Australian QB Jared Stegman set to lead Japan’s Asahi Beer Silver Star

Stegman’s image of Japanese football being high level was reinforced when he played for Australia at the 2015 IFAF World Championship in Canton, Ohio – a tournament in which he threw for a record four touchdowns in a 47-6  opening game victory against South Korea. Australia ended up finishing fifth overall.

Asked about the Japanese team, which finished as runner-up to host nation United States, he replies:

“First impression was the speed. They’re just so quick and fast. I think a lot of people know that the Japanese are very disciplined, and that shows itself on the field. Everyone knows their assignments, execution is always right. It was good to watch them, actually.”

New teammate and Asahi Beer top receiver Yuta Hayashi was on that Japanese team, and recalled the Australian squad.

“Even though they were not that strong, they know the game,” Hayashi said. “Japan has many people with high skills, and if he absorbs that – he’s already a good athlete – he will definitely get better.”

Perhaps more surprising than finding a quarterback from Down Under is the fact that Stegman is a self-taught one, having only received some tips along with the way.

“My most influential coach was the national team coach,” Stegman says. “The problem with that is Australia is so big, it’s so hard to coordinate everyone into one space. I think I’ve had three camps with him over six years, but those camps are just so vital. He really taught me how to read the game, and keying defenders. Before that, I was just looking at the open space and looking at my receivers. He taught me a lot, and I was able to take that back home and refine it myself.”

Getting into the Game

So how does the son of a rugby journalist, in a hemisphere where the British ball game is far more popular, even get interested in the American sport?

“It started by playing Madden, the video game,” Stegman says with a smile. “I just thought, ‘I’m pretty good at this game, I’m going to try it.'”

He was also influenced by his best friend at the time, a Canadian. Stegman relates the story of how his friend had a commemorative football on a mantelpiece that was off-limits, but Stegman desperately wanted to try throwing.

“We had this agreement, if the Seahawks play the Patriots in the Super Bowl, we could throw it at halftime. So finally they did it, and we got to do it.”

The two would toss around a football in the park during their high school days at Marist College Ashgrove, a Catholic boys school in the Brisbane suburbs. It was then that Stegman, who was also playing basketball at the time, made up his mind.

“Basically, I was like, I can do this in real life, I think. There was a team starting up near my home, so it was the logical choice.”

Stegman joined the local club team, where he played one year on the junior squad (14 to 18 year olds). He showed promise early on, and was invited to play on the senior team, which is where he got his first introduction to the perils of outsized competition.

“It was the biggest hit I’ve ever taken, like a blindside hit,” he recalls with a wince. “On junior level, I could just chill back there. But I just felt this helmet in my back. I just got thoroughly smacked, and I remember it to this day.”

Stegman also had to tackle questions back home about his choice of a new sport.

“It’s usually, ‘There’s football here?’, Stegman said of the typical reaction. “To be honest, everyone knew that I was a sporty person. I played so many different sports – basketball, rugby, cricket, soccer as a youngster. There were four terms, each term a different sport. I played rugby outside of school for a club team.”

While Stegman’s athleticism was never in doubt, he was realistic enough to know that he would never reach the highest level in rugby, one of Australia’s most popular sports. That also helped steer him toward football.

“To be honest, I always thought of myself as not the highest level of athlete,” he says. “I’ve always been realistic, and I didn’t think I had that shot. That’s kind of why I went with football. The competition in rugby is just so elite. I didn’t have the doors open for me in that sport. I just kept going in football and had some success.”

Stegman would have liked to have experienced playing college football in the United States, where games at major schools can pack in over 50,000 fans. But he needed to be a national team member to be eligible, and that did not happen until he was 21, when he also suffered the first of two ACL injuries.

“I might have had a chance, maybe if I didn’t do that,” he says. “By that time, I had almost graduated university, all of my eligibility had been soaked up by that. Then when you get paid overseas, your eligibility is gone.”

Coming to Japan, Stegman will have one obstacle to overcome besides reading defensive schemes and avoiding blitzing linebackers. Just as other imported quarterbacks have done, he needs to get past the language barrier to establish lines of communication with his teammates.

“It is really tough, to be honest,” he says. “In terms of communication on the field, that has been a bit of an issue. For example, the Japanese players will get the information for what the play is; they can mentally rehearse, which is vital. I’m getting it just as the snap’s coming. I feel it’s a bit of a burden, but I just have to do it anyway.”

Hayashi, however, says it has not been such a problem.

“Before, Mason was here,” he says. “So in terms of communicating with a foreigner, Jared is starting to learn Japanese, and we know some English words to be understood. So we can communicate. He’s working hard to get in sync with Japanese football, so it’s easy to work with him.”

Arima says Stegman’s personality and work ethic fits in well with Japan.

“He is very diligent,” Arima says. “He studies the game. He knows what’s needed to live in Japan and play football and work. For example, every time he comes here on time, not late. At business meetings, every time he is on time. Some American players are always late. He is not American.”

As the X-League is semipro, Stegman has to have a job outside of the Silver Star, which is a club team and cannot provide him with one. When he isn’t checking out defenses, he will be checking in travelers as a hotel receptionist is Nihonbashi in Tokyo.

Although no fan of the commuter train he takes to his job and Asahi Beer’s practices (the team uses the Kawasaki stadium for training), he is ready to enjoy the benefits of life here.

“The best thing obviously is the food. I love Japanese food. The fact that it is so cheap here is just amazing.”

There is also the prospect of being closer to his parents, at least in comparison with playing in Europe.

“Mom loves it because it would be easier to see me. She loves Japan and my sister loves Japan, so they’re really excited. My dad as a rugby journalist, he knew what kind of set up was here, he’s excited for me.”

For now, Stegman is excited about putting his skills to the test at a higher level.

“I’m still improving my game. I’m trying to take it as far as I can. Football to me is a personal endeavor. I’m passionate about it. I’m trying to take my game to the highest it can go.”

Speaking next to the Silver Star clubhouse a flare pass away from the stadium, Stegman reminisces on how far he has already come, culminated by difference in facilities.

“Coming from some of the fields that we play on back home, to have this as our practice field, I see this as just a luxury,” he says. “I don’t take it for granted. I love the fact that the players will come off and turn around and bow to the field. That’s amazing.”

It’s an appreciation the kangaroos never seemed to show.