Shizuoka Stadium
Encyclopedia
is a sports stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...

 used primarily for football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

. The stadium is in Fukuroi City
Fukuroi, Shizuoka
is a city located in Shizuoka, Japan. As of February 2009, the city had an estimated population of 85,985 and a density of 792 persons per km². The total area is 108.56 km².-Geography:...

, Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, although the stadium itself is merely the centrepiece of the larger Ogasayama Sports Park which extends into neighbouring Kakegawa. The stadium's capacity is 50,889.

Usage

Shizuoka Stadium was opened in 2001 and played host to some matches during the Football World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

 of the following year, including Belgium versus Russia in the group stage (which Belgium won 3-2) and the quarter-final match between Brazil and England, which Brazil won 2-1. It is now the primary venue for major sporting events in Shizuoka Prefecture, including track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

, for which it is fully equipped. Ecopa is the venue for J. League
J. League
The or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese...

 team Júbilo Iwata
Júbilo Iwata
is a professional Japanese association football team currently playing in the J. League Division 1 . The team name Júbilo means 'joy' in Portuguese and Spanish. The team's home town is Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture and they play at Yamaha Stadium...

's more high profile games, including the Shizuoka Derby
Shizuoka Derby
The Shizuoka Derby is a commonly occurring football fixture in Japan. The game takes place between the two professional J. League teams in Shizuoka Prefecture; Shimizu S-Pulse and Júbilo Iwata. The game is usually hosted at Ecopa Stadium, the prefecture's largest sporting venue. In the two 2007...

 versus Shimizu S-Pulse
Shimizu S-Pulse
is a professional Japanese association football club. Located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, S-Pulse currently competes in the J. League Division 1 . Formed as recently as 1991, S-Pulse are one of the youngest professional teams in Japan, but are among only five to have competed in...

 and is also used as a home ground by Shimizu S-Pulse occasionally. It hosted the 2003 58th National Sports Festival of Japan
National Sports Festival of Japan
is the national premier sports event of Japan. The abbreviated name is Kokutai . The 65th National Sports Festival of Japan was held in October 2010 in Chiba Prefecture.- Emperor's Cup and Empress Cup Champions :...

 main stadium.

In recent years Ecopa has also been home to one semifinal match of the Emperor's Cup
Emperor's Cup
, commonly known as or , is a Japanese association football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football tournament in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J. League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, Japan Soccer League...

, sharing the duty with the Kasumigaoka in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, although due to its isolation and the fact that both semifinals are held at the same time, Ecopa usually has less attendance.

Next to the stadium is the indoor Ecopa Arena
Ecopa Arena
Ecopa Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Fukuroi, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 10,000 and was opened in 2001....

 which is used for various performances and shows.

Access

Aino Station
Aino Station (Shizuoka)
is a train station on the Tōkaidō Main Line of Central Japan Railway Company in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is 234.6 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station.- Station history:...

 was constructed at the same time as the stadium and is a fifteen-minute walk from the stadium. Aino Station is four minutes west of Kakegawa Station
Kakegawa Station
is an interchange railway station in Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, Tōkaidō Main Line, and Tenryū-Hamanako Railway. It is located 239.3 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station...

, the nearest Shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...

station to Ecopa. When the stadium is used for J. League or international fixtures, shuttle buses run from Kakegawa station to the stadium.

The walk from Aino Station to the stadium is notable for the sixteen works of art which line the route. These were commissioned to commemorate the 2002 World Cup, with each art piece being designed by an artist from a previous host of the competition.

External links

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