Soccer has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My father played briefly for Eastern Michigan University, and continued playing for years after I was born. I have many fond memories of watching his indoor soccer team play, and being fascinated by the sport. Eventually, when I was old enough to play, he enrolled me in a community league. Despite my fascination with the sport, I never had the opportunity to watch a professional soccer game in person. There wasn’t a professional team near where I grew up, and by the time that Detroit City FC became a professional team, I was in high school.

Japanese soccer has been something I’ve grown more interested in as my Japanese studies have progressed. The moment I found out that I was accepted into the JCMU Summer Language program, I knew that I wanted to find a local team and watch a game. That is when I found out about Reilac Shiga. The team plays all over Shiga, but has recently made Hato Stadium in Hikone their home. I went to the one match that was played at Hato Stadium when I was at JCMU during my stay, which was against Okinawa SV.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I had not been to a professional soccer match before, but I was not expecting the experience that I had. For starters, the tickets were an incredible value, at 1500 yen. Surrounding the stadium was a sea of food trucks, and I was shocked to see a Ukranian one as well. Even though I showed up to the stadium half an hour early, the Reilac fans were already drumming and chanting, while Hikonyan wandered around the pitch.

Soccer can sometimes be a sport that drags on for so long while fans wait for the game to become interesting, but 25 minutes into the game, Okinawa’s Matsushita Daisuke was given a red card after pushing a Reilac player to the ground, preventing a chance at a goal. This meant that for more than an hour, Reilac would have an extra player on the field. They would capitalize on it soon after, as on the ensuing free kick, Kubota Kazune scored! Goals from free kicks are rare, so it was incredible to watch one in person.

After the whistle blew for half time, I decided to walk around the stadium for a moment, and take in the atmosphere. I ended up having a conversation with one of the Reilac fans in the ultras section. The fans that watch the matches in this area are superfans. Some bang drums for the whole match, some lead chants, and one was dressed as a ninja.

The second half was a much slower one, as Reilac both had the lead, as well as one more player on the field. That is, until the 74th minute, when Aoto Kakeru tied the game with a beautiful shot. While it was sad to not see a Reilac win, it was such a fun experience that I can’t recommend enough. If you want to watch a game, but can’t make it, the team livestreams all of their games on the Reilac Shiga FC YouTube channel.