At the start of this month I was looking at Futbology (an app for ground hoppers) when I noticed someone had been to Miyagi Stadium. Not only that but he had actually seen Vegalta Sendai in action rather than Mynavi Sendai Ladies team or Sony Sendai FC * who sometimes play there. I was somewhat surprised as Vegalta play their home games at the Yurtec Stadium but subsequent research told me that new turf was being laid there so home games would be played at Miyagi Stadium until the end of June.

This temporary change of home is probably not ideal for the majority of fans but as someone who has long wanted to visit there it was music to my ears so I splashed out on a Shinkansen (bullet train) to Sendai which being 325 kilometres away made it my furthest ever away day, and of course the most expensive one too!

The reason for my interest was simply the fact that it was one of the stadiums used in the 2002 World Cup which Japan co-hosted with South Korea. Whilst Yurtec Stadium is very centrally located in Sendai city, Miyagi Stadium is a bit of a trek and needs a short train ride from Sendai to Rifu via a change at Iwakiri. That isn’t really a problem but Rifu station is still 3.5 kilometres away from the stadium and there are no shuttle buses. There are some rather expensive ones from Izumichuo for 2500 yen return or for 3000 yen from Sendai station.

Having arrived at Rifu station at about 11am, there were still a couple of hours till kick off so I decided to take the 45-50 minute walk (some local buses do go near the stadium) and perhaps surprisingly I wasn’t the only one as a few dozen others also did likwise as it was a nice sunny day albeit a little windy. It also meant we could see the many bollards lining the street leading in the direction of the stadium. These concrete posts have footballs on top of them and commemorate the stadium’s use for three World Cup games back in 2002.

Rifu station in the background

It hosted a couple of group matches; Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-1 whilst Sweden and Argentina played out a 1-1 draw. The bigger match in these parts was undoubtedly the Round of 16 match where Japan were beaten 1-0 by Turkey to end the home nation’s hopes of progression.

The stadium was also used for six women’s and three men’s football matches at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic games, and that too is mentioned on the aforementioned concrete stumps as well as an information board outside the stadium.

Before going inside though I took a little detour to Gathering Square and Grande 21 Water Tower observation deck but sadly the latter seemed permanently closed. Signs warning of bears and snakes in the area meant I was in no way tempted to sneak in as it did seem possible.

I needn’t have worried about getting my distant shots of the stadium as just a short walk away was another observation deck made of wood that featured a few images of the stadium which opened in March 2000 meaning I was there pretty much 25 years after that occasion.

My interest in this particular stadium was also due to its architecture.

The stadium roof, which covers two-thirds of the seats, is intended to evoke images of legendary warrior and leader Date Musamune’s (the lord of the Sendai Domain) cresecent-moon-bearing helmet which helped to give him a fearsome reputation in the 17th century.

The stadium’s capacity is just under 50,000 but as exepcted it was far from full which never looks too good in pictures when there are thousands of empty seats.

Once I’d taken my seat I decided to check in on Futbology and was really shocked to see that my number one German friend (and fellow Kashiwa Reysol supporter) Benny was there too! We immediately exchanged messages about how and why we were there but sadly we were sat on opposite sides separated by the Vegalta ultras who were in fine voice as kick off approached.

Details of this J2 match will remain as brief as ever with Jubilo Iwata taking the lead on 23 minutes via a penalty which was cooly slotted home.

Belgian winger Jordy Croux steps up …… and scores!!

It got worse for the home side on 38 minutes when a superb glancing header ended up in the top corner. 

Just as half time was approaching I realised I could probably walk round the concourse to meet up with Benny so set off to meet him for a chat. I also got to see the stadium from some different angles in the process. The ultras were sat in the blazing sunshine but my seat in the stands was covered and even a little bit chilly.

Vegalta Sendai were out of the traps quickly in the second half and played well creating many chances but the ball just wouldn’t go in as the Jubilo goal lived a charmed life thanks to a mix of goalkeeper saves, defensive blocks and the frame of the goal.

They eventually got a goal back on 67 minutes with a header from a corner. Game on!

Just three minutes of normal time were left when Vegalta got a deserved equaliser. It’s often said that teams are at their most vulnerable just after scoring, and that was certainly the case here as Jubilo went straight up the other end and snatched victory. However, I was already on my journey back to Rifu station at this point so sadly didn’t see those goals which was a shame but I can live with missing such action these days as needs must, and I just could not afford to miss the 3:30 pm train to Sendai.

Final Score: Vegalta Sendai 2-3 Jubilo Iwata

It was an entertaining match and I’m glad I have ticked this stadium off my bucketlist. I certainly don’t intend to make a habit of such expensive day trips but I may be tempted to do something similar for my final stadium used in the 2002 World Cup. Nine down and one to go. The remaining one is used very irregularly so I may well have to bide my team for visiting Nagai Stadium in Osaka and completing the set.

*  It seems that Sony Sendai FC were withdrawn from the JFL (4th tier) by the Sony Group at the end of last year, after 56 years of existence.

Click here to read ‘Return To Sendai…But This Time To See A Live Match & Not Just The Stadium!’

Click here to read ‘An Away Day Trip of Note to One of My Bucketlist Japanese Stadiums’

Click here to read ‘Watching Football In Niigata At The Stadium Used In The 2002 FIFA World Cup’

Click here to read ‘TF Flashback: World Cup Museum & Stadium Tour In Seoul (2006)’