With all the recent news of FC Ryukyu applying for their J1 license, I thought it would be a great time to get some ideas out there for the new stadium. According to what I could find on the internet, FC Ryukyu had plans as early as 2017 to relocate to the Naha area of Okinawa and into a Football only stadium inside a much larger sports/recreational complex.  The stadium itself was supposed to be a “J1 ready,” 20,000 seat venue, at a cost of around 17 Billion Yen. It was (is?) to be called the Okutakeyama Park Athletics Stadium in Naha City and it was also planned to host Olympics and rugby in the Okinawa Prefecture with aims of opening in 2023.

Well there were some delays, mostly associated with funding, and that project was put on hold. But it is now once again in the forefront and gaining some serious momentum after last weeks revelation that the club will be applying for the J1 license. With that in mind, let’s look at some of those aspects that make a football stadium great with the hopes that this blog comes across the architects’ desk! (Probably not but we can try). I also must give a ton of credit to Mr. Tom Jones, not the singer, for outlining most of these points.

1. The Golden Rule for all Football Stadiums: Get the Front Row of seats as close to the pitch as possible.

I have been in several football stadiums here in Japan, in Korea, in Europe and of course in the U.S.A. for American Football. I have seen both the good and the bad for stadiums and the one thing I can honestly say that I don’t like about Jleague football is; that fans are too far from the pitch in too many of the venues and it decreases the overall atmosphere inside stadiums. The “Tapista,” where FC Ryukyu play is a perfect example. The views from the sections on either side are fine but the fans have a large track between them and the pitch. We are talking about distances of around 30-40 yards. A quick glance at the teams in the J League reveals that out of the 58 teams, J1-J3, 24 play in Football only stadiums (including the U-23 clubs in the J3). The J3 actually has more clubs playing in the football only stadiums, 8, compared to the J2 that has 6. I understand that there are challenges associated with costs to housing a J League team and I hope more clubs in the future will move into football only stadiums.

This year I was lucky enough to get to the FC Ryukyu match when they took on Omiya on the road and it has been one of my best experiences at a football stadium here in Japan. They got everything at the stadium right: Size, Proximity of seating to the Pitch, Large home supporter section at one end of the stadium, food vendors and restrooms. The Nack5 is a great stadium to watch football and would love a carbon copy of that here in Okinawa.

For the new stadium, I hope they recreate something close to the home supporter section at the Nack5 and closer to that of the “Kopp” at Liverpool as this would give F C Ryukyu a serious advantage when playing at home if we could get a section of 6-7,000 people all in one voice.  Because. let’s be honest for a moment, can a multi-sport stadium really generate a great atmosphere for football? In some cases it can, as evidenced by Kawasaki Frontale, but could you imagine if those supporters were closer to the pitch? Whoosh!

2. What are the ambitions of F.C. Ryukyu?

Some might quickly say it is to get to the J1. I would counter, that it is wining titles and building a generational fan base. My father was an Arsenal fan and so are my brother and I and that is because at very young ages he took us to Highbury to experience matches and fall in love with the club. This means that my children will be FC Ryukyu fans as I will do all I can to expose them to the club as often as I can. That’s what FC Ryukyu need to be thinking about here in Okinawa. We’ve seen the challenges of getting 8,000 people to a FC Ryukyu match this season on regular basis, imagine the monumental effort to fill a 20,000-seat stadium for 21, 17 or 25 matches every year. The new stadium needs to build a tremendous atmosphere for all FC Ryukyu fans to connect and come together for the club they love.

Also, there will be costs that arise from nothing as well as those cost associated with the clubs plans so it will largely depend on what FC Ryukyu want to accomplish with the stadium but it is important to understand the best practice for building a stadium and more importantly, how to go beyond it. FC Ryukyu must be involved throughout the entire process so when costs and challenges do arise, they are able to meet them head on and make sound decisions that benefit the club and fan base. There is no “one-stadium-fits-them-all” approach so make this new stadium uniquely Okinawan.

