When the Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake struck in October 2004, all the players stood up to help, and this lead us to host charity auction in November. Current and former players including Junichi Inamoto and Daisuke Matsui who are now playing overseas offered their items such as shoes and uniforms, and it counted up to 173. 11,510,621 from this auction was donated by the hands of the players of Albirex Niigata, and we also donated 1,000,000 from our association.
■Ashinaga P Walk
Since it first started, we have supported Ashinaga by participating in Ashinaga P-walk, a charity walk hosted by Ashinaga. Although it is quite difficult for the tightly-scheduled players to participate, since the 11th walk in which 380 players gathered together, we continue our support by walking along or offering items of the players.
Ashinaga P Walk
■Publication
Many people and even soccer fans may not know all the activities that players are involved outside the stadium. We published the book “The Gift of Soccer” in 2004 to introduce some of those voluntary activities hosted by players including the famous ‘School Visit’ by Kazuyoshi Miura. All the stories will surely touch your heart.
