Imabari / Yume Village / New stadium completed in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, creating a space where diverse people gather
Mr. Okada speaking to the audience
Pirate ship motif
◇ Designed by Azusa Sekkei and constructed by Rinkai Nissan Construction and Shikoku Tsuken Joint Venture
A new stadium for soccer J3 FC Imabari, based in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, has been completed. Imabari Yume Village (Imabari City, Representative Director Takeshi Okada), a new stadium construction and management company, has been building Imabari Satoyama Stadium on Takahashi Fureai no Oka in the same city since November 2021. . We have created a space filled with spiritual richness where diverse people gather and bustle 365 days a year. It will continue to grow along with the surrounding trees and greenery. It was designed by Azusa Sekkei and constructed by Rinkai Nissan Construction and Shikoku Tsuken Joint Venture.
The site area is approximately 57,000 square meters. The clubhouse and other main facilities are a four-story S building with a total area of 8,273 square meters. The front row of the spectator seats is about 8 meters away from the pitch and about 30 centimeters high, so you can enjoy watching the match. The motif is a pirate ship anchored at a port in Satoyama. The commentary seats on the top floor are designed in the image of a container loaded on a ship, and the rooms on each floor are designed in the image of a ship's cabin.
A vineyard for wine will be set up around the stadium. A building that houses a welfare facility and a cafe operated by FC Imabari is scheduled to be completed this spring. There are also plans to develop a dog run that will be open only on non-game days. There is also a view hill where you can see the scenery of Shimanami, and the square is scheduled to be covered with rich greenery in late April. Takano Landscape Planning cooperated on the landscape design.
The opening ceremony was held on the 29th, and about 5,000 spectators celebrated the new departure. Imabari Yume Village is a wholly owned subsidiary of Imabari Yume Sports (Imabari City, President Masafumi Yano), the management company of FC Imabari. Mr. Okada, the company's chairman and representative director, said, "This stadium is still incomplete. There are many things we want to do, and we have to grow steadily from now on. Our goal is to put everyone's expectations into action and make them a reality. It is my duty. I would like to ask for your continued support." President Yano expressed his determination, saying, "We are finally setting sail. You are the main characters. We want to create a stadium where everyone can feel the richness of their hearts."
Former Japan representatives Atsuto Uchida, Yoshito Okubo, Keiji Tamada, Yuji Nakazawa, Daisuke Matsui and others appeared in the exhibition match and excited the stadium. After playing, Uchida said, "There are large stadiums in Europe that can hold 70,000 or 80,000 people, but it's hard to find that kind of atmosphere with such a sense of distance. Soccer is something you create together with your supporters. It's a wonderful stadium." rave reviews.
The total project cost is approximately 4 billion yen. The land owned by the city was borrowed free of charge and developed by a private company. The number of spectator seats will start with 5,316 seats, which can be expanded to J2 (10,000 seats) and J1 (15,000 seats). FC Imabari's team slogan for 2011 is "Push forward towards the light". On March 5th, they will face the opening game with Fukushima United FC.
