INTERVIEW
The Keepers of Tradition
Kashima Junior Youth Coach Osamu Morishima
Antlers was founded in 1991, two years before the launch of the J-League in 1993. As J-League clubs were required to have youth systems to develop players, the Antlers Academy was established. More than 30 years have passed since then—what kind of traditions have been passed down?
Coach Osamu Morishima, who has been coaching in the Kashima area for many years with Kashima Junior Youth and Kashima Junior, places special importance on the local children and works with them every day to develop their football.
Placing Importance on Relationships with the Local Community
―This summer, Kashima Junior Youth finished in the top four at the 38th All Japan Club Youth Football Championship (U-15). How does Coach Morishima view this result?
“I believe the results of our training were reflected in the national tournament. It wasn’t just about results on the pitch, but also things like the competitive spirit among the players and their conduct off the pitch. This tournament made me realize that the work the coaching staff, led by Manager Yoshitaka Shinohara, does with the players in everyday training is reflected in their matches.”
―It was also a tour of more than a week in Hokkaido.
“At tournaments held away from home, such as the Club Youth Championship, I believe that the players’ everyday conduct and initiative play a particular role in the results. The current third-year players, in particular, are able to take initiative, and I believe that the accumulation of these daily efforts permeated the entire team and came through in the results. Of course, we fell short of winning, so there are many areas where we need to improve, but I think it was a positive thing to identify those challenges. We have another major national tournament coming up in the winter (the 35th Emperor’s Cup All Japan U-15 Football Championship), so we are already preparing for it.”
―Good results are also expected at the Emperor’s Cup JFA 35th All Japan U-15 Football Championship in the winter.
Now, could you tell us how you became an academy coach, although you are currently a coach for Kashima Junior Youth?
“I started my coaching career at the Antlers Academy in 1996. I played for Sumitomo Metal until 1991 and then worked for the company as an employee. The turning point was when Yoshinori Komatsu, who had played with me at Sumitomo Metal and was then the Antlers’ head of youth development, invited me to join the staff. At first, I was in charge of coaching Kashima Junior. However, at that time I was still an employee of Sumitomo Metal, so I wasn’t a ‘professional coach’ like the current coaching staff.”
―So you were balancing two roles at the time: working for Sumitomo Metal and coaching youth players at Antlers.
“That’s right. Of course, there were people working as professional coaches back then, but the Antlers Academy at the time had a mix of professional and amateur coaches. It wasn’t until several years later that all the coaching staff on the front lines signed professional contracts.”
―What kind of environment were you coaching in when you first joined the Antlers Academy?
“Compared to today, the coaching license system was not as well developed back then. Because of that, I felt like I was simply passing on to the children what I had learned and experienced myself. As a club, Antlers was also in the process of establishing its youth system from scratch, building the foundation of the academy while learning from the top team. I joined the Antlers Academy several years after the club was founded, but even then, it was still in its infancy. At that time, there were only one or two schools offering the kind of programs that now have more than 20 locations across Ibaraki and Chiba Prefectures. It was a time when we were working hard to gather local children and teach them football.”
―When you were gathering local children, wasn’t it difficult at the time, when local youth teams and school clubs were still the mainstream?
“Regarding the junior players (elementary school age) I first coached, local youth teams had been active long before the academy was founded, so I placed great importance on building relationships with the staff at those teams and with people in the community. Antlers is a team that holds tryouts to gather local children, so we had to ensure they understood our activities. We also felt a responsibility to help local children grow. I take pride in the fact that we not only taught the children football but also worked hard to build those relationships.”
―Around 1996, when you began coaching at the Antlers Academy, the J-League was a hot topic across Japan. Because of that, weren’t there many children who came to tryouts?
“Perhaps because there were so many children back then, more than 100 players gathered at every tryout. Some of them were players like Soga (Jun-U youth GK coach), and because the coaches at the area’s select teams were so dedicated to developing them, there were many promising players. However, there was a level difference compared with the youth systems of urban clubs such as V-Kawasaki (now Tokyo V), Yokohama M (now Yokohama FM), and Kashiwa, so we were working desperately to catch up with those clubs. Today, Antlers has a more comprehensive scouting system, and more players come from outside the prefecture, and the player dormitories have also been renovated. The improved environment has led to results such as the team’s performance and the development of professional players. Looking back at the early days, the past 30 years have brought about a tremendous amount of change.”
A group of players who always aim for the top
―When you first took up your post, what did you keep in mind when coaching Kashima Junior?
“First, we stood on the front lines valuing passion. As I mentioned earlier, all the local coaches were very passionate people, so we coached with a level of passion that could rival theirs. In that process, because I started with the development of elementary school children, I focused on patiently improving the children’s basic skills. Also, although it was only for one year, I had played with Gizo at Sumitomo Metal, so I had experienced Gizo’s professionalism. Because of that, I had the ‘Gizo Spirit’ in mind from the beginning and worked with the children with that in mind.”
―What aspects of the ‘Gizo Spirit’ did you teach the children?
“Especially the ‘determination to win.’ Actually, at first, I thought, ‘As long as we can feel the joy of football, winning or losing doesn’t matter.’ But playing with Gizo taught me the importance of being determined to win. Based on that idea, even now, I make sure to design training menus that incorporate many competitive elements.”
―When do you begin to see the players grow as a result of this coaching?
“One period when players change is when they move from elementary school to junior high school. Also, around ages 14 and 15, children enter adolescence, and you can see a lot of changes. As a coach, I want to focus on technical skills and a determination to win until they are about 13, and then, when they turn 14 or 15, encourage the players themselves to think and take action.”
―Don’t the players’ pride in Antlers grow stronger as they get older?
