Meet the Academy School Staff
Part 1: Kashima Area School Coaches
The Antlers Soccer School has 21 locations across Ibaraki and Chiba Prefectures.
What football journeys have the coaches who share the joys of football with the children at the school walked, and what passions drive them as they work with the game?
In Part 1, we introduce 12 coaches from the Kashima area, centered around Antlers' hometown.
On the clubhouse pitch where the top team works hard to earn a title, the sounds of children fill the adjacent futsal court, while the cheerful voices of adults fill the pitch in return.
“Football is about feeling joy.”
The coaching staff of the Antlers Soccer School Kashima Area, who share this sentiment, never lose their smiles as they experience the joys of football alongside the children.
Among them, Coach Kohei Ikeda stands out with his exceptionally loud voice. “If I, as an adult, feel joy even more than the children do, they will naturally feel joy too. I try to be brighter and more energetic than anyone else,” he says with pride. The Antlers School’s source of energy, he graduated from a high school in his hometown of Osaka before moving to Thailand, known as the “Land of Smiles,” to pursue football. “I want children to make friends with everyone through football,” he says, drawing on his experience living abroad as he shares the joy of football with the school’s students.
Coach Kohei Ikeda is always bright and energetic. He also has experience playing in Thailand.
Coach Shu Shimada also began his journey as a coach while studying at Tokyo International University, where he became a student coach.He holds the motto of “finding joy in football together with the children.”During his time at Yonokita High School in Tottori Prefecture, he played alongside Kaito Sano, who was one grade below him. Today, he holds up his junior as an example for the children, saying, “I want you to watch Kaito’s play. I played with him and know how amazing he is.” Coach Shimada was born and raised in Saitama Prefecture, home to Urawa Reds and Omiya Ardija, and grew up seeing the club pursue victory from a young age, saying, “I only ever had an image of Antlers as strong.” That is why he teaches the children not only to find joy but also to be passionate about competition. “I think that is what an Antlers player is,” he says, conveying both the joy found in football and the intensity of competition to the children.
Coach Shu Shimada expects the children to find joy while also being passionate about competition.
Among the coaching staff, Coach Naoyuki Handa places a greater emphasis than anyone else on “being passionate about competition.” Born and raised in Itako City, one of the club’s hometowns, he is also an academy alumnus who played for Antlers in the junior and junior youth teams. He gained experience playing at prestigious schools outside his home prefecture, including Funabashi Municipal High School in Chiba and Rissho University in Saitama, saying, “Leaving my hometown and playing with players who grew up in other regions made me realize how inexperienced I still was.” Even now, he says, “The clubhouse still has a tense atmosphere that makes me feel nervous somehow (laughs),” but since returning as a coach in 2021, he has been dedicated to developing the next generation, saying, “I want to help as much as I can so that as many players as possible can reach the top team.”
Coach Naoyuki Handa, an Antlers Academy alumnus from Itako City
Coach Shota Sakuraialso comes from one of Japan’s most prestigious schools. After graduating from Maebashi Ikuei High School in Gunma Prefecture, he attended Tokyo International University before joining the Antlers Academy. He has approached football with a sense of responsibility, saying, “I have worn the emblem and carried the team on my back since high school,” and now wears the emblem of Antlers—a team that was “always winning when I was in elementary school and is one of the top teams in the J. League” on his chest. “It is amazing to be able to work wearing this emblem,” he says, feeling its weight even more. Coach Sakurai, who says, “Being able to hear the children say ‘it’s fun’ is what makes this work rewarding,” carries the joy and responsibility of working as a coach at this club in his heart, conveying the pride and honor of the emblem to the children.
Coach Shota Sakurai, who feels the weight of the Antlers emblem and takes pride in it
The one who describes the emblem as “something familiar, yet something to aspire to” isCoach Yoshinori Takayasu. Originally from Choshi City in Chiba Prefecture, he began going to Kashima Stadium from a young age to watch Antlers matches. Because he was a goalkeeper during his student days, he admired Sokeiba Jun, the U-18 goalkeeper coach, and today he says he likes fellow hometown native Yuuma Suzuki. “I like players who fight for the team,” he says, while conveying the spirit embodied by the top team’s number 40 at the school, he also looks toward the future of the region, saying, “I hope the children of this area can become even more involved with Antlers.”
