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Football: Wherever it may be

~ Laurence's football travels

Football: Wherever it may be

Daily Archives: December 20, 2011

The Big Day at the Big Arch

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by laurencereade in H

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cerezo osaka, Football, groundhopping, J-League, Japan, sanfrecce hiroshima

Sunday 10th July 2011 ko 7.04pm

J-League Division One

SANFRECCE HIROSHIMA 1 (Lee 2) K Morisaki sent off 42

CEREZO OSAKA 3 (Kurata 33 Kiyotake 49 Komatsu 51)

Att 11,615

Entry & Programme 2,000 yen

Towel Scarf 1,575 yen

Badge (from vending machine) 200 yen

Coach ticket 8,000 yen

From Cerezo Stall

Towel Scarf 1,575 yen

Badge 635 yen

This day, a Sunday was for me at least, more than just a football trip, it also was about learning a lot about the country and its culture.

The coach left Osaka at around 10am, and I was pleased that it was a bright pink affair with the club mascot, the wolf embrazoned on it too. A volunteer took payment of 10,000 yen via a portable credit card device, and your payment included a ticket for the away end. The coach was air conditioned and spacious, and the Cerezo fans were rather fascinated by the new Gaijin, especially when Peter told them just how much football I watch!. And elderly couple practised their English on me which they’d picked up during the American occupation from watching “Bonanza.” Another elderly lady presented everyone with beautiful leaflets for the game. A real collectors item!

We stopped at service stations twice each way, and the meals available were both cheap and tasty. I also enjoyed the ice cream stalls!

For a 7.04pm kick off we arrived by British standards stupidly early, around 4.30 pm. That’s because the culture is to reserve your place by placing your bag on your chosen seat (it’s perfectly safe to do so), then go for a meal, and generally relax. Pete and I decided to explore. We soon discovered that there are 3 stadia, two smaller ones that seemed barely used and a sports field where hundreds of children were playing in a tournament. Make no mistake, the future of the Japanese game is rosy.

We made our way to the the stadium, and bought our goodies, and I took advantage of the fact that as a courtesy the away team is allowed to set up a stall. I watched the lady who’s practised her English with me, take her Cerezo-pink bicycle from the boot of the coach, and cycle up to the ground from the car park. It transpired she isn’t too fleet of foot these days so this arrangement allows her to see away games. It is a matter of course that she was able to leave the bike unattended by the away end.

The stadium is genuinely iconic (it must be, the amount of photos I took!), but I do wonder how practical it is. For a ground featured in the World Cup it does have a running track, and I do wonder how much cover the Big Arch actually provides. There was no way of knowing as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was 35 degrees! I found both sets of fans sitting happily together enjoying the catering so I joined them.

The two team buses arrived rather ceremonially, and I settled down for my first view of Peter’s favourite team. And it didn’t start well either, Tananari Lee stabbing home following a defensive howler with only 90 seconds on the clock!

The turning point was unquestionably the dismissal of Koji Morisaki on 42 minutes. It looked a little harsh, particularly the first booking, but Cerezo took full advantage and in the end won comfortably.

We strolled back to the coach early enough to watch the sets of fans waving each other goodbye as friendly as could be, and then were handed a complimentary beer to start the long drive home. We reached Osaka at 2.30am and I was on the 6.28am Shinkansen to Tokyo……

This day so far I feel represents the absolute zenith of my groundhopping career. It will take some matching!

The volunteer selling tickets from his bike
Peter Grant and friend
Fans’ coach

A club official gives the team news (injury problems)
Enjoying a green tea flavoured ice cream
Just so you know!

You get a lot of this in Japan. A plastic model of a foodstuff for sale. I found these models handy in restaurants- apart from the one where the noodles turned out to be spaghetti! Try eating that with chopsticks!


Love this

The main stadium, at the back the 2 satellite stadia, and a massive childrens’ tournament in front of those
Hand cleansing lotion for the fastidious

Rival fans eat and chat quite happily

I few a few versions of this for other teams, eg Vissel Kobe
Inui was later sold to German side Bochum

90 seconds in and SanFrecce celebrate the opening goal

Cerezo fans celebrate in front of the big arch
The lady and her bicycle

Those beautiful leaflets

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Empty Vissels

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by laurencereade in K

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Football, Home's Stadium, J-League, Japan, Nagoya Grampus, Vissel Kobe, Wings Stadium

Saturday 9th July 2011 ko 7.00pm

J-League Divsion One

VISSEL KOBE 0

NAGOYA GRAMPUS 1 (N Nakamura 84)

Att 17,568

Entry & Programme  2,500 yen

Towel Scarf 1,500 yen

Badge 760 yen

After a happy day’s sightseeing in Kobe, I took the subway out to the suburbs to the Home’s Stadium (and yes the apostrophe is in the correct place!). The ground used to be called the Wings stadium during its stint as a World Cup venue, as the extended stands behind each goal stuck out from the curved stands. Since then they’ve been truncated to allow a retractable roof and air conditioning to be installed.

