Japan National Stadium was filled with excitement for the victory of the Tama River Clasico, the first time since the 2018 season. After the game, the Tokyo players, wearing blue t-shirts, reported their victory to their fellow blue and red comrades who filled the stands.
Hotaka Everyone is waiting You’ll never walk alone
The message there was for Hotaka NAKAMURA, who suffered a major injury of a ruptured right Achilles tendon in the closing moments of the Sec. 10 match against Albirex Niigata, forcing him to be out for about 6 months.
'We are fighting together with Hidaka.'
The message was sent out, and it was a clever arrangement by Jean, the player's feelings, and the team manager who worked hard to turn those feelings into reality, that created a flow of support from fans and supporters for Nakamura.
T-shirt filled with feelings confirmed in about 3 hours
It was May 2.
On the way to the away game against Avispa Fukuoka the next day, one player suddenly spoke to Chief Manager Jean Tomo.
"Is there anything we can do to encourage Hidaka?"
The one who spoke was Teruhito NAKAGAWA, who also had experience of a long-term absence due to a major injury.
"During my time at Yokohama F.Marinos, there was a player who suffered a major injury during the season. In order to convey our feelings to him and show that we were fighting together as a "family", we wore a uniform with a message to him on the front and his number on the back during warm-ups. Based on that experience, I proposed it to Chief Manager Ban."
Nakagawa's strong desire to overcome various difficulties with his teammates, based on his own experience and witnessing his teammates' serious injuries. This can be seen as Nakagawa's idea, as he values "family" and "unity" above all else, which he felt during his time at Yokohama FM where he won the league championship twice.
To respond to those feelings, Manager Ban also starts moving early.
"First of all, I was very worried about what kind of items to make. If I try to add messages to the current uniform, there won't be enough time to complete it, so there were also ideas such as printing messages on player's T-shirts or wearing Nakamura's goods, but thanks to the Merchandising department's quick action, we were able to come up with a plan to print messages on blue T-shirts, which are the club's color."
The merchandising department, along with each department, worked tirelessly to turn their feelings towards Nakamura into reality and deliver those feelings to him.
"At the same time as deciding on the items, I wanted to decide what message to print, so I created a LINE group chat for all players except for player Nakamura. It was around 3pm on the 2nd, I believe." The chat screen quickly filled up with each player's passionate thoughts.
"I'm waiting for you, Hotaka" and other passionate messages from players waiting for his return, captain Masato MORISHIGE posted the club's motto "You'll never walk alone". This message was unanimously decided by all members, expressing their strong desire for Nakamura's return.
"From Nakagawa's proposal to the creation of the T-shirt message and the completion of the design, everyone in the department involved in the project worked hard. The business department coordinated with the sponsors, and the operations department coordinated and reached out to the J-League and others. I am grateful to everyone involved for their support, as everything was completed in about 3 hours, and thanks to that, we were able to deliver it to Kawasaki Frontale the day before the match. There were voices saying whether we should wear the T-shirts and go around the stadium whether we win or lose, but I confidently declared that we will win no matter what (laughs). It was good to win the game and deliver the message to Nakamura."
Chief Manager Ban spoke with a smile, reminding us of the day.
"I want to welcome him at an exciting timing"
"When I was a member of Yokohama FM, I was impressed by the idea of encouraging injured players with such message T-shirts. I believe that good things should be done regardless of which club it is, and should incorporate the colors and flavors of each club well. This time, I proposed creating a message uniform as my own "seasoning" for the club, considering my feelings towards Nakamura and the relationship of playing on the same side. I can also understand the suffering of having a major injury. When I thought about what actions would be encouraging and happy for Nakamura, the idea of wearing a T-shirt came to mind. I'm sure Nakamura will be happy with it."
Player Nakagawa, the initiator, looked back. And finally, when asked about player Nakamura's return, he concluded the conversation like this.
"Not only me, but all of my teammates are hoping for his quick return, and we have been moved by Nakamura's fighting spirit and passionate attitude. It is natural to feel sad when such a player is absent, but I believe he is also working hard towards his return. We also have the feeling of "For Hotaka Nakamura" and have made T-shirts for everyone to wear. Once again, we believe it is important to aim for the championship. We want to continue winning while carrying Nakamura's feelings, and we also want to welcome him back during exciting moments such as the championship race. It is necessary for Tokyo to have the attitude of fighting for someone, and we want to continue playing with the feeling of "Wait for Hotaka". "
After the Kawasaki match, a message from player Nakamura was sent to the LINE talk group that players and staff are participating in, saying, "(Message T-shirt) Thank you very much. I will believe in everyone and work hard on rehabilitation. I will definitely overcome it and come back stronger. Nice victory!! Thank you for your hard work!!"
Everyone's passionate feelings were definitely conveyed through the screen.
You'll never walk alone You are never alone.
"Wait for Hota"
