We are pleased to announce that Mitsuo Ogasawara, who has contributed to the club for many years, has been selected to receive the Antlers Service Award.
The award ceremony is scheduled to take place before the kickoff of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Matchday 6 against Nagoya Grampus on Friday, April 5th (kickoff at 7:00 PM / Kashima), and we would like to inform you of this as well.
□ Award Ceremony
Match: Kashima Antlers vs. Nagoya Grampus (J1 League Matchday 6)
Date/Time/Venue: Friday, April 5th, before 7:00 PM kickoff (Kashima Soccer Stadium)
□ Antlers Service Award
・Recipient: Mitsuo Ogasawara
(Played for Antlers from 1998-2005 and 2007-2018. Born April 5, 1979)
・Reason for Award:
He was one of the players who joined the club in 1998, a group known as the "Golden Age," and brought a total of 17 major titles to the club. As a playmaker, he excelled at reading the flow of the game accurately and contributed to a runner-up finish in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship. He participated in two consecutive FIFA World Cups in 2002 and 2006. After transferring to Messina, Italy in 2006, he returned to Antlers in 2007, and since then has led the team as a key defensive midfielder, playing a pivotal role in both offense and defense. He retired in 2018, the year the club achieved its long-cherished dream of winning the AFC Champions League, but he has continued to dedicate himself to the club, now serving as an Academy Advisor from this season.
・Award Item: Commemorative Plate
□ Reference Material
-What is the Antlers Service Award?-
Established in 2008 to honor individuals who have contributed to the development of the club. Award recipients are enshrined in the "Antlers Hall of Fame" within the Kashima Soccer Museum, and Ogasawara will be the 18th recipient.
-Antlers Service Award Recipients- (in alphabetical order)
Yutaka Akita, Toru Araiba, Alcindo, Oswaldo Oliveira, Hisashi Kurosaki, Zico, Jorginho, Naoki Soma, Danny Ishio, Toninho Cerezo, Koji Nakata, Akira Narahashi, Yoshiyuki Hasegawa, Bismarck, Yasuhito Honda, Masakatsu Miyamoto, Atsushi Yanagisawa