INTERVIEW
The Present of an Antlers Academy Alumnus
No. 1: Taira Maeda (SC Sagamihara)
A new series introducing academy graduates who are active at J-League clubs other than Kashima Antlers.
How do they make use of what they learned at the academy and approach football?
The first installment spotlights Taira Maeda, who served as captain during his time with the Antlers youth team.
Antlers is a club that gives you the joy of chasing your dreams
This season, I joined SC Sagamihara after graduating from Toyo University. How do you feel about your performance so far?
“Although I haven’t yet produced goals or assists, I’ve had many opportunities to come on as a substitute since the season opener, so I’m steadily gaining experience in J3. From now on, I want to focus on results both individually and as a team. Personally, I want to improve my skills even further so that I can play from the start of the match.”
During my senior year of university last season, I became a special designated player for SC Sagamihara. I also became teammates with Takateru Umibachi, who previously played for the Antlers top team, and Takumi Kato, who also came from Tsukuba Junior Youth.
“I’ve been in touch with Kato for a long time, as we also came from Tsukuba Junior Youth. When I joined the team, Kato was injured, so we didn’t have many opportunities to play together, but I was personally very happy to be able to play on the same team again. Also, Umibachi was one of the players I used to cheer for at Kashima Stadium when I was little. At first, I was surprised that I could play with a player who was on the top team I admired, but I felt that I was gaining really good experience from our everyday training. We were also able to talk about a lot of things related to Antlers, such as the matches I used to go to see and the clinic that was in my neighborhood.”
This season, I am also playing as a teammate with Kosuke Inose, who also came from Tsukuba Junior Youth.
“I played with Inose when we were in elementary and junior high school, so we became teammates again after Tsukuba Junior Youth. My move to SC Sagamihara was decided first, and then Inose’s transfer was decided, so he contacted me at that time and said, “We’re going to be on the same team.” When it was decided that I would play on the same team again with a player I used to play with a long time ago, I even felt like it was “destiny” (laughs). Actually, we are still close even during our time off, and we often live together, so it’s a lot of fun.”
Please tell us how you came to join the Antlers Academy, where you played alongside Kato and Inose.
“I had been participating in the Antlers school held at the Tsukuba campus since I was in third grade. That’s how I joined Antlers. I was playing for a local youth team at the time, but I started wanting to play for a higher-level team, and my school coach told me that there would be a Tsukuba Junior selection when I turned eleven. I didn’t even know there was a selection, and since there was also a local bowling tournament on the same day, I was wondering which one to go to (laughs), but I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I decided to participate in the selection.”
What were you thinking when you took the selection back then?
“Of course, I think everyone has an equal right to take the selection, but back then, I didn’t have the confidence that I would pass. I remember taking the selection with a feeling of anxiety, thinking, “Will I really pass…?” When I actually took it, all the players around me were so good that I thought, “I probably won’t pass…” (bitter smile). However, even though I thought that, I played with all my might and was accepted, so I was able to join Tsukuba Junior. I think if I hadn’t heard about the selection from my school coach back then and had gone to the bowling tournament instead, I wouldn’t be who I am today (laughs).”
How did you view the club Antlers before joining the Antlers Academy?
“It was a strong soccer team in my hometown of Ibaraki Prefecture, so I used to go to cheer for them at Kashima Stadium even before I joined the school. At that time, I admired Masashi Motoyama and cheered for him while thinking that I wanted to become like him in the future. Motoyama was technically excellent and always showed exciting plays. Antlers has the phrase “Football Dream,” and it was literally a club that gave me the joy of chasing the dream of becoming a soccer player that I had held since I was little. Thanks to Antlers, I came to love soccer even more, and it was a club that made me think, “I want to play for Antlers.”
Honing my skills at the Antlers Academy with Masashi Motoyama as my goal, and playing at SC Sagamihara using my high level of skill as a weapon
You must never forget to maintain a humble attitude
What comes to mind as your most memorable memory from the 10 years you spent at Antlers, from Tsukuba Junior to Antlers Youth?
“I guess the most memorable thing is winning the Emperor’s Cup Premier League EAST when I was a third-year high school student with Antlers Youth. I don’t think the youth team at that time, including myself, had an abundance of players with outstanding abilities, but we became one team, combined the strengths of each player, and accumulated many victories, especially with scores of 1-0. I still vividly remember how we all grew together and were able to win the Emperor’s Cup Premier League EAST. I’m sure that experiencing such tough battles is definitely connected to where I am now.”
