Urawa Red Diamonds facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Urawa Reds

Full name	Urawa Red Diamonds
Nickname(s)	Reds (レッズ, Rezzu) / Red Devils (赤い悪魔, Akai Akuma)
Founded	1950; 75 years ago (1950) as Mitsubishi Motors FC
Stadium	Saitama Stadium 2002 Saitama, Japan
Stadium capacity	63,700
Owner	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Chairman	Makoto Taguchi
Manager	Maciej Skorża
League	J1 League
2022	J1 League, 9th of 18
Home colours Away colours

The Urawa Red Diamonds, often called Urawa Reds, is a professional football club in Saitama, Japan. Saitama is part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top football league in Japan.

The club's name comes from the old city of Urawa. It is one of Japan's most successful football clubs. Urawa Reds has won the AFC Champions League three times. They also have many domestic titles, including a record eight Emperor's Cup titles. The team has played in the FIFA Club World Cup three times.

The name 'Red Diamonds' comes from the club's original company, Mitsubishi. Mitsubishi's logo has three red diamonds. One of these diamonds is still on the club's badge today.

Club History: How Urawa Reds Started

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries started this football club in 1950 in Kobe. The club later moved to Tokyo in 1958. In 1965, it became one of the first teams in the Japan Soccer League (JSL). Other famous clubs like JEF United Chiba and Kashiwa Reysol were also part of this group.

Mitsubishi first won the JSL championship in 1969. They had some ups and downs, even falling to the Second Division. But in 1990, they were promoted back up. This meant they were ready when the J.League started in 1993. Urawa Red Diamonds was one of the first ten teams in the J.League.

Winning the Treble: A Big Achievement

In 1978, Mitsubishi became the first Japanese club to win a "domestic treble." This means they won three major titles in one year. They won the league championship, the Emperor's Cup, and the Japan Soccer League Cup.

Club Name Changes Over Time

In April 1992, the club's name changed to Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club. Their nickname was "Red Diamonds." Then, in February 1996, the name officially became "Urawa Red Diamonds."

Since the J.League began, the club has had mixed results. They finished last in the league for the first two seasons. In 1999, they were even relegated to the second division again. However, the club has gotten much better in recent years. They won the Nabisco Cup in 2003.

In 2006, Urawa Reds won their first professional league title. They beat Gamba Osaka 3–2 in front of 63,000 fans. This win came after two close calls in earlier years. In 2005, they finished second. In 2004, they lost the championship decider in a penalty shootout.

Back-to-Back Cup Champions

Urawa Reds won the Emperor's Cup two years in a row, in 2005 and 2006. They won their first professional Emperor's Cup in 2006 by beating Shimizu S-Pulse 2–1. They kept the title in 2007 with a 1–0 win over Gamba Osaka. This second win also meant they won both the league and the cup in the same year.

In 2007, Urawa Reds had a big lead in the league but lost it in the final games. Kashima Antlers ended up winning the title. Urawa Reds also lost early in the Emperor's Cup that year.

AFC Champions League Victories

Urawa Reds players lifting the 2007 AFC Champions League trophy

Urawa Reds won their first major international trophy in 2007. They beat the Iranian club Sepahan 3–1 over two games to win the AFC Champions League. This made them the first Japanese team to win this cup since it was reorganized in 2003. In the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup, Urawa Reds finished third. They were the first Asian club to do so.

In 2008, Urawa Reds tried to win the AFC Champions League again. They reached the semi-finals but lost to fellow Japanese team Gamba Osaka.

In 2017, Urawa Reds had another great run. They faced the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal in the final. Urawa Reds won the 2017 AFC Champions League final 2–1 overall to get their second trophy.

Urawa Reds reached the 2019 AFC Champions League final again. They played Al-Hilal once more, but this time they lost 3–0.

During the 2022 AFC Champions League, Urawa Reds had a strong path to the final. They played against Al-Hilal for the third time in the final. Urawa Reds won 2–1 overall, earning their third trophy!

In September 2023, the JFA announced that Urawa Reds would not play in the 2024 Emperor's Cup. This decision came after a clash between supporters following a loss in the 2023 tournament.

International Connections

Urawa Reds has connections with other football clubs around the world. For example, former Feyenoord player Shinji Ono started his career at Urawa Reds. He returned to play for the club again in 2006.

Urawa Reds is also connected with the German club Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich's chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, said they wanted to partner with a strong club like Urawa Reds. Many other famous foreign clubs have visited Japan to play friendly games at Saitama Stadium. These include Arsenal, Manchester United, and Feyenoord.

