DF Tsujio DF Iwashita DF Bosnar (yellow 15) DF Ota
MF Jong-a-Pin (yellow 38) MF Ono MF Brosque
FW Omae FW Takagi FW Nabeta
Subs Used
Edamura on for Takagi (55) Hiraoka on for Bosnar (65) Nagai on for Ljungberg (76)
Report
Blistering heat, horrible jetlag, but at least we won and made it 4-0 against Saitama's two teams this year. I woke up less than three hours before kick off meaning a mad dash to make it out to Ecopa in time. For a home game, Ecopa's a mission, but it does make a change and means for the big games noone is left without a ticket. All told, less than 22000 is a disappointing gate, but at the end of the day we had 2000 more than could have fit in Nihondaira.
Anyway, we won. On the first half we deserved it. Urawa twice broke through one on one but lacked the quality to make them count. But for our part, Nabeta nearly opened the scoring, Genki would have done had he directed his shot better, and Jong a Pin crashed one shot against the bar, and another was only denied only by an excellent save by Kato.
The second half was much more evenly balanced, but Urawa lack teeth. Escudero kept falling over (diving) and otherwise making a mess of things. He either had a bad game or he's just crap. As time wore on, and especially after we took the lead, Urawa looked more and more desperate and rarely troubled Kaito for all their possession.
Tsujio's excellent trickery down the right wing and dart into the box was enough to give the breakthrough just past the hour. Genki was there to take it down and poke it home in one movement. Freddie had a good game. His vision is excellent and the only problem was his surrounding players not always anticipating him. We've seen this happen with Ono though, so give it time while everyone gets up to speed with the Swede's lightening decision making.
Next week we play Kawasaki who have just won their first game after nine defeats. Fingers crossed it's a mere blip in their otherwise disastrous season. :)
ADDITIONAL: It's worth mentioning this was a game without our captain or top scorer. That's all.
Pictures
The long road to Ecopa They said it was for "children only" :( Ole!
New look S-Pulse
You should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back, or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure. Expectant mothers should not ride.
Seems we've lucked out big style. The Emperor's Cup quarter and semi final venues and kick off times were announced today, and we've been handed a home draw in both, should we progress. The quarter final tie with Alibirex Niigata will be played at Nihondaira, kick off 1pm on Saturday December 12th.
If we win we'll go on to face the winner of Nagoya and FC Gifu which will be played Tuesday December 29th at Ecopa. Kick off 1pm. Click here for the official announcement (Japanese). This reporter thinks we've been handed a massive chance to make our first Emp Cup final since 2005, and will be gutted if we don't make it. Come on, boys!
Can somebody pinch me? Was that really the same team which was lucky to get away with a point against Reysol? Coming off the back of such recent wretched form, we went into today's game with Urawa ever so slightly wary we might be on the end of a good hiding. Hearing that not only Teru, but also Paulo, had been recalled into the starting eleven however, came as hugely encouraging news.
25000 Glorious Oranges and 5000 Smelly Reds pile into Ecopa
Many people have been wondering over Kenta's logic at not playing at least one of our two most experienced and important midfielders. Today they both got their chance, and we here at UK Ultras Towers feel totally vindicated. We've been calling for greater use of Paulo for weeks, and today he proved why. The guy is a class apart. He was absolutely instrumental in holding our midfield together and instigating many of our attacks. He's must be knackered after playing a full game, but thank you Paulo - you didn't stop running and you put in a great performance.
We took the lead from Hara's penalty after Tulio's clumsy challenge:
Urawa were good and always dangerous. They were attacking and had us on the back foot more than once. On the negative side, Edmilson completely eclipsed Tulio when it came to claiming the award for the most petulant, whining little sod on the pitch.
We looked fast, alert and dangerous on the counter, and we often had the visitors reeling back from another failed attack. Had we not made so many unforced errors, we may well have a) taken the lead b) equalised earlier. Nagai looked good when brought on towards the end, and went achingly close to heading it home shortly after his introduction.
Is that all you take away!?
When Arata slammed the ball home on 86 minutes to draw level, and claim his first pro goal while he was at it, it was nothing more than we deserved. This game, which we could so easily have won at the death, was for that reason frustrating, but having gone into today with confidence at a low, and our form nothing short of horrible, we can take a lot from the draw.
