Stadium
Main articles: Nihondaira Sports Stadium, Shizuoka "Ecopa" Stadium
S-Pulse's home arena is the Nihondaira Sports Stadium located in Shimizu, with a capacity of 20,339. However, over their J. League history S-Pulse have, for various reasons such as construction works to enlarge Nihondaira, staged home games at a number of different sports grounds. These include the local Kusanagi Sports Ground and, more further afield, the National Stadium in Tokyo. "Home" games held in Tokyo rarely failed to attract crowds above and beyond what could have been accommodated at Nihondaira, nor did results proved especially favourable. At the start of 2007 in was announced all home games for the upcoming season would be staged at Nihondaira for the first time since 1999. This was a decision repeated for 2008, although for the 2009 season Ecopa will once again be used as a home venue for at least one game.
The most common reason for moving games is the restrictively low capacity of Nihondaira. This has often led the club to stage fixtures against neighbouring Júbilo Iwata and other high profile clashes, at Shizuoka "Ecopa" Stadium. This stadium was built in 2001 for the following year's World Cup and has a capacity of 51,349. Despite still being in Shizuoka Prefecture, Ecopa is over an hour's travel from Shimizu, deep within the Jubilo catchment area. For such a fiercely contested derby, much of the home advantage is lost; a factor which contributed in part to the staging of the 2007 derby at Nihondaira despite demand for tickets far outstripping supply. The decision paid off with a home victory.
In October 2008 it was announced that naming rights would be sold for Nihondaira Stadium. In late November 2008 a deal was announced which would rename the stadium Outsourcing Stadium Nihondaira. The contract will run for four years starting from the 2009 season, and would be worth 90 000 000 per year. After filling Nihondaira on average over 81% for league games in 2008, in November of the same year the club expressed its desire for the ground, which is owned by Shizuoka City, to have its capacity expanded.
Located near the famous Miho no Matsubara, are S-Pulse's main training facilities. Named Miho Ground, in addition to player training sessions, it is also the venue for most Satellite League matches. Training sessions are open to the public for autograph hunters. The Miho Ground has also housed the club offices since the clubs foundation.
Read more about this topic: Shimizu S-Pulse
Famous quotes containing the word stadium:
“In their eyes I have seen
the pin men of madness in marathon trim
race round the track of the stadium pupil.”
—Patricia K. Page (b. 1916)
“The final upshot of thinking is the exercise of volition, and of this thought no longer forms a part; but belief is only a stadium of mental action, an effect upon our nature due to thought, which will influence future thinking.”
—Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914)
“It’s no accident that of all the monuments left of the Greco- Roman culture the biggest is the ballpark, the Colosseum, the Yankee Stadium of ancient times.”
—Walter Wellesley (Red)