In 2004, Urawa Reds played in a friendly tournament in England. They played against Boca Juniors and were supposed to play Manchester United. However, the game against Manchester United was canceled due to a big electric storm.

The club's fans also have a special connection with Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua. Fans from both clubs support each other in international competitions.

Home Stadium: Saitama Stadium 2002

Saitama stadium

When the J.League started in 1992, Urawa Reds used the Urawa Komaba Stadium as their home. As the club became more popular, Saitama City expanded the stadium. During renovations, the club used Ōmiya Park Soccer Stadium. Even when the team wasn't playing well, the stadium was always full of loyal fans.

A New Home Ground for the Reds

In 2001, Saitama Prefecture built a new football-specific stadium called Saitama Stadium. This stadium was used for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. After the World Cup, Urawa Reds started playing more games there. In 2003, it officially became their main home stadium. Now, almost all their home games are played at Saitama Stadium.

Club Facilities

Urawa Reds trains at Ohara City Field. In 2005, the club also opened "Redsland." This facility has three grass fields, an artificial turf field, a baseball field, futsal courts, and tennis courts. Redsland is open to the public, and club members can use the facilities for a small fee.

Club Mascots

Urawa Red Diamonds has four mascots: Redia, Friendia, Schale, and Diarra. Redia doesn't appear much at Saitama Stadium. This is because the club wants the stadium to be a "place for serious competition." When Redia does show up, he doesn't join in fan activities. Because of this, fans sometimes call him a "NEET mascot."

According to the club, Redia and Friendia got married in 1997. Their twin mascots, Schale and Diarra, were born in 2006. This was the year Urawa Red Diamonds won their first J.League Championship.

Club Rivalries

Football clubs often have rivals, and Urawa Reds is no different!

The Saitama Derby

Urawa Red Diamonds has a local rivalry with Omiya Ardija. Both clubs are from Saitama City. They first played each other in 1987. The "Saitama Derby" became a top-flight match in 2005 after Omiya was promoted.

Marunouchi Gosanke: Old Rivals

In the early days of Japanese football, Urawa's main rivals were JEF United Chiba and Kashiwa Reysol. These three clubs were known as the Marunouchi Gosanke (which means "Marunouchi Big Three"). This was because their parent companies were all based in Marunouchi, Tokyo. Games between them were called "Marunouchi derbies." This term is not used as much now, as the clubs are based in different areas.

Other Important Rivals

Urawa Reds also has rivalries with other teams. These include Kashima Antlers, FC Tokyo, Yokohama Marinos, and Kawasaki Frontale. Even farther away, Gamba Osaka is a big rival. Some older rivalries from the Japan Soccer League days have become less intense over time.

Women's Team

Urawa Red Diamonds also has a successful women's football team. They are called Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies and play in the WE League.

Team Colours

The main colours of the Urawa Red Diamonds are red, black, and white. These colours are seen in their uniforms and club branding.

Honours: What Urawa Reds Has Won

Urawa Red Diamonds has won many titles throughout its history, both as Mitsubishi Motors and as Urawa Red Diamonds.

Club Captains

The captain is a very important player on a football team. Here are some of the players who have been captain for Urawa Reds:

• Koichi Shitani (1992–1993)
• Masahiro Fukuda (1994–1997)
• Shinji Ono (2000–2001)
• Nobuhisa Yamada (2004–2008)
• Yuki Abe (2012–2017)
• Shusaku Nishikawa (2020–2022)
• Hiroki Sakai (2023–present)

Manager History

Many different managers have led Urawa Red Diamonds over the years. Here are some of them:

Manager	Nationality	Start Date	End Date
Hiroshi Ninomiya	Japan	1 February 1967	31 January 1975
Kenzo Yokoyama	Japan	1 February 1975	31 January 1984
Holger Osieck	Germany	1 February 1995	31 December 1996
Guido Buchwald	Germany	1 February 2004	31 January 2007
Mihailo Petrović	Serbia	1 February 2012	30 July 2017
Maciej Skorża	Poland	10 November 2022	30 December 2023
Per-Mathias Høgmo	Norway	1 January 2024	27 August 2024
Maciej Skorża	Poland	1 September 2024	Current

Images for kids

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  Urawa Red Diamonds logo

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  Urawa Reds players lifting the 2007 AFC Champions League trophy

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  Saitama stadium

See also

In Spanish: Urawa Red Diamonds para niños