Our fans can also be proud. Hosting a game at Ecopa is asking a lot for our fanbase to traipse all the way over to Fukuroi, but my doubts were blown out the water as over 10000 more than could have fit in 'Daira packed in for a great game of football. Hopefully any first timers will now be heading over to Shimizu in future.
Full time - Both teams knackered
It's all off to Hiroshima on Saturday where three points would really be nice, thanks very much! Too many draws is better than too many defeats, but if we don't start converting draws into wins, we'll end up ruing the dropped points. Jungo was rested today, so we can expect to see him start, and I want to see Teru back in too. Paulo is probably exhausted after racking up a full 90 minutes, bless him! Okazaki and Johnsen to start, with Hara waiting to come on at the hour if the Norweigian still hasn't found the net.
Highlights!
Arata's goal including full build up (personal cam)
All aboard the S-Pulse express bound for Ecopa! We'll be making brief stops at Nishibedroppeditagain Town, Willjohnseneverscoreville and Nishibefelloveragain City, before reaching our final destination, Bitter Disappointment Central.
Nah, seriously, we're gonna win. :)
With only 15000 tickets remaining as of this evening, the staging of a game at Ecopa for the first time since July 06 appears, on first inspection, to have paid off. The club has been really going for it trying to get as many floating fans through the gate as possible, and if we do end up with upwards of 35000 tomorrow, then S-Pulse will have soundly proved me wrong.
The last time we used Ecopa. We beat Little Jubilo 2-0
When Little Jubilo played Urawa last month less than 19000 turned out, and only the Red travelling army saved them from a crowd smaller than could have fit in The Yamaha. Well it looks like around 30000 S-Pulse maniacs will be descending on Fukuroi tomorrow, so come on boys, don't let us down!
Will Johnsen again be on the bench? Will Nagai be given a start against his old club? Will Teru be back in midfield, or even Paulo, to provide the steady nerves and experience they both possess in spades? And perhaps the biggest Will? of the day is will Calamity Yohei be once again granted an opportunity to fall over / drop the ball / palm it out straight to an advancing attacker?
I don't know the answer to these questions any more than you do, so get yourself down to Ecopa tomorrow and join the immense orange army on tour to the West Side (of Shizuoka) to find out!
Since Black Sunday, I've had a little time to calm down, put things in perspective and generally get over it (mostly). Reading back my post from Sunday evening I was absolutely raging (not without due cause), but in hindsight, it was quite possibly just a little bit much.
Of course, the blame must lay squarely with Kenta for his starting line up / tactics / substitutions and what was an absolutely abject performance. But in my eagerness to dismiss Jubilo as mere relegation fodder I was doing ourselves a disservice. There were bigger factors at play on Sunday.
On paper, Little Jubilo have a team more than capable of survival in J1. The inner turmoil at the Yamaha has provided plenty of laughs around Shizuoka over recent years, but it's masked their true potential: that of a solid lower-bottom half team capable of claiming the occasional big scalp.
The dwindling crowds (less than 9000 for a Saturday game? Ouch!) and general lack of interest at the Yamaha have in turn fostered a spirit of the underdog. The years of winning things are long past. The fans know it and the players know it. Playing to more than half empty stadiums has become a matter of course for Little Jubilo, and so when they face off against their prefectural big brothers in a David / Goliath style showdown, it's inevitable they will raise their game.
Hands up - we were caught with our pants down on Sunday and dealt a sucker punch in a classic tale of the underdog. We swaggered in expecting a walk in the park, and we met a team fired up for the game of their lives. It's no coincidence that Little Jubilo's only two league victories of their last ten games both came against us. The derby is their cup final, and we were had fair and square.
So, what can we take away from all this? Well, don't underestimate the little guy. It's easy to disregard those teams scrapping around at the foot of the table, but we have been given a stern lesson, and it's one we have to learn from. Well done to Iwata for a huge achievement - you're no doubt milking it, and you've every right to given what you achieved.
