Academy Scout Roundtable Discussion - Part 1
Masashi Motoyama, Katsuya Narumi, Motoyoshi Suzuki

 

The Antlers Academy operates across three branches: Kashima, Norte, and Tsukuba. The people who connect the entry and exit points of these branches are the academy scouts.

Masashi Motoyama, Katsuya Narumi, and Motoyoshi Suzuki—three individuals with vastly different backgrounds—share what motivates them as they stand pitchside today. In this first installment, we hear about "The path to becoming a scout" and the "roles of the three." (Part 1 of 3)

 

What was the path to becoming a scout for each of you?

──First, could you tell us about the circumstances that led each of you to become an academy scout?

Motoyama: It started when I retired as a professional (Kashima - Kitakyushu - Kelantan United) and the club approached me asking if there was something I could do based in Kitakyushu. I didn't have much coaching experience, but I had earned my A-license and had already been involved in roles that required scouting talent, so I started thinking, "Maybe I could do this."

Suzuki: (Interjecting) You say "no coaching experience," but you were heavily involved in coaching at Norte just yesterday, weren't you? (laughs)

Motoyama: No, no, it was just before a promotion-relegation match, so I got a bit heated (laughs). But now, while I focus on the Kyushu area and look at external teams, I also try to observe the academy from the inside as much as possible. I’ve even sat on the bench for the Youth team; I really agree with Academy Manager (Shuto) Suzuki's philosophy that "you can't scout outside players if you don't know the inside."

Narumi: After I retired as a pro (Kanazawa - Hachinohe), I was coaching children as a school coach in Kanagawa. That’s when Yuichi Nemoto, who was the head coach of Tsukuba Junior Youth at the time, asked if I wanted to work with Antlers. I coached for six years at Tsukuba Junior Youth and two years at Kashima Junior, and this year I’m in my first year as a scout, wearing the "yellow hat."

*Yellow hat = A hat worn by first-grade elementary students in Japan to prevent traffic accidents, identify their grade, and prevent heatstroke.

Suzuki: That yellow hat, huh (laughs).

Motoyama: It’s like having a "beginner driver" mark on you; you’ve got to wear it for about five years.

Everyone: (laughs)

Narumi: (Laughing bitterly) No, but honestly, working on the pitch was fun and I learned a lot. When Academy Manager Shuto Suzuki asked me if I’d like to become a scout who could see both the inside and the outside, I decided, "If I can help the club, I’ll do it."

Suzuki: I’m probably the type of scout you don’t see anywhere else (laughs).

Motoyama & Narumi: That’s for sure! (laughs)

Suzuki: Until this March, I was coaching soccer for a team in Saitama while working as a salaryman at a small factory. It was a company that made machines for producing souvenirs, so it had nothing to do with soccer.

Motoyama: That’s the most impactful part. "From the factory to a scout."

Suzuki: I worked as a coach when I was younger, but I got a full-time job when I got married. Even so, I continued to coach as a volunteer while my kids were involved in soccer. Last year, I had more opportunities to interact with scouts, and just as I started getting interested in how fun scouting seemed, Shuto Suzuki—who is the same age as me—invited me to work for Antlers. I took the plunge, quit my job, and have been working as a scout since April this year.

Narumi: That’s a total headhunt right there (grins).

Suzuki: I suppose it is (laughs). I’m grateful for the offer and that’s how I ended up here!

 

How are your areas divided and how do you share information?

──There are three of you handling academy scouting now. How are your roles and areas divided?

Motoyama: Basically, all three of us look at both Junior and Junior Youth levels. Since I live in Kyushu, I visit matches and tournaments in that area quite often. I don’t just watch external matches; I make sure to see the training and games within the academy too. Last year, I spent about three months watching almost all categories, which was a great experience.

Narumi: Moto-san (Motoyama) also has the face of someone "in charge of watching the inside." He just sits on the Youth bench like it’s natural (laughs).

Motoyama: It’s fun! I want to see everything. I wish I had three or four bodies (laughs).

Everyone: (laughs)

Narumi: I mostly move around the Kanto region, but the three of us share information constantly while watching both Junior and Junior Youth. Since we are involved in forming the teams that move up to Youth, the three of us discuss things like "which positions are lacking" or "can we fill this with existing players," and then we decide how to approach external players.

Suzuki: Sometimes two of us will go to see the same player, too. We’ll say, "Are they really that good? Let’s both check and confirm."

Narumi: Exactly. I’m the youngest, so I end up taking the report to Moto-san like, "Please give me your stamp of approval" (laughs).

Motoyama: No, no, we decide everything by talking it over as a trio (laughs).

Narumi & Suzuki: That’s right (laughs).

Suzuki: Since I’m in my first year as a scout, I’m still at the stage of learning by experience where tournaments are held and what they’re like. This past three-day weekend, I went to Shikoku and toured tournaments in Tokushima, Kagawa, and Ehime. I looked at players who might join Antlers next season and checked on sixth-grade elementary students whose future paths haven’t been decided yet.

Motoyama: You even mentioned you went to watch a track and field meet while you were there, right? (laughs)

Suzuki: No, no, I didn’t! I just had "information" that a player I saw in a soccer match had come in first in the 100m at a track and field prefectural meet (laughs). Elementary school kids participate in sports other than soccer, so sometimes we look into those backgrounds as well.

──What does your weekly schedule look like, and how do you share information?

Motoyama: Saturdays and Sundays are basically for watching games. We split up to cover elementary school tournaments, junior high league matches, national tournaments, and prefectural qualifiers, depending on the season.

As for weekdays, Mondays are our day off, and on Tuesdays, the three of us meet with Academy Manager Shuto Suzuki to share information about the players and teams we watched over the weekend.

Narumi: We also use LINE extensively. Over the weekend, we’ll quickly send messages like, "I saw this kind of player" or "I want to watch this team again," and then organize that info properly on Tuesday.

Suzuki: From Tuesday to Friday, some days we go to watch internal academy training, and other days we go to watch the weekday practices of external teams. We travel quite a lot, but to make sure we don't lose the information we gain on-site, we try to share it frequently.

Motoyama: While rubbing our sleepy eyes, of course (laughs). There are times when I’ve traveled so much that I’m half-asleep in the car (joking).

Narumi: Please make sure you’re driving safely! (laughs)