Hiroaki Nagashima

2.1. Early Life and Education

Hiroaki Nagashima was born on March 22, 1967, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. His early football development took place during his time at Nihon University High School. He continued his academic and athletic pursuits at Nihon University, where he played for the university's football club from 1985 to 1988, eventually graduating in 1989. After his graduation, at the age of 24, Nagashima took on his first coaching role as a coach for the Nihon University football club. During this period, he resided with the players in the dormitory and was entrusted with full authority over the team due to the frequent absence of the head coach. Under his leadership, the team achieved promotion to the Kanto University League Division 1 in his first year, though they were relegated in his second year. Driven by a strong desire to hone his coaching skills, he made the decision to resign from Nihon University, expressing his intent to "restart coaching from zero."

2.2. Professional Playing Career

After graduating from Nihon University in 1989, Nagashima embarked on a brief professional playing career with Fujita Industries, the predecessor of Shonan Bellmare. He played for the club from 1989 to 1991. Despite being listed on the roster, his recorded appearances in official league matches were minimal, with no league appearances or goals during his tenure in the Japan Soccer League (JSL) First Division (1989-90) or Second Division (1990-91). However, he did make three appearances in the Emperor's Cup during the 1989-90 season. His playing position was primarily a defensive midfielder or defender. Following the 1991 season, Nagashima retired as a player to fully dedicate himself to a career in coaching.

3.1. Early Coaching Positions

Nagashima's early coaching experiences laid the groundwork for his extensive career, focusing on fundamental development across different age groups. Following his departure from Nihon University football club in 1992, he began working as a part-time coach at Kinder Zenko Football Club in Minato Ward, starting in 1993. During this period, current professional player Yuya Tokura was among his trainees. Concurrently, from 1993 to 1995, Nagashima also coached the football club at Ota-ku Kojiya Junior High School, where he guided players aged 4 to 15. In 1994, he returned to his alma mater, Nihon University High School, as a health and physical education instructor and served as the football club's coach for two years, working with players aged 4 to 18. This period saw the team achieve a significant milestone, reaching the Inter-High School National Tournament in 1995. In 1996, Nagashima joined Otsuka Pharmaceutical FC Vortis Tokushima, the precursor to Tokushima Vortis, as a top team coach. From 1997 to 1998, he took on the role of manager for the club's U-15 team.

3.2. Youth Team Coaching

Hiroaki Nagashima's contributions to youth football development are highly regarded, especially during his time at FC Tokyo. From 1999, when FC Tokyo joined the J.League, Nagashima became the manager of FC Tokyo U-15, a position he held until 2002. During this period, he played a pivotal role in developing a generation of talented players who would go on to have professional careers. Notable players who came through his U-15 team include Yohei Kajiyama, Kazuma Yoshimoto, Kenta Mukuhara, Yuichi Maruyama, Shuichi Gonda, Ryotaro Hironaga, Jiro Kamata, Yuta Someya, Yohei Otake, Masaki Miyasaka, Jun Izawa, Shohei Okada, Kota Morimura, Ryotaro Nakano, Soichi Tanaka, and Sho Murata. He was also instrumental in discovering talents such as Hirotaka Mita, Mitsunari Muheki, Kotaro Fujiwara, Yuki Yamamura, Ryota Inoue, Ryota Iwabuchi, and Yuki Miyazawa. Under his guidance, the FC Tokyo U-15 team achieved a runner-up finish in the Japan Club Youth Football Championship (U-15) Tournament in 2001 and secured 6th place in the Nike Premier Cup World Tournament held in Lisbon in 2002.

From 2003 to 2005, Nagashima advanced to manage FC Tokyo U-18, where he continued to prepare young players for professional football. During his tenure, he helped transition players like Yohei Kajiyama, Oh Jang-eun, Tadanari Lee, and Jiro Kamata to the top team. He also coached other notable players including Tomohiko Miyazaki and Satoshi Tokiwa. From 2006 to 2007, Nagashima served as the Deputy Head of FC Tokyo's Youth Development Department. It was during this time that he acquired his JFA S-class coaching license, the highest coaching certification in Japan.

3.3. Senior Team Coaching (Assistant)

Hiroaki Nagashima has had a significant impact as an assistant coach for numerous senior teams, particularly in contributing to their promotions to the J1 League.

