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"Through our activities, we want to increase the number of cool people."

Jion Ariyama, 4th year student School of Human Sciences

At an empty house that was renovated as part of the activity.

In 2021, Mr. Jion Ariyama founded the adult soccer club `` Saltista Hashimoto FC'' in his hometown of Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture with two friends, and currently serves as vice president. This club is made up of about 90% students, which is unusual for adult soccer, and most of the activities are carried out by students, from on-field work such as manager and coach to behind-the-scenes work such as accounting and website management. . Furthermore, last year, he went beyond just running a soccer club and contributed to the local community by renovating vacant houses in the city. He is greatly expanding the range of his activities. This time, we focused on these activities and asked him about the circumstances behind starting the soccer club, his thoughts on it, and his future plans.

--First of all, please tell us about the background of starting the adult soccer club "Saltista Hashimoto FC".

I had a vague desire to start an organization for some time, but during my first year at university, my activities were restricted due to the pandemic, and I felt anxious and wasteful that my university life would continue to pass. . At that time, a friend of mine who I played with in a soccer club when I was in elementary and junior high school asked me if I would like to start a soccer club with him because he wanted to be the manager of a soccer club.

I'm not the type of person who has any special skills, and I was envious of the friends around me who had a variety of abilities. However, at the same time, I felt uneasy about the fact that the people around me were not expressing their talents. After consulting with a friend, I thought it would be possible to provide a practical environment for students with so much potential, not only in the sport of soccer, but also as a club team, which led me to create Saltista Hashimoto FC. That's a big reason why I started it.

With members of Saltista Hashimoto FC, an adult soccer club started by two friends.

--Please tell us about Saltista Hashimoto FC's activities.

Our club currently consists of a total of 77 members, including 31 members in the competition-oriented "TOP Team," 26 members in the fun-oriented "Light Team," and 20 management members, which is unusual for adult soccer. 90% are students. We currently belong to the 3rd division of the Kanagawa Amateur League and are working towards promotion to the 2nd division. In addition to the players, most of the operations, including accounting, nutritional management, and website management, are carried out by students, and we are recruiting students who want to participate in activities that will lead to their dreams at the club and expanding the circle. went.

I once heard from a friend who participated in a long-term internship during the pandemic period, but in reality, the work was often monotonous, such as sales tele-appointments, and I was wondering if it was an environment where I could put into practice the things I learned at university to the fullest. It was difficult to say, and he felt that it would be difficult to gain the experience of living in the future. That's why I want the students who participate in my club to pursue what they truly want to do, and to place the most importance on how they can lead to personal growth through their activities. For this reason, this soccer club has a level relationship with each other, allowing many students to take the position of their choice and gain experience that will allow them to realize their personal growth.

Players of "Saltista Hashimoto FC", where 90% of the players are students

--I heard that you started renovating vacant houses in July 2022. Why did club soccer teams start such activities? Please tell me the reason.

While my goal was to provide practical experience to as many students as possible, I was faced with the challenge of being limited to just running a soccer club. So, when I was thinking about starting a new project that would contribute to the local community and revitalize the local city of Sagamihara, I came across a club member who belonged to the Faculty of Architecture, so I decided to start a new project that would help revitalize my hometown, Sagamihara City. It all started with my suggestion that if we renovated it, it would be a good learning output.

In fact, there are many vacant houses in Sagamihara City, which are left unattended due to issues such as renovation costs. If students work as volunteers and carry out eco-friendly renovations such as using waste materials, it could be a win-win situation for the club, the owner of the vacant house, and the community. It's sure to be a great opportunity for both student growth and community contribution! So we started our activities.

--How did you go about renovating the vacant house?

The activity started with three college students from the club, but eventually 15 members gathered through calls from friends and the Internet. Labor costs could be reduced because the work was done by volunteers, but the cost of materials became a problem. First, they sought cooperation from the government, but since they were only students and had no experience, they were unable to gain their trust, so they decided to raise funds through crowdfunding. As a result of proactive PR activities such as reaching out to community centers and local governments and posting posts, and receiving support primarily from local residents, we were ultimately able to reach our goal of 600,000 yen. Ta. In addition, to ensure safety, we consulted with a local construction company and received professional support as students carried out the renovation work.

Currently, in addition to being rented out as a co-working space, we also hold events such as community exchanges and homework classes where management staff teach local elementary school students. We are conscious of providing an active practical environment, such as various events planned by students.

A vacant house before renovation (left) and after renovation (right). A modern atmosphere while retaining the Japanese taste

--Have you received any feedback from the community or students?

A member of the local community said, ``Until now, students have had few opportunities to get involved in local development, so the impact of young people getting involved in the local community is huge.'' In addition, we received positive comments from local companies, saying, ``In Sagamihara City, which is a commuter town, this project will help solve the problem of aging and vacant buildings that are facing many vacant houses in the future, and will lead to the creation of a safe town.'' Furthermore, we recently won the Special Jury Award at the "Sagamihara SDGs Award 2023", which is given to the organization in Sagamihara City that has contributed the most to SDGs, and we are feeling the fruits of our efforts.

We have received feedback from students that it is rewarding to see their activities take shape, and recently students who learned about our activities have said, ``I want to get involved with Saltista Hashimoto FC,'' and Sagamihara City has also collaborated on food loss. We have started to receive inquiries from various sources, including being approached about projects.

Photo left: Sagamihara SDGs Award 2023 award ceremony given to the organization that has made the most contribution to SDGs
Photo right: Student members who were involved in renovating the empty house and Mr. Ariyama (left end of photo)

―― What did you find most rewarding in your series of activities so far?

I feel the most rewarding when members say, ``I'm glad I was involved in this activity.'' In particular, the four initial members are moving toward their dreams, each receiving a job offer from the company they wanted to work for and going on to graduate school. I was very happy to hear that the four of them said, ``I'm glad I did it.''

A photo with his friend Yokoyama, who founded Saltista Hashimoto FC and serves as the club representative (Ariyama on the right).

--Please tell us about your future prospects, both as a group and as an individual.

The club aims to become the best soccer club in Japan to liven up the local community, and has set the philosophy of ``providing everyone involved with an opportunity and sign of success'', and at this stage, as a first step, we are focusing on supporting young people. I'm thinking of adding it. In the future, I would like to support activities from an educational perspective, such as nurturing entrepreneurs, and hold new student-led events to energize the region.

Personally, I want to grow as a manager so that I can increase the club's profitability and influence. I also want to get more people involved and liven up Sagamihara. My current vision for the future is to "increase the number of cool people," and I'm currently working hard to make that a reality. To me, a ``cool person'' is someone who is passionate about something, someone who values people, and someone who takes everything seriously.If the number of people like this increases gradually, I believe that society will become better.

He also cooperates with the local Hashimoto Tanabata Festival. In the future, he would like to further expand his activities (Mr. Ariyama is on the left)

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Interview and text: Waseda Weekly Reporter (SJC student staff)
Sotaro Tsutsumi 3rd year student School of Social Sciences