At Antlers Youth at that time, besides Maeda, there were players like Shogo Sasaki (now at JEF United Ichihara Chiba), Kotaro Arima (now at Iwaki FC), Michael Akatsuka (now at Athlético Claro Numazu), and Daiki Yamada (currently on a loan from Antlers to Fagiano Okayama) in the grade below. Looking back, what kind of team was it?
“I had the impression that each person had a strong individuality. I was the captain, and I remember always thinking about how I could get everyone to move in the same direction when the team was about to fall apart. However, because each person was strong, we were able to exert tremendous power when the team was directed in the right direction. I think that led to good results.”
How was Koji Kumagai, the manager at that time (now GM of Vanraure Hachinohe)?
“He was really scary back then (bitter smile). But looking back now, he was a manager who had a lot of love. He looked closely at each player and gave clear guidance, saying, “Good is good, and bad is bad.” His presence and aura were also amazing, and I feel again that it was good to be able to play soccer under Manager Kumagai.”
Are there any memorable things about your relationship with Manager Kumagai yourself?
“During a match in the Emperor’s Cup Premier League EAST when I was a second-year high school student (against Kashiwa Reysol U-18), I came on as a substitute but was immediately substituted out. It’s quite rare for a substitute to be taken off. At that time, I was very frustrated and thought, “What the heck,” but I also took it as a message saying, “You can’t stay like this.” Despite that, I was entrusted with the captaincy when I became a third-year, and I feel that it gave me a greater sense of responsibility and awareness, and my desire to win with the team became even stronger.”
You feel that you grew more under Manager Kumagai.
“I think high school is a time when you tend to get carried away, but Manager Kumagai always told me, “It’s important to always work humbly in both good and bad times.” I still keep those words in mind when I play soccer today.”
Manager Kumagai’s teachings are also the foundation of your career as a soccer player.
“Now I’ve become a professional soccer player, but Manager Kumagai’s teachings are the foundation of that. It was also the foundation of me as a person, even if I hadn’t been a soccer player. We make it our job to be admired by small children and to inspire the people who watch us, so I think we must never forget to maintain a humble attitude.”
Besides Manager Kumagai, were there any other coaches who particularly influenced you?
“I was also greatly influenced by Manager Tetsuya Tsuchida, who took care of me during my time at Tsukuba Junior Youth. Of course, it was about soccer, but I remember being drilled on what could be called the basics of being a person, such as the importance of greeting people and always acting with a sense of gratitude. Manager Kumagai at the youth team was also like that, and I have the impression that what we were taught at the Antlers Academy was consistent.”
You learned not only soccer skills and tactics, but also important behaviors and ways of thinking as a person during your 10 years at the Antlers Academy.
“Yes. I think soccer skills and tactics are only possible when those important aspects of being a person are the foundation. That’s why I feel that I was able to grow little by little both as a person and as a soccer player over those 10 years.”
During your time at Antlers Youth, you also had opportunities to participate in top team training. What did you learn or feel there?
“I was allowed to participate in top team training several times, and I felt the strictness of being a professional many times. There was intense competition even in regular training, and the training was so hard that I actually thought official matches like the Emperor’s Cup Premier League EAST might be easier. The top team won the AFC Champions League in 2018 when I was a third-year high school student, and I think the accumulation of such daily tough training led to that title. I also felt at the top team that the “daily accumulation” that Manager Kumagai at Kashima Youth had told me repeatedly was bringing good results.”
Specifically, what kind of strictness was there in top team training?
“Especially the sense of speed and power in play was on a completely different level. At that time, I had some confidence when participating in training because I had produced results at Kashima Youth, but I almost completely couldn’t play the way I wanted to. Everything was truly shocking, and when I participated in training, I had no room to relax, but that meant I was able to absorb a lot from top team training. As someone aiming to be promoted to the top team, it made me think, “I have to do more to get to the top team.” Things like being particular about every single play and properly demonstrating my technical skills even at high intensity. That experience was something very big for me.”
On the other hand, how was life outside the pitch at school and in the dorms?
“At that time, we lived in the dorms according to the rules we had decided ourselves. At school, the teachers evaluated our attitude in class and shared it with the academy staff, so we couldn’t slack off in our studies either. It would be bad if I got a poor grade on a test, and looking back now, I think those three years of high school were spent always living with tension (bitter smile).”
