IAI Stadium Nihondaira ( IAIスタジアム日本平 ) (pronounced as I-A-I ) is a football stadium in Shimizu-ku , Shizuoka , Japan . It is currently mostly used for football matches and has been the home stadium of the J-League's Shimizu S-Pulse since 1992. The stadium holds 20,248 people and was opened in 1991. In November 2008 a four-year naming deal effective from March 2009 was announced expected to earn S-Pulse 360,000,000 yen. The stadium was known as The Outsourcing Stadium until February 2013. As Shizuoka City and Shimizu S-Pulse reached a 5-year deal with IAI Corporation, a manufacturer industrial robots , the stadium has been renamed as IAI Stadium Nihondaira effective 1 March 2013. This sponsorship deal was extended a further five years in 2018.
32-535: The stadium first opened in 1991 with the Main Stand as it appears today, with seating in front of grass banks on the other three sides. The initial capacity of seating was 13,000, rising to 15,000 with the grass banking included. In its debut year the stadium was used to host the football tournament of the annual All Japan High School Athletics Meet. In 1994 the stadium was substantially expanded, adding two-tiered stands behind each goal, and an enlarged Back Stand. In 1995
64-750: A capacity of 36,894. Sanfrecce moved to a new stadium in 2024, which has been named Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima. Construction started in 2021 and opened in 2024. Sanfrecce's first competitive match at the new stadium was against Urawa Red Diamonds on 23 February 2024, which attracted an attendance of 27,545 The main colour of Sanfrecce Hiroshima is purple . Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The main U-18 team of Sanfrecce Hiroshima currently plays in
96-550: A co-operation with J.League club Sanfrecce for the coming two-and-a-half years. The partnership will centre on Sport and Management. The co-operation sees the Germany side continue its internationalisation strategy, which is an important part of the Matchplan. In the sporting sector, the co-operation includes coaching courses, training camp and intensive discussions surrounding the youth academy and scouting at both clubs have set themselves
128-495: A second-tier continental competition. Sanfreece is then drawn in Group E alongside Australian club Sydney FC , Philippines club Kaya–Iloilo and Hong Kong club Eastern . On 19 September, Sanfreece make their debut in the tournament by playing Kaya–Iloilo at home. On 15 August 2021, Sanfrecce Hiroshima sign partnership with German Bundesliga side, 1.FC Köln where both club are building up their international relations and have entered
160-413: A single season outside the top flight; they finished as the J.League Division 2 champions and runners-up, respectively. Tokushima Vortis , who finished fourth in the regular season and won the promotion playoff, will make their top-flight debut, becoming the first club from Shikoku to do so. Those three teams replaced Oita Trinita , Shonan Bellmare and Júbilo Iwata ; Júbilo were relegated from J1 for
192-598: A thrilling finish to the season which saw first-place Yokohama F. Marinos losing their final league game, handing Sanfrecce the title. With their second consecutive title win, Sanfrecce became the second club to successfully defend their crown since Kashima Antlers in 2009. 2015 proved to be a great year for Sanfrecce, finishing 1st in the 2nd half of the season, then finishing 1st overall, just 2 points above Urawa Red Diamonds , to qualify and represent Japan in that year's FIFA Club World Cup . They would finish 3rd, after winning, 2–1, against Chinese side Guanzhou Evergrande in
224-509: A worthwhile expense. The stadium is located behind a residential area in Shimizu Ward , Shizuoka on the edge of the Nihondaira mountains which divide Shizuoka City. The stadium is surrounded on two sides by green tea fields and due to its elevated position provides panoramic views across Shimizu and Suruga Bay. The nearest station to the stadium is Shimizu , however, being over 4 km from
256-603: Is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiroshima . The club competes in the J1 League , top flight of the Japanese football league system . Sanfrecce is one of the most successful clubs in Japan. The club is the joint fourth in most J1 League titles with three, the joint first in most top-flight titles (which includes the defunct Japan Soccer League ), with eight, and the club with
288-604: Is based on the story of the feudal lord Mōri Motonari who told his three sons that while a single arrow might be easily snapped, three arrows held together would not be broken and urged them to work for the good of the clan and its retainers. The club's home town is Hiroshima and the side plays at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima . Previously, the side played at EDION Stadium Hiroshima and Hiroshima Prefectural Stadium . It holds training sessions at Yoshida Soccer Park in Akitakata, Hiroshima and Hiroshima 1st Ball Park until 2023. It has
