The players were welcomed by the children with drums and cheers of "Kashima Antlers" just like at a match. They were also congratulated by the children with loud voices and applause, saying, "Congratulations on winning the ACL!"
After the players introduced themselves, they performed a demonstration. Player Doi effortlessly performed difficult juggling tricks. In a ball-keeping exercise with the children, he showed off impressive footwork. Player Sogahata kept the ball by putting his weight on it to prevent the children from taking it. When the children tried to steal the ball, Player Sogahata blocked them by hugging them.
For the grade-specific interaction, we first played "Evolution Janken" with the 4th graders. Evolution Janken is a game where players move through four areas marked by cones. If you win at rock-paper-scissors in the first area, you can crawl to the next area. If you win again in that area, you hop to the next area. If you lose, you crawl back to the starting point. The goal is to evolve and return to the starting point to score a point.
The players had difficulty winning at rock-paper-scissors and evolving. Player Doi, in particular, was bad at rock-paper-scissors and could barely advance to the next area, looking visibly dejected.
With the 5th and 6th graders, we played a "River Crossing" game. This game also involves going around four cones in order and competing to see how many laps can be completed. Along the way, players or children act as "oni" (taggers) and obstruct the path. If tagged by an oni, you have to go back one step. The players and the children who volunteered to be oni formed a huddle and geared up.
Player Doi tagged children who burst out from the starting point one after another. Player Sogahata waited at the very end. Finally, the players let the children be the oni and tried to cross the river themselves. Player Doi subtly went wide around the outside to avoid being tagged by the children, while Player Sogahata tried to advance using the children as a shield.
In the mini-games that followed, there were three matches with 8 children from each grade playing against the players. The children's skill level was high, and all matches were tough with the children scoring first. There were goals conceded from Player Sogahata's pass mistakes, and Player Doi also lost the ball and conceded goals. However, both players celebrated with high-fives with the children whenever they scored a goal, causing a commotion. During this time, the games were restarted, leading to some challenging situations.
Since the children who played attended a soccer school, their shooting skills were very good, and it was a close game. In the end, a child who joined the player's team as a supporter scored the winning goal.
After the matches, the children asked questions, and both players answered questions like "When did you start playing soccer?" and "What is your next goal after winning the ACL?"
After the interaction, the children thanked the players. The players said in their farewell remarks, "We hope you come to our Tosu match or the clubhouse." Antlers presented them with a signed colored paper and a pennant, and finally, a commemorative photo was taken.