What were the fun things during that time?
“Living with all my teammates was what was most fun. On days off, we would go out on bicycles, play ping pong in the dorms, take baths together, and eat together. Even now that I’m an adult, I sometimes think I want to live with everyone again, even if it’s just for a few weeks.”
Approaching training with a constantly dedicated attitude. Learned the importance of “daily accumulation” from Manager Kumagai and others during my time at Kashima Youth
The most frustrating event in my life so far
After finishing three years at Antlers Youth, you went to Toyo University. However, your desire to join the top team must have been strong as well, right?
“Yes. I had been working hard to be promoted to the top team, so when Manager Kumagai told me I wouldn’t be promoted, I remember crying because I was so frustrated. I was called to the C Ground at the clubhouse, and we talked one-on-one for about an hour or two. It is probably one of the most frustrating memories in my life so far. I remember it vividly.”
How did you move past that frustration?
“Hmm… I think I cried all day that day. I was frustrated, but Manager Kumagai also gave me a lot of words, and I decided to move toward the next goal. At that time, there were still Emperor’s Cup Premier League EAST matches and the Championship left, so I felt that getting emotional only about myself was not good. So, since it was already decided that I couldn’t join the top team, I came to the thinking that I should just do what I could do at that time.”
What kind of words did Manager Kumagai say to you?
“He said, “Work hard during your four years at university, and come back to this club again, or even if it’s not Antlers, aim for the professional world.” That’s why I decided to go to Toyo University, wanting to aim for the professional world again through university. During university, there were times when I got injured or the team wasn’t doing well, but every time, I used the frustrating memory of not being able to join the top team as motivation and always worked hard in training.”
You also served as captain at Toyo University and became a key player on the team. Were the things you learned at the Antlers Academy useful in your university life?
“At university, I had more free time, so I always lived consciously of what I had learned at the Antlers Academy. I never forgot that even after entering university, “living for soccer” was important, and thanks to that, I think I was able to power up a little more. It is something I feel every day that it was because of those 10 years at the Antlers Academy that I was able to jump into the professional world now through university.”
When it was decided that you would join SC Sagamihara, I’m sure the Antlers Academy staff were happy too.
“Yes. When I reported it to Manager Tsuyoshi Ueda of Tsukuba Junior, Manager Masashi Kimura, Manager Tsuchida of Tsukuba Junior Youth, and Manager Kumagai, they were all really happy, and I was happy too. Oh, of course, I contacted Manager Kumagai first (laughs).”
You contacted him first (laughs). What do you want to continue to value in your professional career that you learned at the Antlers Academy?
“First, I want to express what I learned on the pitch and become a player who is loved by many people. And, in my behavior off the pitch and my character, I want to live my daily life so that fans and supporters will think, “He’s a good player.” Also, I think I have to keep working hard to become a player who can be told, “You really did grow up at the Antlers Academy.” I didn’t know any teams other than Antlers until I went to university, but it seems that the people I played with at university saw me as someone who grew up in such a strict environment, so I want to embody that growth.”
Then, please give a message to the fans and supporters who cheer for Maeda.
“I spent 10 years at the Antlers Academy, and I was able to grow by being thoroughly taught the important things about soccer and character. I think it was a truly wonderful 10 years because I was able to become a professional soccer player through that process. Looking back now, although there was strictness, living in the dorms with everyone was a lot of fun, and the environment where we all faced the same direction and could always push each other was wonderful. Being able to grow in such an environment is my pride. Now I am playing at SC Sagamihara, but I will never forget the 10 years at the Antlers Academy and the four years I spent at Toyo University, and I will work hard so that I can aim for a higher level. Personally, first, I want to play in matches, focus on results, and become a player who can be cheered by more people. I would be happy if many people came to see SC Sagamihara matches. Thank you.”
Finally, can you give a message to the juniors who are currently playing at the Antlers Academy?
“I think everyone is working hard with their teammates aiming to become professional players. In that, I want you to not be satisfied with things like “I could do this play today, so it’s OK” or “I scored a goal today, so it’s OK,” but to never forget the feeling of wanting to become even better, and to always maintain a humble attitude while enjoying soccer. There is no limit to becoming better at soccer or growing. I also want to become better, so I work hard every day. Because there are so many players all over Japan and the world who are even better than me right now. If one day everyone becomes a professional player and we can play together or compete against each other, I would be happy.”