If you watch the J League, you’ll probably notice it right away, but Urawa Reds is the only club that for some reason has a large number of supporters rushing in every game. This is overwhelmingly noticeable compared to other strong clubs such as Yokohama, Kawasaki, and Kashima. Why has Urawa become such a popular club?
Who is Urawa Reds?
Urawa Reds is a professional soccer league based in Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. This club was founded in 1950, and its predecessor was the Mitsubishi Motors Industrial Soccer Club. This club boasts the most ACL Champions League championship experience among J.League clubs, and is one of the most famous clubs not only in Japan but also in Asia.
| Name | Urawa Reds |
| Established | 1950 |
| Home Town | Saitama |
| Home Stadium | Saitama Stadium 2002 |
| Operating Company | Urawa Red Diamonds Co., Ltd. |
Why are Urawa Reds so popular?
Why are Urawa Reds so popular? The reasons for saying this are as follows.
Saitama Stadium 2002
Saitama Stadium 2002 is indispensable when talking about Urawa. In the early 2000s, it attracted a lot of attention as a soccer-only stadium, and the stadium, which can accommodate 65,000 people, is one of the largest in Asia. As it is a dedicated soccer stadium, it is very easy to watch matches, and the stadium is often used for matches played by the Japanese national team. Due to this influence, supporters often come to visit us.
Many fixed fans
One of the reasons why Urawa Reds is so popular is that they have a large number of loyal fans. It was at its peak around 2006 when they won the league championship, and although the number of spectators has declined since then, it has held its own and is always packed to capacity for important matches. Urawa Reds has been able to attract customers without being influenced by results alone, and this is also due to the fact that the club’s sales activities are going very well. Because there are so many repeat players, the revenue from admission fees is stable, we are able to recruit good players, and we are becoming even stronger.
Soccer is rooted in
In places like Osaka, baseball has a lot of strong fans, but in Urawa, soccer culture has always been deeply rooted. If you look at high school soccer, this is obvious; there are many strong schools in Urawa. Therefore, although there is a baseball team called Seibu Lions in Saitama Prefecture, it has no influence on Urawa at all. Urawa’s shopping streets are always full of Urawa supporters, day or night.
Saitama prefecture is being made fun of
Even compared to Tokyo and Chiba, Saitama Prefecture does not have any iconic tourist destinations, and is often referred to by the derogatory term “Dasaitama”, which is why Saitama people have a strong complex about it. I did. However, when the J.League was established in 1993, a symbolic team called the Urawa Reds was born, and the people of Saitama Prefecture, especially in the southern region, came to have strong expectations for Urawa, and became something to be proud of. It became. For this reason, Urawa has become a special place for Saitama people.
If the number of customers decreases, there will be a business crisis.
Actually, Urawa Reds has a unique management policy compared to other J League clubs. The Urawa Reds are financially independent, with no parent company, and are destined to have to manage everything on their own. Supporters know that increasing attendance means attracting famous players and making the club stronger. Supporters go to games because they know that if the number of customers decreases, they will face a financial crisis.
Clubs that can win in ACL
For a J.League club, the greatest honor would be winning the Asian Champions League. Urawa is the only Japanese team to have won this tournament multiple times. For this reason, especially when it comes to the Asian Champions League, not only Urawa supporters but other soccer fans also tend to know about Urawa and support them. The number of fans is increasing, but because the attention level is increasing, it is easier to stand out than other J clubs in many ways, and it is easier for fans to follow.
Why is the supporter population low? Why are we often subject to punishment?
On the other hand, there is a negative side. Urawa is also famous for having a low number of supporters. It is also Urawa that often receives punishment from the church. Why do they often cause problems?
Supporters are enthusiastic
Urawa’s supporters clearly have a different passion than other teams. There are clearly many enthusiastic supporters, waving big flags and making loud voices. However, because of their enthusiasm, they tend to cause break-ins and assaults. This tendency is particularly strong behind the goal. He also has a side where he can’t calm down because he’s so enthusiastic.
Too many problematic incidents
The problem is that Urawa supporters clearly have more incidents than other teams. This is one of the reasons why people are said to have low standards of citizenship. In 2008, during a match against Gamba Osaka, supporters of both sides threw things at each other and got into a fight, in 2010, discriminatory remarks were made towards foreign players riding the Vegalta Sendai bus, and in 2013, supporters of both sides threw things at each other and got into a fight. He also assaulted a security guard during a match. In 2014, they were forced to play without fans due to racial discrimination at their home stadium. In 2023, Urawa Reds supporters who lost a match in the Emperor’s Cup turned into a mob and stormed the pitch. Because problems occur so often, negative impressions tend to take hold.
Why is Urawa so strong in ACL and cup matches?
Urawa is definitely considered one of the strongest teams in the J League. Not only have they won the league, but they have also won the ACL Champions League, the Levain Cup, and even the Emperor’s Cup, but are they really a top club? That’s not true if you ask me. The reason for this is that they have only won once in the league. But for some reason, we’ve won a lot of cup matches. Why is that?
League games always drop out
In the case of Urawa, they have only won one league match. Urawa always competes in league matches with the goal of winning the championship, but in many cases the matches end before the final stages. Ironically, this is what motivates me to play in the cup. Being eliminated from the league game creates an environment in which they can concentrate on the cup game, so it is easier for the players to adjust their condition.
Presence of supporters
As explained above, there is no doubt that Urawa supporters are causing the most problems in the J League. However, there is no doubt that the enthusiasm of the supporters is what leads the team to victory. Especially in ACL tournament matches, the overwhelming voice of these supporters overwhelms the enemy team. The defeated opponents made mistakes in the penalty shootout, which inevitably led to Urawa’s victory.
Away is like home
As mentioned above, Urawa fans come in large numbers even for away matches. Most teams don’t have as many people as Urawa supporters, so even if it’s an away match, you can play as if it were Urawa’s home match, which is a big advantage for the players. This point is especially important for ACL.
Watch the Urawa match live
Urawa Reds matches are broadcast live on each broadcast station. The following article introduces the distribution service, so I hope you find it helpful.
| Channel | Plan | Soccer Contents | URL |
| DAZN | 3750 | national team major europe leagues J league | DAZN |
| Hulu | ¥1026 | french league dutch league | Hulu |
| WOWOW | 2530 | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League | WOWOW |
| ABEMA TV | ¥960 | national team World Cup Premier League scottish league | ABEMA |
| スカパー | ¥429 + ¥2480 | national team emperor’s cup soccer Bundesliga laliga | スカパー！ |
| J SPORTS | 1100 | fifa world youth | J SPORTS |
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