Kyoto Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium (京都市西京極総合運動公園陸上競技場兼球技場)
Kyoto Nishikyogoku Athletic Stadium refers to the athletic field in Kyoto City Nishikyogoku Comprehensive Sports Park in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It is also used as a ball game field. Japan Professional Football League Kyoto Sanga F.C. uses it as their home stadium. Generally, it is commonly called Nishikyogoku kyogijo (athletic field) or Nishikyogoku. Kyoto City owns the facility and Kyoto City Amateur Sports Association manages it as the designated manager.
History
In 1930 it was built as a memorial upon the marriage of Togu (Emperor Showa). When it was used for the first National Sports Festival's second round in 1988, the lighting facilities for night games and the electrical scoreboard were installed. The main stand was also repaired. In 1995 when Kyoto Purple Sanga F.C. (in those days) was promoted to J League (Japan Professional Football League), the seats were installed on the backside stand and the electrical scoreboard was made larger.
Summary of the facilities
Approved as the first kind by the Japan Association of Athletics Federation.
Track: 9 lanes of 400 meters
Capacity: 20,588 people
Lighting facilities: Projector mounted at edge of the eaves of main stand, 5 illumination towers.
Electrical scoreboard (the south side stand): The left side of the board is the score board for ball games. The right side of the board is the free board which is used for scores of athletic sports or for indicating competitors in soccer or rugby.
Other facilities in the park
Kyoto Nishikyogoku Baseball Stadium
Kyoto Nishikyogoku Athletic Park Supplementary Field
Kyoto City Gymnasium
And others.
Traditional events
National High School Ekiden (marathon relay race) Championships
Inter-Prefectural Women's Ekiden
American football Kansai Student League matches
Rugby Top League, Kansai Student League, Top West League (one of the subdivisions of Japan Rugby Top League)
Events Held in the Past
First National Sports Festival's second round in 1988.
Inter-high school championships in 1997
Soccer, International A match: (August 6, 1995)
Notes on the games of J League Kyoto Sanga F.C.
Usually in the games of the J League, centering on the main stand, the stand of left side is for the home side and the right side is for the visiting side (in fact, as it was until 1996), but in the case of the north (left) side-stand of this stadium, there is a monument used as the platform (structure) bearing the Olympic flame in the first National Sports Festival's second round and the water jump used for the 3000 meters steeplechase race and thus there is not enough space there for watching games. Thus, supporters of the home team (Kyoto Sanga F.C.) behind the goal posts uses the seats on the south (right) side stand (the side of the electrical scoreboard).
Mizuki NOGUCHI, the gold medalist in the women's marathon at the Athens Olympics
Sysmex Women's Track and Field Team to which Mizuki NOGUCHI belongs is near the stadium.
Except when she is away from Japan at the training camp and so on, she practices here at Nishikyogoku athletic field.
Accidents
In June 1994, Sanga, registered with JFL in those days, faced Kawasaki Steel Mizushima F.C. in this stadium. However, during the match an accident happened, a tornado formed and broke the zinc roofs tiles off and the audiences in the main stand had to be led to the rear stand.
This accident occurred just before the stadium was renovated into the current form and Naohiko MINOBE, the captain of Sanga in those days, said with a bitter smile, 'If only they had renovated this sooner.'
Access
Five minutes walk from Nishikyogoku Station, Hankyu Kyoto Main Line, Hankyu Railway.