Hideaki Ueno

2.1. Birth and Background

Hideaki Ueno was born on May 31, 1981, in Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan. His early life was rooted in this region, where he began his football journey.

2.2. Youth Club Activity

Ueno's youth football career included playing for Muroran City Tsurugasaki Junior High School from 1994 to 1996. He then attended Muroran Ohtani High School from 1997 to 1999. During his third year at Muroran Ohtani, he participated in the 78th National High School Soccer Championship. Despite his team conceding four goals and being eliminated in the first round, Ueno's exceptional performance earned him the title of the best goalkeeper of the tournament that year, highlighting his significant talent among high school-level goalkeepers at the time. In 1999, he was also designated as a strengthened designated player for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, although he did not make any official appearances for the club under this status.

3.1. Kyoto Sanga FC

After graduating from high school in 2000, Ueno joined Kyoto Purple Sanga (which later became Kyoto Sanga FC), a club in the J1 League. During his initial years at Kyoto, playing opportunities were scarce, as he was behind experienced goalkeepers like former Japan national team player Shigetatsu Matsunaga and Naohito Hirai. He made his J1 League debut but only accumulated a few appearances in the league over his first few seasons. In 2001, while Kyoto was in the J2 League, he played in four Emperor's Cup matches. After returning to J1, he made four league appearances in 2002 and two in 2003.

3.2. Sanfrecce Hiroshima

In June 2004, Ueno moved to Sanfrecce Hiroshima on a loan deal. This move was partly due to an injury to goalkeeper Takuto Hayashi, which had thinned Sanfrecce Hiroshima's goalkeeping squad. However, during his time at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, which lasted until the end of the 2005 season, Ueno faced strong competition from Takashi Shimoda and did not make any official appearances in either the J1 League or the J.League Cup. After his loan spell concluded, he returned to Kyoto Sanga FC for the 2006 season.

3.3. Tokushima Vortis

Upon his return to Kyoto, Ueno found himself in a similar situation, with limited playing time. In 2007, he served as a regular goalkeeper until May in the J2 League, making 16 appearances, but after that, his opportunities decreased again. By 2008, with the arrival of Yuichi Mizutani from Kashiwa Reysol, Ueno was often relegated from even the bench.

Seeking more playing time, Ueno made a permanent transfer to J2 club Tokushima Vortis in 2009. At Tokushima, he successfully competed for the starting position with fellow new signings Daijiro Takakuwa and Yu Hino. He established himself as the regular goalkeeper and played every minute of all 51 league matches that season. However, in 2010, even after Takakuwa's retirement, Ueno's playing opportunities again decreased, as he often yielded his position to Hino. In 2011, with Hino's departure, new goalkeepers Tatsuya Enomoto and Oh Seung-hoon joined and rose to prominence, resulting in Ueno making no appearances during that season. He ultimately retired from professional football at the end of the 2011 season.

3.4. Youth National Team Career

Hideaki Ueno also represented Japan at the youth international level. He was a member of the Japan U-21 national team in 2002 and the Japan U-22 national team in 2003, gaining valuable experience in international competitions during these periods.

5.1. Coaching Career

Ueno began his coaching journey immediately after retiring, joining Tokushima Vortis as an academy coach. His roles within the Tokushima Vortis academy evolved over several years:

• 2012-2013:** Academy School Coach
• 2014:** Academy Goalkeeper Coach
• 2015-2016:** Academy Youth Goalkeeper Coach

In 2017, Ueno moved to Cerezo Osaka, continuing his work in goalkeeper development. His tenure at Cerezo Osaka has seen him take on increasing responsibilities:

• 2017-2020:** Academy Goalkeeper Coach
• 2021-Present:** Academy Goalkeeper Coach Leader