Stepping off the train we were greeted with a banner welcoming the FC Ryukyu fans. Walking through the arcade leading to the stadium while dressed in the FC Ryukyu colors was certainly enjoyable and luckily we were not hassled along the way. The Omiya fans we did encounter we either kind enough to say hi or just mind their own business and carry on to the stadium.
We arrived at the stadium about an hour and forty-five minutes prior to kickoff and what a beautiful stadium in Omiya. The stadium itself sits right in the heart of a residential area and the most redeeming quality is the proximity of the stands to the pitch. I have sat in stadiums throughout Asia with a similar set up and I must say that the experience in these types of stadiums is second to none. Personally, I hope FC Ryukyu could copy this model as a Football only stadium and not a multi-purpose venue if they are ever to consider building a stadium in the future.
Upon entry I was pleased to see the head of the supporters’ club, and my good friend, Hiro along with dozens of FC Ryukyu fans from “mainland Japan”. I was also joined by my good friend who was a season ticket holder with me in Okinawa before he relocated to the Kanto area for work last year (Which means he missed watching FC Ryukyu win the J3!).
We quickly hung our FC Ryukyu flags next to so many others and just began to enjoy the company and stories from the fans in our section. Now that FC Ryukyu has been promoted to the J2 the stadiums separate the visiting fans with their own seating section, gate entrance, food stands and bathrooms. For those attending games in visiting stadiums the entry gate will be printed on the ticket.
We did our best to meet and greet so many people in our section despite my inability to speak Japanese. I will provide the match recap in a different blog but safe to say it was a memorable experience.
When it was time to head back to the station and depart mainland I truly enjoyed the walk back through the surrounding area and arcade that greeted us when we arrived. It goes without saying that it feels much better to have achieved a favorable result when exiting the home town team’s stadium as you stroll past all the opposing teams supporters. None of the opposing teams fans said anything that could be construed as derogatory, but then again I wouldn’t understand if they did. We left with our heads held high and excited about what the future holds for this club.
ryukyuarmy.com 