3. Make sure it has places for fans to gather both before the match and after.

Remember, FC Ryukyu are attempting to build an “atmosphere” both inside and outside the stadium. Considering the home supporters need to show up 3-4 hours prior to kickoff to hang banners and flags, fans will start arriving at the stadium well in advance of a match.

I’d love to see the new stadium have one of the following. A large open area at one of the corners of the stadium on the second or third level where fans could gather and watch the match together. The other would be a large sports bar inside the stadium with large screen TVs broadcasting the match. I’ve been to plenty of stadiums where this is the case and not every fan wishes to sit in their seat each match. Plus, you’d be able to sell tickets to either the seat or the special viewing areas.

Hopefully there will be a large enough parking area to do some tailgating but we’ll get to that in another section. After the match, it would be important not to push the fans out of the stadium if food, beverage and merchandise vendors are still open. If people need to exit the stadium, then hopefully there are some merchandise tents/shops outside the stadium as well as places to purchase food and beverages.

FC Ryukyu should take the steps now to track when fans start showing up to the Tapista. Break it down by arrival and departure times as well as by estimated numbers of people to get a better understanding of the venues to offer the fans.

4. Technology will be key for the new stadium.

This goes without saying but the new stadium needs free WiFi. Second, the sound and lighting systems need to be of high quality and so does the scoreboard. If it is impossible to broadcast the match live outside on large screen TVs, then at least an audio broadcast of the match outside of the stadium should be there to drive interest for the passerby who doesn’t have a ticket to the match.

One radical idea, and I have no idea if it is possible, is to have seats that can change color to the opposing teams’ supporters in the opposition section. We all know that JLeague rules stipulates that there must be seats dedicated to the visiting team. Maybe it would give off the appearance of a “fuller” stadium if the seats could match the color of the Home Kit for the opposing team since that is the kit most fans purchase. Not sure that technology exists or the idea has been presented before but anything FC Ryukyu can do from that wild idea to putting a cell phone charging station in each seat would be revolutionary in my mind.

5. Make the Stadium uniquely Okinawa.

I am not sure what this would entail but I think it is important for the stadium to capture this element. It could mean local shops and businesses inside and outside the stadium selling local goods or it could mean the team has dedicated Eisa dancers at every match. Everything about that stadium should look, feel, sound, smell and taste like Okinawa and the Ryukyus.

6. Get the core elements for the stadium right, the first time.

First, everything is based around the live experience of the football match itself. That begins with seating as close and as low to the action as possible. Second, make purchasing tickets easy. This includes both prior to and at the match in multiple languages with cashless ticketing purchase areas (and vendors). Having lived in Okinawa for the better part of 10 years I understand how all of Japan is a cash society, but there will be a large contingent of fans showing up to the stadium that are not used to this way of life, make sure there are ways to support them.

Third, make travel to the stadium as straightforward as possible. The new stadium is intended to be near the monorail and Route 58. Consider the traffic patterns both before and after the match and how the Japanese Prefecture Police can aide in getting the large number of fans out of the parking lot and onto the roads without huge traffic delays. The parking situation must be addressed as parking is a huge issue here in Okinawa. Where will the fans park and will these areas be accessible to daiko’s if fans have had too much to drink?

Fourth, make access to the stadium easier. Prevent long security lines at gates and have several entrances and exits. Fifth, have the best type of facilities in the Jleague. This includes everything from the restrooms, to the food vendors, merchandise vendors inside the stadium and the seating.

Finally, get it right the first time so as not to look back in regret or have to pay a larger cost because lack of foresight.

Conclusion

I have huge expectations for FC Ryukyu, their new stadium and the new proposed training ground. The actions by this club indicate a real desire and plan to achieve some lofty heights here in Japan as well as Asia. The club took the all important step forward last season by gaining promotion to the J2, it is now imperative they enact a sound business plan that sees this club rise into the ranks of the J1 and beyond. That plan can only begin with a brand new, state of the art stadium for FC Ryukyu that grows the fan base and increase revenue.