In 2008, Nagashima joined Montedio Yamagata as a coach, becoming a trusted assistant to manager Shinji Kobayashi. His responsibilities included youth development, video analysis, and scouting. He was notably involved in the transfer of Yuta Baba to Yamagata, having maintained communication with Baba since his time at FC Tokyo U-18. That year, Montedio Yamagata finished second in the league, earning promotion to J1. From 2009 to 2010, Nagashima served as the head coach, helping the team remain in J1 for two seasons. He departed Montedio Yamagata at the end of 2010 due to the expiration of his contract.

Nagashima returned to FC Tokyo in 2011 as a coach and was promoted to head coach in 2012. He supported manager Ranko Popović and focused on developing players who had limited opportunities, such as Hideato Takahashi, fostering a strong competitive spirit and team unity. His contributions were vital to the team's overall improvement, which led to FC Tokyo winning the J2 League title and gaining promotion to J1 in 2011. They also won the Emperor's Cup that year and reached the quarterfinals of the ACL in 2012.

From 2013 to 2015, Nagashima reunited with Shinji Kobayashi as the head coach of Tokushima Vortis. Their partnership was widely recognized as a "golden combination." Together, they played a crucial role in Tokushima Vortis's first-ever promotion to the J1 League. This achievement marked Nagashima's third J1 promotion as a coach with different teams, underscoring his consistent impact on team success.

After his managerial stint at Tokushima, Nagashima continued his career as a head coach for various clubs. In 2017, he joined FC Gifu as head coach, working alongside manager Takeshi Oki. During his two seasons with FC Gifu, notable players included Etsuo Shoji, Takayuki Fukumura, Daiki Tamori, Koya Kazama, Kyogo Furuhashi, Sisinho, Víctor, Yuya Yamagishi, Daichi Ishikawa, Yoichi Naganuma, and Takuya Shimamura. He departed FC Gifu at the end of the 2018 season.

In 2019, Nagashima served as a coach for Matsumoto Yamaga FC in J1, working under manager Yasuharu Sorimachi and primarily focusing on youth development. However, the team was relegated to J2 at the end of the season, and Nagashima departed alongside Sorimachi.

From 2020 to 2021, he joined Giravanz Kitakyushu as a coach, marking his third collaboration with manager Shinji Kobayashi. His role focused on developing backup players, nurturing young talent, and fostering individual growth. Key players during this period included Disaro Chan Silverno, Shuto Machino, Daigo Takahashi, Sohya Fujiwara, and Jin Ikoma.

In 2022, Nagashima moved to Tokyo Verdy as a coach, having joined on December 21, 2021. His primary responsibility was strengthening the team's defense, and he conducted individual tactical training sessions for defenders such as Hideato Taniguchi, Haruya Baba, and Marei Sako after regular team practice. He left Tokyo Verdy on December 26, 2022.

Immediately after, he rejoined Giravanz Kitakyushu as head coach on December 26, 2022. He then took on an international role from January to May 2024, serving as head coach for Thai League 1 club BG Pathum United FC under manager Makoto Teguramori. During his tenure, the team finished fourth in the league and won the Revo Cup for the first time. As of June 18, 2024, Hiroaki Nagashima is the head coach of Tochigi SC.

3.4. Managerial Role

Hiroaki Nagashima took on his first full managerial role at Tokushima Vortis in 2016, leading the team in the J2 League. He was appointed manager after previously serving as the team's head coach for three seasons under Shinji Kobayashi.

His tenure as manager was characterized by an initial period of tactical experimentation and struggles, which saw the team experience a slump in performance. However, as the season progressed, Nagashima's tactical approach solidified, leading to a significant improvement in both offensive and defensive play during the latter half of the season. This tactical refinement brought about a positive turnaround in the team's form. Despite the improvements, Tokushima Vortis ultimately missed out on a spot in the J1 promotion playoffs. While the club's management acknowledged Nagashima's contributions and efforts throughout the season, his contract was not renewed at the end of 2016. The decision was made in part due to his own wishes to step down and the club's priority to rebuild the team. He finished the season with a record of 16 wins, 9 draws, and 17 losses from 42 league matches.

4.1. Playing Statistics

Hiroaki Nagashima's professional playing career was short, primarily spent with Fujita Industries.

4.2. Managerial and Coaching Statistics

Hiroaki Nagashima's coaching career includes periods as a youth team manager and a senior team manager, alongside extensive work as an assistant and head coach.

Senior Team Managerial Record

Youth Team Managerial Record

Overall Coaching and Managerial Record (across all roles as manager/coach)