320-589: The 2007 season a new Astro Vision giant video screen was unveiled in the southeast corner of the ground. The former scoreboard has been repurposed as an advertising hoarding for the stadium sponsor. 2007 and 2008 saw S-Pulse host all home league games at Nihondaira for the first time since 1999 . Prior to 1999 S-Pulse often played at the Kusanagi Athletic Stadium . Between 2009 and 2014 the team's higher profile games were frequently hosted at higher capacity arenas; most commonly Ecopa Stadium . Since 2015
352-426: The 2014 FIFA World Cup , there was an extended break to allow for preparation after the 14th-week matches on 17 and 18 May, with the league resuming on 15 July for four clubs who participated in the 2014 AFC Champions League to play rescheduled 12th-week matches, and 19 July for other 14 clubs. 2014 saw the league played via a home and away system over a single season for the last time until at least 2020. From 2015
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#1733093321182384-471: The Emperor's Cup . They were also the first of three " Invincibles ", undefeated champion clubs in Japan (the others were Mitsubishi in 1969 and Yamaha in 1987–88 ), although only Toyo completed a double. Matsumoto, Ogi, and Yasuyuki Kuwahara went on to win the 1968 Olympic bronze medal for the national team . In 2002, Sanfrecce became the first former stage winner (first stage, 1994) to be relegated to
416-553: The Prince Takamado U-18 Premier League , the top-flight league for U-18 clubs in the country. Only the registered players for the competition will be displayed. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. As Toyo Kogyo SC and Mazda SC (amateur era) as well as Sanfrecce Hiroshima (professional era) Domestic International Total (as of 2022): 51 seasons in
448-524: The local derby against Jubilo Iwata . The lower tier of The Kop and the East Stand are bench seating, with all other areas having individual seats. With the exception of the central areas of the Main Stand and the Back Stand, all seats at Nihondaira are unreserved. A distinctive feature of the ground is the roof of the Back Stand, and there are several competing theories as to why it runs only two-thirds of
480-462: The 3rd place match. In 2018, after Sanfrecce progressively trailing towards a J1 title, as it led the standings after Round 5, the club fell down to 2nd-place at the end of the season. The club saw Kawasaki Frontale win the league as Sanfrecce lost four of their last five league matches. In 2022, the club was relieved to experience another good season, under the management of newly appointed German coach Michael Skibbe . Underrated by many because of
512-402: The award for the J. League's best kept playing a record nine times. This was in 2004 , 2008 , 2009 , 2010 , 2011 , 2012 , 2013 , 2014 and 2015 . The Best Pitch Award was abolished in 2016 . When the stadium was built a score board was situated behind the east stand. This was moved to above the west stand following the 1994 expansion. This scoreboard fell out of use, and at the start of
544-436: The capacity reached 20339. Following the installation of an elevator in the Back Stand, the capacity now stands at 20,248. Future expansion is far from impossible, although limited access to the stadium is the biggest hurdle. With the stadium not meeting J. League guidelines for the minimum percentage of seats covered from the elements, the club is exploring the possibility of building a new home. The stadium's pitch has received
576-446: The club has played all league and cup games at Nihondaira. The stadium is composed of four separate, all-seated stands: The Kop is home to S-Pulse's most vociferous and colourful supporters, with the presence of a supporter band each home game creating a carnival atmosphere. A percentage of the opposite East Stand is given over to visiting fans. For large followings, the whole stand is occasionally provided for away fans, such as for
608-470: The company name and became "Sanfrecce Hiroshima". Alongside JEF United Ichihara Chiba and Urawa Red Diamonds they co-founded both leagues ( "Original Ten" ). During the 1969 season they participated in the Asian Club Cup , forerunner to today's AFC Champions League ; at the time, the tournament was done in a single locale (in that year it was Bangkok , Thailand ), and they ended up in third place,
640-408: The first participation of a Japanese club in the continental tournament. This also cost them the league title to Mitsubishi/Urawa, and although they won another title in 1970, since then the club has been out of the running for the title, with exceptional seasons such as 1994 when they won runner-up. The Toyo Industries that became the first JSL champions also completed the first double by taking
672-702: The first time after twenty seasons in the top tier, while Bellmare and Trinita were bumped down after cameo appearances in J1. Updated to games played on 8 December 2014 Source: J. League Data * The number in brackets denotes the number of times that the footballer has appeared in the Best 11. Updated to games played on 8 December 2014 Source: J. League Data Notes: Team played previous season in J2. Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima ( Japanese : サンフレッチェ広島 , romanized : Sanfuretche Hiroshima )
