Thank you for your strong support during the 2022 season.
We would like to report the 2022 activities of the academy to all club support members who have supported us.
□Report from the Secretariat
The 2022 season was a season where we finally started to regain our daily lives from the COVID-19 pandemic. We were not able to fully return to our pre-pandemic state, but the restrictions on home game hosting were gradually relaxed and many club support members were able to attend, and your support has been a great strength for the club. We would like to express our sincere gratitude once again. Although the head coach of the top team became Albert PUIG ORTONEDA from the 2022 season, the club's policy of developing the academy remains unchanged. The U-18 players were able to participate in the Levain Cup matches and show their united efforts as a club. Furthermore, four players, Naoki KUMATA, Kanta DOI, Kota TAWARATSUMIDA, and Renta HIGASHI, will be promoted from the U-18 team for the 2023 season. Your support is the strength of the club. We would like to report the 2022 season's income and expenses of the club support members, which are supported by your annual membership fees, as follows.
Now that the club has a new structure. The top team's coach, Albert PUIG ORTONEDA, also values the academy, so many U-18 players have been called up and used in regular training and official matches. Therefore, the U-18 team has been working towards the same direction as the top team, aiming for a smoother transition to playing in the top team. We have made efforts to have a common understanding, including the system. It was a season where we worked with the feeling that achieving this would be a shortcut to the top team. While there were trial and error moments in bringing out the players' individuality and in crucial moments of the game, I have the impression that the balance improved as time went on.
In addition, at the beginning of the season, one of the goals set during discussions with the players was to regain a strong FC Tokyo U-18. It seemed that the players had a negative feeling that they were not strong somewhere. That's why, not just the results, but also including the mental aspect, "Let's become a team with wonderful players who are admired." As my own try, I was conscious of "making everyone become a professional." Four players were promoted, but I feel that we were able to cultivate the mindset of reaching the pros from here, including players who go on to university without leaving a single person behind.
There is the importance of the team coming together, the unwavering spirit that FC Tokyo has always cherished... and also the discipline on and off the pitch, behavior during daily practice, life at school and at home. I think the results of the efforts made by the third-year students to establish their own standards as FC Tokyo U-18 are also there. The players who have undergone changes have been able to express themselves on the pitch in many ways. I feel that they have grown and that everyone has ended the year with a sense of accomplishment.
Also, we have truly been supported in every aspect by the club support members. The financial support was not insignificant, but more importantly, the goal setting of the academy has clearly changed since the establishment of the club support members. From efforts solely focused on promotion to the top, we now aim to be the "core of the top". Contributing to winning titles and aiming for the world from there is no longer a pipe dream. We sincerely thank you for your support in various challenges.
This year, there were many more offensive players in Fukagawa who were able to value the ball while heading towards the goal. While utilizing these characteristics, it was a year aimed at mixing Fukagawa's style with the style advocated by the top team.
The last "Prince Takamado Cup All Japan Youth" leaves a sense of regret for the result, but that's how soccer is, it doesn't always go perfectly. Under this new challenge, I have learned a lot myself and have been able to have a fulfilling and good season, including both achievements and challenges.
Specifically, we told the players to surpass the opponents not only in terms of goals, but also in terms of shots and ball possession. We also asked players from any position to actively seek opportunities to enter the opponent's penalty area. However, in the summer national tournament "Japan Club Youth Championship," we became rigid and passive in the game. When we shrink, the opponent's momentum increases. The higher the tension, the more we need to play aggressively, otherwise we will bring out the opponent's strengths. Experiencing and understanding such mechanisms of soccer, and applying the lessons learned, I feel that it was one of the factors that led to the first victory in the "Kanto Youth (U-15) League Division 1."
The 3rd year students are close-knit players who have been kicking the ball until they are told to go home, both before and after practice, since their 1st year. They have been able to achieve consistent results as a team, but from here on out, it will be a battle of individual skills. When they enter high school, they will definitely be seen as "from FC Tokyo" and will face even tougher competition in the U-18 category. It is important to express oneself in each environment.
We appreciate everyone who came to support us at the national tournament, including club support members. In particular, the third-year students have had very few opportunities to cheer and support us out loud over the past three years. They went to Ajinomoto Stadium to learn chants, and together with upperclassmen and underclassmen, they cheered and sang at the stadium. We feel sad that they couldn't experience that. However, we hope that they will not forget the spirit of Fukagawa and become strong.
What Musashi aimed for was to win the consecutive championships of the "Japan Club Youth Championship" and to fight through the season while growing, and to finish it by winning the final tournament, the "Takamado Cup All Japan Youth". It was a year of challenge towards a dynamic style that grasps the initiative in both offense and defense, based on Musashi's strengths of strength in the ball and hard work.
The season started with three consecutive losses in the league matches, and it is true that we faced difficulties in team management and the intricacies of competition as we were unable to achieve our goals in the national tournament. However, we have a strong sense that the players have steadily built up something. Especially in the latter part of the league matches and the "Takamado Trophy All Japan Youth", they confidently cherished the ball and embodied a style of connecting even against strong opponents. We feel a great sense of growth in that.
The team this year was made up of really serious and hardworking players. Among them, there was a desire to cultivate a "player who takes one more step forward, an outstanding player". However, it was unfortunate that we couldn't help each other or enhance our unity through expeditions and training camps over the course of three years due to the new coronavirus infection prevention measures.
Under those circumstances, there were some changes in the team's way of playing and tactics, but what I have been telling the players every day has not changed. What I valued was "everything is for becoming a professional." Right now, you are wearing the FC Tokyo emblem, but you are not professionals. If you are not always fully prepared for the future, there will be no progress. I have also conveyed some harsh truths, such as the fact that it is up to you to make the most of the opportunities given to you.
I think what influenced me during my developmental years was the passion of the coaches.
Continuing the history of Musashi, we aim to become professionals in everything we do. We want to show our passionate and dedicated attitude by always giving our best.