;-)
Weeeeeell, anyway, onwards and upwards! On Saturday we face perpetually unfashionable Kashiwa Reysol, in what is traditionally our lowest crowd of the season. Given we've already sold three thousand more tickets for this than the same fixture last year, that distinction will probably go to another team this time around. My money's on Yamagata.
In a week it's all off to Ecopa again. This time we're using it as a home ground for the first time in three years, and S-Pulse are eager to get as many there as possible. It's for the visit of Urawa, and let's face it, anything less than 20339 and we're going to be left looking rather stupid. Any more than 18500, however, and we'll have bettered what Little Jubilo could manage for the same game in the same stadium, but with the advantage of it not being an hour journey away.
We're handing out leaflets at stations (which I reckon they should do around Iwata station, but there you go) and inviting primary school kids for free and their parents at a discount, so we'll see. The club are clearly using this game as a conciousness building exercise in the west of the prefecture. The aim being to capture the casual, floating footy fan to the orange side of life, and maybe even convert some of the fans deserting Jubilo in droves.
This is all laudable, but the thing is, despite being on a national holiday (Showa Day) we're all back in work for Thursday. Will more people travel all the way out to Fukuroi than would have to Nihondaira? Fingers crossed, but I'm not holding my breath. Either way, three points would be nice!
I'm setting out an aim of at least eight points from our next four games. We face Kashiwa, Urawa, Hiroshima and Chiba. If we harbour ACL ambitions (and with just cause, we do) then that has to be our target. If we fail to hit that, then it may well be time to talk some more about our man at the helm.
I'm tired, sunburnt, hoarse, but most of all I'm absolutely fucking disgusted. Getting turned over by second-rate relegation fodder is one thing, but letting your biggest rivals have the time of their lives at your expense is completely bloody unforgivable.
I forget my exact words, but they weren't very polite
One question, Kenta: what the FUCK was that? We're one of the better teams in this league. We've got talent - you only have to look to Iwashita, Paulo, Jungo, Okazaki, Hara, or Nagai for evidence of that. If you're not able to mould these players into a threatening team, one which doesn't get given the run around by a team which hadn't won in nine league games, then you've got to start asking yourself if you're the right man for the job.
Nishibe was at fault for the first (how many times have we said that?), but even at 1-0 we had nothing. Twelve shots for Iwata in the second half to our three. And that was with four strikers on for a good portion of it. Johnsen was ineffective, so why leave him on? It was instead Jungo who was removed for Hara. Then when 2-0 down a defender was taken off for another striker. Minutes later our now non-existent defence was breached to make it three. Game over.
Kenta, the fans gave you and your team - our team - a hell of a barrage of abuse at the end, and I'm hoping you've been pulled up in front of the board to explain what went wrong. I hope you can, and I hope you can fix it, because nothing less than a win at home against Kashiwa (one of only two teams with less points that Iwata) on Saturday is now acceptable. No three points and those who were calling for your head last season will be back loud and clear.
S-Pulse - hang your heads in shame. The whole of Iwata is having one big party tonight while the ten thousand oranges are back at home kicking the cat, throwing the remote control and generally feeling ASHAMED and EMBARRASSED of their team, and it's YOUR fault.
While I'm ranting, Jubilo, you don't get off scot free. Oh, no. Look at the two pictures below taken at exactly the same time and tell me what you see:
What is it that immediately springs out at you? Is there double, triple?, the number of away fans? Come on Jubilo - we had to travel the best part of an hour for this. You're ten minutes - TEN MINUTES - down the line. We had trouble getting seats in the bottom tier over two hours before kick off. An Iwata friend waltzed in at 12:15 and found swathes of empty seating behind their goal. "Embarrassing" was her precise wording.
We did our part by taking thousands of fans to Fukuroi, but if you can barely muster ten thousand of your own number, it's no wonder we're left with a half empty stadium and a measly crowd of 22152. Yeah, you were bottom of the table, but have some freaking pride in your team.
Yeah, we sucked, blew, were generally a steaming shower of shit on the day, but it's patently obvious who Shizuoka's premier supported, and all round classier and superior outfit are. Jubilo, you knows it! Reysol, watch out next week - someone is due a battering, and Kenta's job security may now depend on it.
Read a rather more measured, but no less scathing, report by Mike Tuckerman here.