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#1733093321182704-569: The goal that they should be amongst the best clubs in the league at academy level. As for the management side of the partnership, seminars are planned in Hiroshima and Köln, where those in charge of departments from both clubs will come together to work on a strategy going forward. The club name is a portmanteau of the Japanese word for three , San and the Italian word frecce , which means 'arrows'. This
736-531: The ground, the majority of spectators arrive on foot or by shuttle bus services from Shimizu Station and Shizuoka Station . Shuttle bus service starts running three hours before kick off, but for supporters wishing to arrive earlier, local bus lines have services running near Nihondaira, with the closest bus stops ten minutes walk from the stadium. The nearest Shinkansen station is ten minutes by local train west of Shimizu at Shizuoka. A limited number of general use car parks are available within walking distance of
768-553: The league will revert to an Apertura and Clausura system, with a multi-team play-off 'super stage' to decide the champions, similar to the format used when the J.League began. The league was won by Gamba Osaka , who won their second J.League title following a 0–0 away draw against Tokushima Vortis . They became the second league champions (after Kashiwa Reysol ) to win the first division after being promoted as second division champions. 18 teams compete in this year's competition. Both Gamba Osaka and Vissel Kobe return to J1 after
800-409: The lower division, J2 . But it only spent a year there, finishing second the very next season to regain promotion back to J1 . The club finished 16th in the 2007 season and were relegated to J.League Division 2 after they were beaten by Kyoto Sanga in the promotion/relegation play-off . In 2008 they nevertheless won the J2 title at the first attempt, having 84 points (a difference of 25 points with
832-489: The match, being scored at the 96th and 101st minute of the match, during the added time of the second half. For his efforts to make the team competitive at every competition Sanfrecce partook in, Skibbe won J.League Manager of the Year , the club's 4th 'Manager of the Year' award. On 20 June 2024, AFC confirmed Sanfrecce will participate in the inaugural 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two group stage, marking their first appearance in
864-476: The most participations in Emperor's Cup finals, with 15. Sanfrecce have won 3 J1 League title, 3 Emperor's Cup , 1 J.League Cup and 4 Japanese Super Cup . Internationally, the club has made two appearances in the FIFA Club World Cup with their most recent appearance being in the 2015 edition . The club was a former company team of Toyo Kogyo Soccer Club ( 東洋工業サッカー部 ) in 1938 and played in
896-411: The pitch. The most popular of these purports it was intentionally built short so as to afford unobscured views of Mount Fuji across Suruga Bay . However, the reality is that an access road behind the stand has prevented the laying of the foundations necessary to support the roof. Redirecting this access road would take substantial redevelopment of the surrounding road layout which has thus far not proved
928-521: The previous season, the club fought for the title at every competition it played until the very end. The Violas finished 3rd place at the J1 League, as runners-up to J2 club Ventforet Kofu in the Emperor's Cup final , and as J.League Cup champions. The J.League Cup was won in dramatic fashion against Cerezo Osaka , as the club managed to comeback from a 1–0 loss with two goals scored by mid-season Cypriot signing Pieros Sotiriou . Both goals came very late in
960-550: The runner-up clubs) with six matches left. By virtue of earning fourth place in the 2009 season and Gamba Osaka retaining the Emperor's Cup , Sanfrecce qualified for the Asian Champions League , where they were knocked out in the group phase. On 24 November 2012, Sanfrecce defeated Cerezo Osaka 4–1 to seal their first ever J.League Division 1 title. On 7 December 2013, Sanfrecce defeated Kashima Antlers 2–0, securing their second J.League Division 1 title following
992-472: The semi-professional Japan Soccer League . The club was an original founder ( "Original Eight" ) of the now-disbanded Japan Soccer League (JSL) in 1965. They dominated the JSL's early years, winning the title 4 times in a row – a feat that was later equaled by Yomiuri SC/Verdy Kawasaki . The name change was made at Mazda SC ( マツダSC ) in 1981. When JSL disbanded and became the J.League in 1992, it dropped
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1024-417: The stadium. Parking adjacent to the stadium is available by prior arrangement only. 2014 J.League Division 1 The 2014 J.League Division 1 season was the 49th season of top-flight football in Japan, and the 22nd since the establishment of the J.League in 1992. The season began on 1 March and ended on 8 December. Sanfrecce Hiroshima were the defending champions. Due to Japan 's participation in
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