In recent years, Kyoto Sanga (2020) and Gamba Osaka (2015) have moved into new and modern football-only stadiums thereby joining the likes of Kashiwa Reysol, Shimizu S-Pulse, Nagoya Grampus, Vissel Kobe, Avispa Fukuoka, Kashima Antlers and Cerzeo Osaka who don’t have pitches with athletics tracks surrounding them. One more top-flight club recently ditched their far-flung ground in favour of a centrally-located stadium and last weekend I watched a match there for the first time.

The latest side to move away from the municipal style all-sports stadia was Sanfrecce Hiroshima who began life at their new home at the start of the 2024 season. The splendour that is Edion Peace Wing sits on the bank of the river running through the city centre.

Annoyingly, Sanfrecce don’t use the same ticketing websites for selling tickets as all the other J1 League teams. They have their own system which in true Japanese-fashion is really not easy to register for, and by the time they’ve gone on general sale they’ve sold out. That happened back in August last year (although I did actually visit the stadium), and lightning struck twice as I failed to get a ticket for earlier this month against Avispa Fukuoka.

The only photo in this post that was taken in August 2024

It must be great to have a full stadium for their matches but maybe they could have made it a bit bigger to allow for more growth. 25,000 seats just isn’t enough although I guess the designers were playing safe given that their previous stadium, which I visited almost ten years ago to the day, held nearly 37,000 people.

I may have failed in my original quest to see the men but luckily the women’s team were playing there just 24 hours later on Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you!!) and ticket reservations were not necessary at all. The stadium’s just a stone’s throw from Hiroshima-jo Castle and such a city-centre location really must help to put a lot more bums-on-seats.

First impressions inside were very positive and the Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina fans were in fine voice as I joined them behind the goal. This was by far the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced at a women’s match, and the guy with the megaphone did a fine job of leading the fans behind him (a common sight at most Japanese stadia) in a medley of typical football chants and songs throughout the afternoon whilst some big flags were waved.

Even though I do own a Sanfrecce top I’m not so keen on wearing the shirt of rival teams even when the gender is different. I occasionally give in for the sake of my mates at Urawa Reds and Tokyo Verdy though but for this match I felt my classic Fiorentina away shirt from the early 1990s was close enough in colour.

This was actually my first women’s match of the year which is quite late for me as I’ve usually attended a game or three by the time May comes around. In fact the last women’s match I saw was the Empress’s Cup Final at Japan National Stadium in late December where Hiroshima Regina were the victors.

On paper this looked like a home win was highly likely but football isn’t played on paper, and Nojima Stella pounced on an early mistake to take the lead.

There was a guard of honour for 41 year old Yukari Kinga on 56 minutes as she bowed out of the game after a 23 year career. Such in-game ceremonies have grown in popularity in recent years and it seems like they are here to stay.

Good chances were few and far between but it was still a reasonably entertaining game (more so for the atmosphere maybe!) and the home side deservedly got an equaliser on 70 minutes, and it was one hell of a swerving shot from outside the box by defender Hana Shimada. The ubiquitous ‘Seven Nation Army‘ blasted out of the sound system within seconds of it hitting the back of the net which is one tune I just never tire of hearing despite its widespread use at sports stadiums around the world.

It was a fantastic turnout of nearly 12,000 people on a sunny day in the Golden Week holiday which was even more impressive when both Hiroshima Carp (baseball) and Hirsohima Dragonflies (basketball) were playing at home at the same time.

Final Score: Sanfrecce Hiroshima Regina 1-1 Nojima Stella

Click here to read ‘The 1st Ever League Clash Between These Local Rivals In Japan Actually Deserves To Be Called A Derby!’

Click here to read ‘My Furthest Away Day Trip At A Rather Inconveniently Located Former World Cup Stadium’

Click here to read ‘TF Top 12……Football Match Day Experiences In 2024 (Part 3)’

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Grounds I Watched Football At For The 1st Time In 2024’