1. Early life and education
Shigemitsu Egawa was born on January 31, 1966, in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan. He attended Yokkaichi Chuo Kogyo High School from 1981 to 1983, where he played youth football. During his playing career, Egawa stood at 68 in (172 cm) tall and weighed 143 lb (65 kg).
2. Playing career
Shigemitsu Egawa had a professional playing career spanning over a decade, primarily as a midfielder, before transitioning into management. He played for several prominent Japanese clubs and also represented Japan in international futsal.
2.1. Club career
Egawa began his professional club career in 1984 when he joined Honda FC after graduating from high school. He quickly established himself as a regular midfielder for the club. During his time at Honda, the team achieved notable success, securing third place in the Japan Soccer League Division 1 in both the 1985-86 and 1990-91 seasons. He remained with Honda until 1991.
In 1991, Egawa moved to Toyota Motors (which later became Nagoya Grampus Eight), a club that would eventually participate in the newly formed J1 League. Although he continued to play as a regular, his opportunities on the field gradually decreased by 1994.
In 1995, Egawa transferred to Vissel Kobe, then a club in the Japan Football League. He played a crucial role in the team's success, contributing to their second-place finish in 1996, which earned Vissel Kobe promotion to the J1 League. Egawa retired from professional football at the end of the 1997 season.
2.2. International futsal career
In addition to his football career, Egawa also represented Japan in futsal. In 1989, he was selected for the Japan national futsal team to participate in the 1989 FIFA Futsal World Championship held in the Netherlands.
2.3. Club statistics
| Club performance | League | Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Japan | League | Emperor's Cup | J.League Cup | Total | ||||||
| 1984 | Honda | JSL Division 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985-86 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 7 | ||
| 1986-87 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 1 | ||
| 1987-88 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 2 | ||
| 1988-89 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | ||
| 1989-90 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
| 1990-991 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| 1991-92 | Toyota Motors | JSL Division 1 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 2 |
| 1992 | Nagoya Grampus Eight | J1 League | - | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1993 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 32 | 2 | ||
| 1994 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 1995 | Vissel Kobe | Football League | 24 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | 26 | 3 | |
| 1996 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 20 | 1 | |||
| 1997 | J1 League | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 19 | 2 | |
| Total | 218 | 17 | 17 | 2 | 29 | 5 | 264 | 24 | ||
Note: In addition to the above, Egawa also participated in other official competitions:
- 1990 Konica Cup: 6 appearances, 0 goals
- 1991 Konica Cup: 7 appearances, 1 goal
- 1992 Xerox Champions Cup: 2 appearances, 0 goals
3. Coaching career
After his retirement as a player, Shigemitsu Egawa transitioned into a coaching role, managing several clubs and teams.
3.1. Club management
In 2002, Egawa became the manager for Iga FC Kunoichi, a club based in his home Mie Prefecture that competes in the L.League (Japan Women's Football League). He managed the club for four seasons, until 2005. As of August 2020, he is also serving as the coach for the girls' football team at Tsudagakuen High School.
3.2. Managerial statistics
| Year | League | Club | League | Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Matches | Points | Wins | Draws | Losses | League Cup | Empress' Cup | |||
| 2002 | L・West | Iga FC Kunoichi | 4th | 4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | - | Quarter-finals |
| L・Upper | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||||
| 2003 | L・West | 3rd | 10 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 2 | - | Semi-finals | |
| L・Upper | 10 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 4 | |||||
| 2004 | L1 | 4th | 14 | 25 | 8 | 1 | 5 | - | Semi-finals | |
| 2005 | L1 | 3rd | 18 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 8 | - | Quarter-finals | |