S-Pulse and FC Tokyo face off tomorrow for the fifth time this year in the 1/4 final of the Emperor's Cup. It's this season's last chance of silverware, and the final ticket into next year's Asian Champion's League.
Previous meetings this year have gone off like this:
League:
S-Pulse 1-0 FC Tokyo FC Tokyo 1-5 S-Pulse League Cup Group Stage
S-Pulse 3-1 FC Tokyo FC Tokyo 1-1 S-Pulse
Three wins, one draw, ten scored and only three conceded. Given that three of those games took place in our poor first half of the season, with only the 5-1 mauling coming in our resurgent second half, we have reason to be confident. Losing the League Cup final has instilled an even deeper ache among the orange masses for our first title since winning the Super Cup in 2002.
The winner will go on to face either Kashiwa Reysol or Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the semi at Ecopa, in what would be as good as a home game for us at least! That being the case, you can be sure more than 6000 will turn up! That was the crowd for the semi between Sanfrecce and Gamba last year at the same venue. Not too surprising given how far it is from both cities!
Tomorrow's game kicks off at 1pm. There's no live broadcast available, but for live text, the official S-Pulse homepage does the job, as does J's Goal. Both sites are in Japanese, but you may be able to navigate around by pictures and trial and errors to find what you're looking for.
So come on S-Pulse - rewards the hundreds of fans who are heading up to Sendai for this one! Let's have a semi back in Shizuoka!
We Believe!!!
In transfer news, today Marcos Aurelio was released while Marcos Paulo has had his contract renewed. Good news, both. :)
This was initially written in 2008. As you'd imagine, things have changed since then. In particular, ticket prices and purchase methods may be different.
I've tried to keep the more important points updated as the years passed, but be aware some smaller details may no longer be accurate. Feel free to ask any questions on Twitter @spulseukultras and I'll help where I can.
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So you have a healthy interest in the J. League and are sensible enough to support Shimizu S-Pulse - so far so good. You're not alone - at any given home game you'll always see a smattering of foreign faces in the crowd. However, for members of the Orange Army who don't happen to either A) live in Japan or B) speak Japanese, following the mighty S-Pa isn't always that easy.
The S-Pulse official home page goes some way to introduce the club to the English speaking world, but for a new fan wanting answers on where to buy tickets, how to get to the stadium, or even who our next opponents are, it comes up short. I remember only too well the mission it was attending my first game, so this guide is intended to make it as easy as possible for anyone interested to get involved.
Football lovers the world over often combine a trip to Japan with taking in a J. League game, and there are few better places to do that than at Nihondaira with S-Pulse as your hosts. Renowned as some of the best supporters in the country, if you're hoping to hit a J. League while in the country, you could do far worse that making the pilgrimage to Nihondaira Stadium in the heart of Shizuoka, Japan's number one football city. Use this guide to help with buying tickets, getting to the stadium and many other useful pointers on the way football is done in J. Land. See the fixture list for information for information on upcoming games.
Even though this UK Ultras blog will keep you updated with match previews, reports and features to a level unrivalled in the English speaking world, there's another link you need. For up-to-the-minute scores, fixtures and league tables, the excellent SoccerWay.com can't be beat. Updated while the UK Ultras are still stumbling half cut from the stadium, it's the quickest way to keep up to speed with the J. League as it happens. A more specialised and in-depth look into each game is what our blog is for, and we generally publish reports the following day, hangover permitting. Tickets
*Since this was written, the J. League have made online ticket sales available in English. Click here for details.
First things first: tickets are not available outside the country. Though you need to be in Japan to buy one, it's a fairly easy process. Tickets can be bought at most convenience stores by way of a funky little machine which stands in the corner looking for all the world like a colourful ATM. Good examples are the ones in 7/11, Lawson, and Family Mart.
In Japanese only, they can seem an imposing prospect if you don't read kanji, but fear not. Back when I spoke not a word of Japanese, I would walk into 7/11 armed only with a scrap of paper with the game, date, and type of ticket I wanted scrawled on it. The shop staff would be only too happy to walk me through the process.
