Club Members Becoming Gears in the Community

Koji Morisaki, the club ambassador of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, is stepping down. He has played a pivotal role in connecting the club with the community, engaging in activities such as promoting the opening of the new stadium “Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima,” attending local events, and advocating for eco-friendly initiatives—taking on a different role compared to his time as a player.

Around the same time, another personnel change occurred. Former president Shingo Senda has been appointed as the chairman of the Hiroshima Prefectural Youth Development Council. Additionally, there were reports that former player Daiki Niwa donated a soccer goal to the Ninoshima Gakuen, a children’s care facility in the Minami Ward of Hiroshima City.

These three events are happening in separate contexts. However, when viewed together, a single question arises: What mechanisms are those who have “graduated” from Sanfrecce operating outside the club?

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The “Connections” Designed by Koji Morisaki

Looking back on Koji Morisaki’s career, his footprint as a player overlaps directly with the history of the club. He came from the youth system, played over 300 matches in J1, and won the league championship three times—all while donning Sanfrecce’s purple jersey. After retiring in 2017, he became the club ambassador and has since taken on the role of connecting public relations with the community for nearly seven years.

The title of ambassador may appear glamorous from the outside. However, the reality has been a steady process of “designing connections.” School visits, talk events at commercial facilities, and cleanup activities around the stadium—each of these may seem small, but they are essential for maintaining the circuit through which the club engages with local residents in their daily lives. The backdrop to the opening of Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima in February 2024 is the atmosphere that has been cultivated between the government and citizens, where “Sanfrecce is the club of the city” is a prevailing sentiment. One of the mechanisms that created this atmosphere was Morisaki’s ambassadorial activities.

Upon his departure, Morisaki stated, “I will use my experiences to move on to the next stage.” The specifics of his next destination have not yet been announced. However, the “skills of standing between the club and the community” that he cultivated over seven years can be applied beyond the world of soccer. The choice of where he goes next will likely serve as an indicator of the social value of the ambassadorial role itself.

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Shingo Senda’s Role in “Upstream Development”

Shingo Senda was responsible for the club’s management as president of Sanfrecce Hiroshima from 2019 to 2023. His work involved negotiating with the government for the construction of the new stadium, maintaining operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and restructuring sponsor relationships—all tasks directly linked to the club’s survival.

After stepping down, Senda took on the role of chairman of the Hiroshima Prefectural Youth Development Council. This council is an organization that promotes the healthy development of children through collaboration among educational institutions, local governments, and community organizations within Hiroshima Prefecture. It does not directly oversee sports instruction but focuses on creating the “environment and policies” related to development—essentially a position involved in upstream design.

There is a structural intrigue here. Sanfrecce’s youth and school programs are systems for developing soccer players. However, the stage preceding that—where children encounter sports, find joy in physical activity, and learn about relationships with peers—is supported not just by the club alone but by the entire community’s developmental environment. The area Senda will work on as chairman is precisely in that “preceding” stage.

Upon his appointment, Senda stated, “The healthy development of youth nurtures the future of the community.” This may sound abstract. However, a person who has seen the “environment where people grow” from within as a club manager is now stepping into a role that shapes the developmental foundation for the entire community. This should not be viewed merely as an honorary position but rather as a move to connect the insights gained from the club to the public mechanisms of the community.

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The Significance of the “Goal” Delivered by Daiki Niwa

Former Sanfrecce player Daiki Niwa donated a soccer goal to Ninoshima Gakuen, a children’s care facility located on Ninoshima Island in the Minami Ward of Hiroshima City, where children with various circumstances live. Given the island’s location, procuring sports equipment and facilities is not easy.

The price of a single soccer goal, typically made of aluminum and of official size, ranges from several hundred thousand to several million yen. In terms of monetary value, it pales in comparison to large corporate donations. However, the significance of this donation is not in its price.

For the children in the care facility, having a soccer goal changes the “quality of play.” Without a goal, they can kick a ball, but it does not become a “match.” The mere presence of a target to shoot at and a goal line transforms play into sport, creates rules, and establishes roles. It means that a mechanism for experiencing cooperation and competition with peers is physically placed there.

Niwa stated, “I hope soccer becomes an important experience for the children and a place where future players can grow.” There is no need to take the term “future players” at face value. What is important here is that a person with a professional player background has delivered the message through his name and actions: “You are allowed to play sports.” For the children in the facility, this can become something more than just equipment.

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The Structure Illustrated by Three Movements Outside the Club

Koji Morisaki, Shingo Senda, Daiki Niwa. Each of their positions is different: former player, former president, former player. Stepping down, taking office, donating. The directions of their movements are also varied.

However, when these three are viewed together, a common structure emerges. The club Sanfrecce Hiroshima functions as a “mechanism for sending people out into the community.”

Many sports clubs focus on “gathering” talent. They acquire players, hire staff, and mobilize fans. This is a natural part of club management. However, few clubs consider where the talent they gather goes and what they do after leaving the club.

In the case of Sanfrecce, it is difficult to assert from the outside whether there is intentional system design. However, what is clear is the outcome: individuals who have gained experience at the club are spreading out into different areas of the community—public relations, developmental administration, welfare facilities—and beginning to operate mechanisms in each of those places.

This cannot simply be dismissed as a beautiful story of “social contribution by alumni.” The abilities and networks cultivated by the club are being reallocated to different layers of the community. When viewed as a “hub for the circulation of talent,” Sanfrecce’s case appears to illustrate one model of the role that J-League clubs can play in their communities.

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What I Want to Witness Going Forward

I want to separate what can be confirmed as fact from what is still unclear.

Confirmed facts—Morisaki’s resignation, Senda’s appointment as chairman, Niwa’s donation. All of these have been officially announced.

What remains unclear—Morisaki’s next destination, the specific initiatives Senda will propose as chairman, and how Niwa’s donation will change the daily lives of the children at Ninoshima Gakuen. Additionally, to what extent the club Sanfrecce is consciously designing this “external circulation of talent.”

I want to avoid writing speculation as if it were fact. However, one thing can be said: the value of a club cannot be measured solely by wins and losses on the pitch. The totality of where individuals who have passed through the club are moving and for whom they are acting will determine the true magnitude of the club.

The connections created by Morisaki, the upstream role taken on by Senda, and the goal delivered by Niwa—these three points have yet to form a line. However, somewhere in this city, each of their roles is quietly beginning to turn.