Expert Yutaka Ikeuchi becomes the technical advisor and supervisor for the Vietnam U17 national team
On February 12, 2025, the Vietnam Football Federation officially signed a contract with Japanese expert Yutaka Ikeuchi to serve as the technical advisor and supervisor for the Vietnam U17 national team, participating in the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2025.
17/02/2025 16:52:06
Mr. Yutaka Ikeuchi was born in 1961 in Aichi, Japan. After graduating from Aichi High School in 1980, he began his football career at Toyota Industries Football Club. From 1980 to 1996, he played for Fujita Football Club (Shonan Bellmare) and was also a member of the Japan national team from 1981 to 1985. Prior to that, he was part of the Japan National High School Selection team and the Japan U-20 national team.
After ending his playing career, Mr. Ikeuchi transitioned into coaching and has made significant contributions to Japanese football. He has served as the head coach of Fujita Women’s Football Club, coached the youth and junior teams at Nagoya Grampus Eight, and also held the position of head coach for the first team at Nagoya Grampus Eight. Additionally, he was the CEO of Monolith Football Club.
From 2003 to 2023, Mr. Ikeuchi was an instructor for the Japan Football Association (JFA) and contributed to the training of many generations of young players. He also held the position of Director of the JFA Men’s Football Academy and served as the head coach of Japan’s U15, U16, and U17 national teams. Most recently, he was the head coach of the JFA Fukushima U15 academy team and the director of Wyvern Football Club.
Mr. Ikeuchi holds an “S” coaching license from the Japan Football Association (JFA) and has held several key positions within the JFA, including coach of the Tokai JFA region, Deputy Director of Youth Development, and Director of Youth Development. He has also been a member of the JFA Technical Committee and the Women’s Football Committee. With over 20 years of teaching experience, Mr. Ikeuchi has trained multiple generations of young players and served as an instructor for the JFA’s C, B, B, A, and “S” (Pro) coaching courses. He has also been an instructor for the JFA’s U15 A-level course.
With the decision to appoint Yutaka Ikeuchi as the technical advisor and supervisor for the Vietnam U17 national team, the Vietnam Football Federation hopes that the Japanese strategist will collaborate with the U17 Vietnam coaching staff to develop advanced training methods and achieve good results at the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2025. This tournament offers the U17 Vietnam team a chance to compete for a spot in the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup, especially after FIFA decided to increase the number of participating teams from 24 to 48, with Asia securing 8 spots.
According to the schedule, the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2025 will take place from April 3 to April 20, 2025, in Saudi Arabia. Based on the draw results, the Vietnam U17 national team faces a significant challenge as they are placed in a group with defending champions Japan, Australia – a team that has reached the semifinals three times – and the UAE, a team ranked in the fourth seed but has been in good form recently.
To prepare for the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2025, the Vietnam U17 national team is expected to begin their training camp in early March.