“Originally, I feel that children in this area, regardless of their age, have a strong desire to become professionals at Antlers. Especially in this Kashima area, a group of players aiming for the top is always formed at every age, from junior to junior youth, youth, and beyond. That might be a characteristic unique to Antlers. For example, at Antlers, almost no child playing junior youth aims to go to a prestigious high school football powerhouse instead of joining the youth team. In fact, there are even players who say, ‘I’ll only play for Antlers.’ Players who have a strong desire to keep playing for Antlers come here, and we coaches also work seriously with them to aim for the professional ranks. That is the kind of environment we have created.”
―What have you learned from the players who actually became professionals at Antlers?
“Above all, the first thing that comes to mind is that they are players who love football more than anyone else. I was there when Yuuma (Suzuki) was still a child, and Yuuma really loved football. I have the impression that all the other players who became professionals also had an especially strong passion for football. The players who are now over there (at the top team’s training ground) are those who continued to work with football with a single-minded desire to improve. I believe that this strong passion led to their growth as players, enabled them to develop abilities that set them apart from other players, and ultimately led them to become professional players.”
―Do you also feel a strong passion in the youth players currently excelling, such as Kairo Sato and Yugo Okawa (both from Kashima Junior Youth)?
“Of course. I feel a particularly strong passion for Antlers in players from this area like Kairo and Yugo. That is partly because they are in an environment where they can always see Antlers up close. Since both of them are defenders, they seem to be studying together by watching various videos, and because the current youth coaching staff is full of club legends, it is a real privilege to be able to receive direct instruction from Atsushi Yanagisawa, who has been active at the forefront of the professional game, and Technical Advisor Mitsuo Okusawara.”
―Does having the Antlers top team nearby also have a major impact on the children?
“Since Kairo and Yugo were still in elementary and junior high school, club legends have actually shown them how they play, so those two probably already understand the professional standard. That is also an experience that cannot be gained anywhere but Antlers, so it is something to be very grateful for. Furthermore, the two are currently growing while receiving even more inspiration by participating in the activities of the age-group national teams.”
―The Antlers Academy also operates in the Norte and Tsukuba areas, but do you feel any characteristics unique to this Kashima area?
“I have coached players in all three areas. Unlike the Kashima area, it is difficult to find opportunities to watch top team and youth team training in the Norte and Tsukuba areas. On the other hand, players in the Kashima area are able to see it with their own eyes every day, so I feel that they can sense the level of the youth and top teams, and that having them nearby increases their desire to reach that level.”
The Japan-Korea Friendship Cup is a meaningful tournament
―The Antlers Academy consists of three areas, but do you personally have a strong desire for the players who grew up in this Kashima area, where you have coached for many years, to lead the youth and top teams?
“I think that is probably what every staff member in this Kashima area thinks. Just as Seima (Doi) and Yuuma (both from Kashima Junior Youth) are currently serving as captains of the top team, I hope that players from the Kashima area will continue to lead the youth and top teams in the future. For that reason, it is our job to send as many players from the Kashima area to the youth and top teams as possible.”
―What kind of unchanging tradition has the Antlers Academy had over its past 30 years, which have produced players like Doi and Suzuki?
“Working hard to make children love football even more is something we academy staff must never change. I want the players to always have the desire to play on this pitch—not only today, but also tomorrow, the day after that, and the day after that—and I hope to develop as many players as possible who can go on to excel in the youth and top teams as a result.”
―Participation in the Japan-Korea Friendship Cup is also one of the traditions of the junior youth. What kind of inspiration has participation in the tournament given the players so far?
“One of the major benefits of participating in the tournament is being able to play against overseas players and experience their level firsthand. What can be gained from that experience is very important. When I hear from the players who have participated, I can tell that they are picking up on various things as junior high school students, such as ‘the intensity is completely different’ or ‘this kind of soft way of playing won’t work.’ In that sense, I think it is a very meaningful tournament. Furthermore, Brazil has a 12-hour time difference from Japan, and of course, the culture and environment are completely different, so actually experiencing that is also an important experience.”
―This year, the junior youth players have returned from their tour of Brazil. Do you feel any changes in them afterward?
“Of course, I feel a change in the players every time. The players realize painfully that ‘we were soft,’ and they work even harder in their daily training with a new look in their eyes. The players who participated this year may have felt a sense of accomplishment because they achieved good results, but on the other hand, I also have the impression that they felt the difference in the intensity of Brazilian football firsthand and that their awareness of ‘let’s aim even higher’ has increased even more.”
―Coach Morishima himself has participated in the Japan-Korea Friendship Cup for many years. What did you feel while you were there?
“When I think of Brazil, I feel that they have always placed great importance on the individual abilities of the players. Especially the passion of the individual players and the intensity in close-quarters situations. I can feel the spirit from the Brazilian players, such as ‘I will never give the ball to the opponent,’ ‘I will definitely score,’ and ‘I will definitely take the ball.’ Also, while their technique is impressive, what I feel is particularly different from Japanese players is their cleverness in outwitting their opponents. I also felt a kind of cunning that is sometimes called ‘malícia,’ and I imagine the players who participated must have actually experienced it when they returned.”
―The Antlers Academy has a long history, but what kind of future do you envision for it?
“More than 30 years have passed since Antlers was founded, and the players who have excelled at the top team have returned as coaches. Because they have also played against the world with the national team, they are also wonderful role models for the children. Although we are currently not able to send many players to the national team, I hope that from now on, the academy will be able to develop as many players as possible who can surpass the club legends.”
―Finally, what are your expectations for the young football players in this Kashima area?
“First, I hope that many players will emerge with a strong desire to ‘play for Antlers.’ I hope that many players who will become the main players of the Antlers top team and excel for the national team will be born in this Kashima area, and we want to do our utmost to help such players grow.”