Aside from convenience stores, there are no less than eight S-Pulse club shops dotted around Shizuoka Prefecture. Of these, the ones in Shizuoka, Shimizu, Yaizu, Fuji and Sunto all sell match tickets. Again, even if you don't speak Japanese, jotting down the opponents and the date will be enough to get your message across. The club shops have pictures of different views to help you choose where to watch from, more about which, below.
Lastly, for all but the very biggest games you can pick up tickets at the ground on the day. Nihondaira's capacity is only really tested a handful of times a season, such as on derby day, but it's always worth getting tickets beforehand if for no other reason than it saves you a couple of quid on the price.
Season tickets are available which can save a good few thousand yen over the course of the year. These come in either full season or half season packages. Full season tickets are available up till around three weeks before the start of the season, and half season tickets for the final 7 or so games go on sale a couple of months into the season. Check the official home page for prices etc. The Stadium(s)
Officially speaking, we have two home grounds, Nihondaira and Ecopa, although the reality is that all but one of our home games are played at 'Daira. It may be half the size of Ecopa, but it's got the advantage of being in Shizuoka City, rather than an hour train journey away.
Nihondaira holds just over 20000 which is adequate for the majority of our games. Built in the early 90s, it was designed much in the vein of an old-style British ground with the stands right on top of the pitch. Only twenty years old, 'Daira still has bagfuls of character most J. League grounds can only dream of. Depending on what kind of match experience you're after you can choose from the following tickets: (all adult prices. figures in brackets denote match day price)
West (jp: nishi) End Stand (pictured) 2nd Tier - ￥2500 (3000)
West (jp: nishi) End Stand (pictured) 1st Tier - ￥2700 (3200)
Back / Main Side Stand A Zone - ￥3200 (3700)
Back / Main Side Stand S Zone (reserved) - ￥5300 (5800)
Back / Main Side Stand SS Zone (reserved) - ￥6300 (6800)
This page from the official site is in Japanese, but is fairly self explanatory letting you see the type of views you can expect. The picture above is taken from the Main Side Stand, looking towards the West Stand. In addition to the above there's also the East (jp: higashi) End Stand, but being the away end, if you're buying tickets in there, to hell with you. ;-D Just to confuse matters, the East and West end stands are referred to as the Higashi and Nishi Side Stand respectively, despite clearly being ends.
SS Zone is great fun if you want to spend half the game asleep, with S Zone only mildly less sedate. It's worth noting though that S and SS Zones are the only parts of the ground with reserved seating, so if you have your ticket in advance, you can turn up five minutes before kick off and waltz into your seats. No other areas afford this luxury, and spaces fill up fast.
A Zone is fine if you want to concentrate on the game rather than singing, and it also provides a first rate view of the behind-the-goal-show which is always worth watching. But to get involved with all the fun of an S-Pulse game, you'll be needing a ticket for the thick of the fray: behind the goal in the West Stand, otherwise known as The Kop. The first tier affords protection from the elements, but upstairs you can join in the non-stop singing, dancing and general fun and games which accompany every match. It comes highly recommended!
As mentioned, aside from S and SS Zones, everywhere is unreserved. People generally get there very early, so good seats go within an hour of the gates opening. If you're in a big group, you'll often have trouble finding spaces together if you don't get there in plenty of time, so bare that in mind when planning your day.
Getting There
Being lucky enough to play in one of the most atmospheric grounds in the J. League is tempered by the fact that getting to and from ’Daira can be something of a mission. Hopefully the following directions will give you a bit of a helping hand in finding Nihondaira that first time.
From Abroad
Kansai Airport (Osaka) Once you've arrived in Osaka, Tokyo bound trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka will take you to Shizuoka. Some Hikari and all Kodama services will stop at Shizuoka. Nozomi services do not stop at Shizuoka, but it is possible to ride a Nozomi as far as Nagoya and change to a Hikari which stops at Shizuoka, or any Kodama. Journey time is around 1 hour 45 minutes.
Centrair Airport (Nagoya) From Nagoya, Shizuoka is easily reachable on the Tokaido Shinkansen on a Tokyo bound Hikari stopping at Shizuoka, or any Kodama service. Nozomi services will not stop at Shizuoka. Journey time is around 1 hour.
