Bringing Japan-brand soccer to American uniサッカー留学を支援する株式会社WithYou 代表、中村亮さん

アメリカへのサッカー留学を支援する株式会社WithYouの代表を務める元Jリーガーの中村亮さん。選手引退後、新たな道を模索する中でアメリカに留学したが、言語の壁にぶつかり、なかなか馴染むことができなかったという。転機となったのは大学の授業でサッカーをプレーしたことだった。

For Ryo Nakamura, life has always been about soccer, both on and off the pitch. “I played soccer from a very young age,” says Nakamura, who was once a defender for FC Tokyo. In 2013, he founded WithYou, an organization that connects teenage Japanese soccer players to American universities seeking new talent for their teams. “I started about 10 years ago, when American universities were uninformed about Japanese players. Now, demand for them is sky-high, as coaches value young Japanese talent and Japan-style soccer.”

Nakamura says that as far as soccer is concerned, the environment of U.S. universities far surpasses that of Japan. “American universities groom players for professional careers and also offer full academic support. There are full scholarship programs and special tutorials for the players who don’t speak English. Also, college teams are small and well managed. Players are treated like family. And at the end of the four years, they can walk away with a wealth of real experience and a diploma in their hands.”

And what’s in it for the coaches? “Japanese players bring so much to the pitch. They are polite, cooperative and dedicated team players. They put the welfare of the team first and they’re faster on their feet.” In short, it’s a win-win situation that works for everyone.

Since launching WithYou, Nakamura has forged connections with over 300 American universities and each year, he sends over 100 Japanese students. “Back in the day, I was driving from university to university, pitching my idea of getting young Japanese into U.S. universities. I knocked on doors and met with the coaches in person. No one else was doing that. I guess that in the end, this effort paid off.”

Nakamura had been enamored with American universities since enrolling in Glendale College at the age of 28. It wasn’t because he had a roaring good time there. In fact, the opposite was true. “I couldn’t speak much English and came up against a solid wall of not being able to communicate. I was also older than everyone and studying on my own dime, so I was worried about finances, too.” Things turned around when, during the second semester, Nakamura played soccer during a phys ed class. “I was in my element. The other kids were flabbergasted to see how good I was. The soccer team came over and asked me to sign up. Suddenly, everyone wanted to talk to me. It didn’t matter that my English wasn’t perfect. The entire soccer team became my friends. They had my back and made me feel like I belonged.”

Nakamura himself had been a promising soccer teen. His first solo overseas experience was at a soccer school run by pitch legend Arthur Antunes Coimbra, better known in Japan as “Zico.” Says Nakamura: “I was 14 years old and thrilled to be going to Brazil on my own. The world opened up for me.” By the time he got to university in Kagoshima, a professional career was already mapped out. Upon graduation, he joined FC Tokyo in 2004 and was slated for stardom as a defender with a university degree, which in those days was a rarity.

Unfortunately, Nakamura had an old injury that worsened and he left the J. League in 2005. “After that, I became a phys ed teacher in a junior high school. I had gotten my teaching license while at university because I figured it’s always good to have a backup plan.” Indeed, Nakamura’s vision for second career options was part of the reason he launched WithYou. “Teaching was great, but in all honesty, it wasn’t something I could do for the rest of my life. I also missed soccer even though I could never go back to being a player.”

Nakamura says one of his goals now is to “find an exit plan for the kids that don’t make it to the pros. There are a lot more of them than the kids who sign on with professional teams. So I would like to support their post-player lives, and find opportunities that will deploy both their English skills and athletic prowess, both acquired by going to universities in the U.S.” (Kaori Shoji)

Words to live by