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"Once I turn professional, it's time for the real thing. I want to play in a way that attracts the audience."

Hiroto Uemura, 4th year student, School of Sport Sciences

At Higashi Fushimi Ground

Hiroto Uemura, a fourth-year student School of Sport Sciences, has been active as No. 10 and midfielder in Waseda University Association Football Club (hereafter Waseda Football). After graduating from university, it has been officially decided that he will join Jubilo Iwata, a J-League club based in Shizuoka Prefecture. Hiroto has been devoted to soccer since childhood in hopes of becoming a professional player. He set his sights on his goal and practiced every day, even though he experienced setbacks. We asked Hiroto, who has been playing soccer for many years, about how he started playing soccer, his four years in Waseda Football, and his enthusiasm for his upcoming career as a professional player.

--When did you start playing soccer and thinking about becoming a professional soccer player?

I started playing soccer while playing ball in the park with my father and older brother. My father loves sports, so we often played soccer, baseball, and other ball games together from a young age. When I became an elementary school student, I joined a junior soccer team and started practicing seriously. By this time, I was already dreaming of becoming a professional soccer player.

Photo left: Hiroto when he was in the second grade of elementary school (center of photo)
Photo right: In 2019, Hiroto represented Kanagawa Prefecture in the 98th National High School Soccer Championship (right of photo)

I continued to play soccer in elementary school and junior high school, but during my three years in high school, with a strong desire to become a professional after graduation, I devoted myself even more to soccer at Nihon University Fujisawa High School, a strong school in Kanagawa Prefecture. My life revolved around soccer, doing whatever I could, practicing on my own after club practice, and studying by watching good players play on YouTube when I wasn't doing club activities. I also had the opportunity to participate in the practice of a professional team, but in the end, I did not receive any offers until I graduated. However, I could not give up on my dream of becoming a professional soccer player and decided to continue playing soccer at university.

--Looking back on your activities at Waseda Football, please tell us what you think now.

I can say that the four years I spent at Waseda were an invaluable time for me. I originally decided to attend Waseda University because I wanted to play soccer in the best environment possible in order to become a professional. When I was looking for a university with a soccer club, I was attracted to Waseda Football, where the quality of practice is high and each player plays independently.

Hiroto carried the ace number 10 on his back and supported the Waseda Football. The team members were good friends and rivals.

Since joining the club, I have learned a variety of things both technically and mentally. Waseda Football is a team that is characterized by players thinking and playing on their own, so I feel like I have more time to work on myself both on and off the pitch than when I was in high school. In such an environment, I was able to acquire the ability to think about issues related to my play from multiple angles and approach them continuously, which is a great development over the past four years.

--Are there any particularly memorable events over the past four years?

The turning point for me was in the second half of my second year, when I had a hard time getting into games. At that time, I was frustrated that I wasn't included in the starting lineup, and I was dissatisfied with the coach and my teammates, so I didn't put much effort into practice. As I spent my days like that, I realized that I had lost sight of myself due to my frustration and had drifted far away from my goal of becoming a professional soccer player. Soccer is everything in my life. If I lose soccer, there will be nothing left inside me. In order to not let down the work I had done up until now, I calmed down and asked myself that I could not continue like this, and changed my mind to look at myself again.

Scene from the 2023 Waseda-Keio Classico (74th Waseda-Keio Soccer Regular Game) (Hiroto is fourth from the right in the front row). He says that the enthusiasm of the support during the Waseda-Keio match was on a whole other level compared to other matches.

From then on, I started changing myself by not being stubborn and actively seeking advice from my teammates and coaches. After being pointed out by his teammates, he became conscious of contributing not only offensively but also defensively. After that, I was gradually able to participate in matches again, and was able to make a fresh start to reach an even higher level as a player. Looking back, I don't think I would have become a professional if I hadn't chosen Waseda. It has been an irreplaceable four years, with so many new insights and experiences that I was able to gain through Waseda Football.

--How did you feel when you actually received the offer from Jubilo Iwata?

Participating in Kagoshima camp

I was really happy. Actually, once in February 2022, I was invited to Jubilo Iwata's camp as a trainee and participated. I was really nervous at first because there were only professionals around me. But it's a chance I've taken. I motivated myself to "give everything I have,'' and gave my all on the pitch. I also tried to actively communicate with the players around me and coordinate our plays.

After participating in the camp, scouts started coming to watch practices often, and I finally received an offer through the coach in June 2022. I myself felt the high level of Jubilo Iwata during the camp and wanted to play, so I had no hesitation in joining.

Hiroto answering an interview. With a smile, he talked about when he received the offer from the director.

--So what did you study at university?

I belong to School of Sport Sciences, and I have actively taken classes that are related to soccer. For example, "Mental Training Theory'' (a subject offered by School of Sport Sciences) is a class where you can learn about mental training in sports. It was very helpful for me to learn mental management techniques that can be applied to soccer as well. In addition, I am learning about sports injury prevention in Professor Hitoshi Hirose's (Faculty of Sport Sciences) seminar, and in my personal life I am practicing how to build my body to avoid injuries and effective rehabilitation methods. Although there was a time when face-to-face classes were restricted due to the pandemic, I was able to have a fruitful university life in both the academic and military fields.

--Finally, please tell us about your aspirations as a professional soccer player and your future goals.

Currently, I am working on strengthening my physical strength and strength while participating in the practice of his juniors in Waseda Football. Compared to top professional players, I still lack a lot. I want to face each of my current challenges one by one and improve myself even further. Based on that, I aim to become a player who can help the team by leveraging my strengths, such as my ideas when moving to the next play after holding the ball, and the driving force that moves forward with dribbling.

Scene from the joint press conference for the men's and women's soccer teams at Waseda University, held in December 2023 (Hiroto is on the far left in the back row).

All professional players make a living by playing soccer, and the quality of each individual's play and level of awareness is on a whole other level compared to university students. Jubilo Iwata is set to be promoted to J1 next year, so I think the environment I will be competing in will be even more difficult. I'm worried about what I can do in such a situation, but even more so, I can't stop being excited about this new world. Although it is still a long way off, we would like to continue to grow, with a view to taking on challenges overseas in the future.

The situation at the Waseda-Keio game. He says that he wants to not only be good, but also play in a way that entertains the people watching, like former Spain national team player Andres Iniesta.

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Interview/text/photography: Waseda Weekly Reporter (SJC student staff)
Ryusei Sakuma, 4th year School of Law