Fukuda Denshi Arena

The roof at Fukuda Denshi Arena is the thing you remember. A sign for Fukuda Denshi sits on the upper tier where a visitor would look up.

JEF United Chiba moved here in 2005 after the old ground closed. The club has played its home matches at this site ever since, and the stadium has been the first in Japan to sell its naming rights from the day it opened. The original sponsors, Fukuda Denshi, are still there after twenty years of agreement. Before that, the ground was called Chiba Soga Football Stadium, but the name on the board has not changed in a long time.

The pitch is natural grass, cut short for fast passing. The stands are close to the action, and the crowd fills the seats when the team plays. The space in front of the arena is wide and paved.

The stadium also holds rugby matches and concerts, but the J1 League fixtures are the main event. The crowd numbers rarely hit the full capacity, and the record attendance belongs to a derby match against Kashiwa Reysol in 2010. The structure has not changed since the doors opened. The roof still covers the same area, and the steel supports still hold the same weight.