It was slightly daunting getting a ticket as everyone seemed to be in queue for something! There seemed to be a wide disparity between the cheapest and most expensive seats, so I did the simple thing and bought a cheap ticket for behind the goal, in the home end. It was obvious even at this early stage that there was no possibility of any trouble. In fact both sets of fans were happily mingling, sat together eating something from the wide range of cuisine on offer.

I headed round to the home end, and discovered not only were the programmes free, you could take as many as you wanted! Since the seats were not reserved I found a reasonable seat and discovered a paper banner as the fans were to do a mass display when the teams came out. It had the words to most of the chants on the back. The lyrics were in Japanese,  but thoughtfully the tune to sing it to was printed in english! That revealed that one song would be to the tune, “River Kwai March!”

And this will be my abiding memory of football in Japan. Friendly, courteous clubs and fans, but once the game starts, the fans go bananas! Cheerleaders with megaphones whip the fans up into a frenzy. But for all of that, its always positive, and at the end of the match, they cheer the team, win or lose. After that tidy up the litter, fold up the flags and quietly go home.

And on this occasion the Vissel fans had plenty to complain about. They could and should have won this easily. However they conspired to miss chance after chance, and were made to pay when Naoshi Nakumura’s 25 yard dipping volley stunned the crowd. It was all a little too late for Vissel ( an amalgam of Vessel for Victory by the way) and it all ended rather tamely. The Nagoya fans (the Eight bit has been dropped, but it remains on the badge), went wide, for it was a great victory for them.


I was in the middle of this!




This is it!

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by laurencereade in K

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Tags

Football, groundhopping, Honda, Japan Football League, Kanazawa, Ryokuchi, Zweigen

Friday 8th July 2011 ko 7.00pm

Japan Football League

ZWEIGEN KANAZAWA 1 (James 40)

HONDA FC 0

Att 1,658

Entry, Fan, and Programme 1,500 yen

Badges 1,500 yen

Stickers 800 yen

Towel Scarf 1,200 yen

In many ways this day was the perfect day for a groundhopper like me. The day was spent visiting Kanazawa Castle and the Kenrokuen gardens. That was followed by a thorough wash and shave in a public baths, and after 35 degree heat and 90% humidity trust me you need it, a trip to see a 7.00pm kick off.

I should explain the Japanese pyramid. Top is the J-League First Division, then the second division, and the JFL is the 3rd and last national tier. Below you get the regional leagues followed by the prefectoral ones. More of those…. later!

The Ishikawa Seibu Ryokuchi Stadium is conveniently placed in a park right by the main freeway, and is adjacent to another impressive stadium. It’s far too big for Kanazawa’s needs being the largest in the JFL but the club do their best to make it feel homely. The German Zwei, or two is a reference to the fact that this is the second Kanazawa team to try to make it big. If simply being friendly and well-organised is a guide, then they’ll have no problems.

Ah yes, that teamsheet. Usual thing, I asked for the lineups, and the next thing is I’m handed a pass and a media guide. Quite a souvenir!

The game was a fair summary of my take on the Japanese game throughout my stay. Some sublime passing and individual skill, but sometimes rather naiive, and just about every team needs a 30 goal a season striker.

This was a highly entertaining game, and I was pleased to pick up my first towel scarf. That’s an interesting Japanese take on the football staple. If you’re going to watch a game in the heat, why would you want something woollen? Zweigen have ambitions for elevation to the J-League 2 whilst the visitors as a works team are forbidden from any further promotions. They could simply divest themselves of the works link, as many other teams have, or just accept their fate.

But the abiding memory will be just how well organised and friendly it all was. With the game still clearly learning, this was something more established footballing nations can learn from the Japanese.


Kanazawa mascot



Picture by Peter Grant

Three Stadia and a botanical garden!

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by laurencereade in M, N, O

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Football, goals, groundhopping, Japan, Japan University Football Association, Meiji, Nagai, Number 2 Stadium, Osaka, Prime Minister Cup, Taiiko

With me just out of hospital after stomach surgery I’d thought I’d put some stuff on July’s Japanese tour. As usual it’s as much about the people and the places as it is about the football, as it should be. Enjoy, and I hope to be back on the road soon.

Thursday 7th July 2011 ko 2.00pm

Japan University Football Association Prime Minister Cup Semi Final

MEIJI 1 (Iwabuchi 73)

OSAKA TAIIKO 1 (Matzuzawa 19)

AET  Osaka won 4-3 pens

Att c150

@ Nagai Number 2 Stadium, Osaka

Entry, Programme and Teamsheet 1000 yen (about £8.50)

Nagai Park is southern Osaka is quite something. There’s the massive Number 1 stadium, used in the World Cup, the 20,000 Kincho, and the 10,000 Number 2 all within 100 yards. Potentially an easy triple, and there’s the Botanical gardens too! Continue reading →

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