elementary school, but I thought he was older. He may look unmotivated, but he's a player who runs and fights," and then revealed, "He's really a joker among his friends." He revealed that during his academy days, Nagakura played a prank on him during a meeting, which made him laugh, and he was scolded by the coach.



Ogiwara said of himself, "I had a long period of rehabilitation during the training camp, but I've now rejoined the team and am doing well," indicating that he is close to being fully recovered, and called on the players to "fight together to win the league championship."

Nagakura stated, "I can feel Urawa Reds (in the large audience). I worked hard at the training camp and have gotten used to the team a bit. The season starts this week, so I'll do my best."





Finally, Ogiwara called out, "We are REDS!" along with the audience, bringing the event to a close.



Asai, who acted as the stage host, said, "We haven't had such an open event for a while, so we were able to see the expressions of the fans and supporters up close, and the players seemed really happy, so I thought it was really great." He welcomed the new attempt, saying, "I'm sure people passing by were probably looking to see what it was, so I'd be happy if this encourages new people to come."

Many of the participants in the morning event that day were parents and children who were Reds fans, and one father with a 3-year-old boy welcomed the participatory sports event, saying, "I wonder why this hasn't been done before. I hope they do it every year," and "Heart-full Soccer is about the only event that kids can participate in. I wish they would hold more events like this."

He also said, "I came to the library (on the 8th floor of PARCO) and there was something going on (downstairs) and my kid wanted to kick a ball around, so we joined in. I'm familiar with the Reds but have never been to a game. I've only moved to Urawa six months ago, so I thought they might have this kind of event (before the season starts) every year."With participation from people who were not Reds fans, it appears the event was an effective way of promoting the Reds' presence and making them feel closer to the team.

People coming out of Urawa PARCO saw the event and seemed to be attracted, saying things like, "Oh, Urawa Reds" and "What? Urawa Reds," even if they weren't participating.

There aren't many clubs that can gather 50,000 people in the stadium for a league match. Both the players and the supporters will be feeling the effects of this.

But we shouldn't be satisfied with that.

Saitama City has a population of over 1.3 million. Even if the people in their hometown are aware of the Reds' victory, how many people actually feel even a little joy when the Reds win, or care even a little about the Reds' wins and losses, or their performance?

It was an event that seemed like it would provide new answers to questions I had long ago. I hope that the second one will be held, and not just before the "league championship announcement meeting."

Jun Kiyoo (Urawa Reds Official Matchday Programme)