Coach Yoshinori Takayasu, who has been going to Kashima Stadium since childhood to support Antlers
Coach Tsubasa Iwakuraalso says, “I don’t want to lose to anyone when it comes to caring for the players. I always want to trust the players and do my utmost for them,” and approaches school activities while showing the children as much affection as any other coach. At Toin Gakuen High School in Kanagawa Prefecture, he played alongside Tomoki Hayakawa, who was one grade below him. In 2021, he joined Antlers at the same time as Hayakawa, with Iwakura as an academy staff member and Hayakawa as a player. With the conviction that “If you can grow as a person, you will naturally grow as a football player,” he continues to encourage the children on the pitch.
Coach Tsubasa Iwakura, who joined Antlers at the same time as his junior from Toin Gakuen High School, Hayakawa
Coach Jin Ashida and Coach Kaito Omomo mainly conduct academy scouting, but they also interact with the children at the soccer school. Coach Ashida, who says, “Children are a treasure. Adults who interact with the children’s futures must approach them with a proper sense of awareness,” has a wide range of practical experience before joining Antlers, from coaching junior teams to working at Tochigi City FC’s development department, which competes in the Kanto League for adults. On the other hand, Coach Omomo, who is from Niigata Prefecture, played as a professional player for AC Nagano Parceiro and FC Osaka. He retired from active play last year and took his current position at Antlers this year, revealing his fulfillment by saying, “I spend more time involved with football now than I did during my playing days. It is also refreshing to have more opportunities to interact with people in the football world.”
Although both have limited time to participate in school activities, they are inspired by the children’s dedication to football, with Coach Ashida saying, “Just interacting with the children gives me energy,” and Coach Omomo saying, “It makes me happy to see the children purely enjoying themselves through football.”
Coach Jin Ashida, who works with the children at Antlers using his extensive experience
Coach Kaito Omomo, who participates in the school while also conducting scouting with Coach Ashida
The ones who lead this coaching staff are Chief Coach Shinsuke Masu and Assistant Chief Coach Yasunari Matsuo. Assistant Chief Coach Matsuo played for the Yokohama F. Marinos Academy and has long admired Antlers’ “good old traditions and spirit of challenge.” Growing up in Ehime Prefecture, he watched Antlers matches with his older brother, who says, “I was a huge Antlers fan,” and now smiles as he says, “It feels strange to be able to work with that emblem on my chest.” After entering the workforce, he experienced a variety of occupations, approaching each one with a “spirit of challenge.” “Honestly, I am not good at adapting to new environments, but I have grown by changing my environment. It is important to challenge yourself with many things, including your environment,” he says, passing on his own experiences to the children.
Assistant Chief Coach Yasunari Matsuo, who teaches the children the importance of a “spirit of challenge”
Chief Coach Masu is a veteran coach with nearly 20 years of experience as a coach. In 2011, while the Brazilian Mr. Kikka was serving as the manager of the Kashima Youth Team, he joined Antlers as an interpreter and coach, and became a coach for the Antlers Soccer School in 2016. For the past eight years, he has interacted with the students of the Kashima Area School, saying, “Because Antlers is based in the hometown, I feel that Antlers has a greater presence in everyday life. I go to Kashima Stadium to watch matches, or visit the clubhouse to watch practices.” He also understands the characteristics of the children in this football-filled town. While the children of the Kashima Area feel close to the top team, Chief Coach Masu says, “Of course, there are difficult things too (laughs), but I feel joy every day because I can work in the football I love.” He continues to support the Antlers Soccer School in the Kashima Area today, using his extensive experience as a foundation, saying, “Along with developing the players, developing the coaching staff is also important.”
Chief Coach Shinsuke Masu, who is entering his eighth year as a coach for the Antlers Soccer School
This year, Coach Juki Ogumaand Coach Shinichiro Otakehave also joined.The two young coaches in their early twenties say, “I am working with the awareness of growing as a professional football coach” (Coach Oguma), and “I do not want to use my lack of experience as a coach as an excuse, and I hope to face the children with all my might and grow together with them” (Coach Otake), as they both enthusiastically approach their activities at the Antlers Soccer School.
Coach Juki Oguma, who studied football coaching at JAPAN Soccer College
Coach Shinichiro Otake, who also played as a player at Nippon Sport Science University
A total of 12 coaching staff members, each with a diverse background and their own passions in their hearts. They will continue to convey the joys of football and the incomparable joy born from football to the children of the Kashima Area, centered around Antlers' hometown.