Narita Airport (Tokyo) After the trip from the airport into Tokyo, Shizuoka is easy and quick. Nagoya or Shin-Osaka bound Shizuoka-stopping Hikaris, or any Kodama services on the Tokaido Shinkansen will get you there. Journey time of around 1 hour. In all of the above cases, Hikari services are faster than Kodama.
Shizuoka Airport (Shizuoka) Mount Fuji Shizuoka Airport is a 55 minute bus ride from Shizuoka Station where there is direct access to Nihondaira Stadium on match days. Alternatively, there is a 25 minute bus ride available to Shimada Station where local line trains will take you to Shizuoka (25m) or, if you stay on the line, to Shimizu (35m).
If travelling to Japan, you will probably want to consider the Japan Rail Pass for a convenient way to get around.
From Within Shizuoka City
Once in Shizuoka City centre, special match day shuttle buses run from the north exit of Shizuoka Station (opposite Hotel Associa), which at ￥600 one way are cheap enough. Depending on traffic, these can take up to an hour with no toilet breaks (hugely important on the return journey!) so I usually split up the journey by taking the train from Shizuoka to Shimizu (10 minutes) and then a shuttle bus from Shimizu Station. Shuttle buses in Shimizu run from the east (jp: higashi) side of the station.
From Shimizu the buses are ￥300 one way and take twenty minutes going, but can end up pushing an hour coming back. In both cases, the ticket spots are easily found, with huge S-Pulse flags flying.
These buses start running three hours before kick off, which is usually plenty of time, but for sold out or otherwise busy games (pictured), you might want to get there earlier. In this case you can take a regular bus from the terminal at the west (jp: nishi) side of Shimizu Station. Most buses from stop numbers 6, 7 and 8 will take you there - just follow the other orange shirts! This costs ￥320 one way, and you need to get off at NihondairaUndouKouenIriguchi which is a ten minute walk from the ground. Again, just follow the other orange shirts!
Especially eager fans can be found at midnight the night before games taping down plastic sheeting outside the stadium to save their space in the queue. You can do this so long as you turn up the next day at least thirty minutes before the gates open to claim your reserved spot.
Ecopa
Since 2009, we've played one game each season at Ecopa. Usually against Urawa, and usually scheduled on a bank holiday weekend to bring in the crowds. This 50000 seater stadium is well served by the bullet train at Kakegawa Station or the local line at Aino Station. Shuttle buses run to the ground from Kakegawa, while from Aino it's walkable in 15 minutes. Ticket prices are the same as for Nihondaira, and a seating guide can be found here. The Kop gets transplanted to the North Stand (the blue stand on the left) for home games at Ecopa.
Since 2015 we've not bothered with Ecopa, and have played all home games at Nihondaira. As shiny and nice as Ecopa is, it's not home. You're much better off watching a game at Nihondaira. What You'll Need
Needless to say, a bright orange t-shirt and / or scarf is mandatory attire for all S-Pa games! Aside from the normal replica shirts on sale (ie, the same ones the players wear) you can also buy much cheaper versions for around ￥3000. There is no need to be restricted to official club goods, however. At any given home game you will see hundreds of people with hand made flags and banners. That number includes us, of course, with our very own hand made UK Ultras flag!
Also extremely popular among our numerous different ultras groups are uniquely designed and self-funded t-shirts, scarves and colossal banners which cover half the stand. We are in the process of creating t-shirts for our own fledgling ultras troop, and any new fans shouldn't feel embarrassed about doing the same!
With all the time, effort and money put in by our various fan groups, and the thousands of other individuals, the atmosphere is nothing short of a party of colour, noise and music for each and every home game. The samba band which follows the club all over the country also helps see to that, and the regular huge choreographed displays are the direct result of supporter efforts. Such a positive and passionate fan base thrives on new blood and new ideas, so what are you waiting for? Get down 'Daira and get involved!
The season starts in March when it can still be quite chilly, and runs through spring, summer (typhoon season included) before ending in December. In Shizuoka the full range of the varied Japanese weather is encompassed, and with the majority of the ground being uncovered, you need to come prepared. Brollies aren't an option during the game, so for the wet days you'll need a decent rain coat, or you can buy a highly fashionable orange plastic mac at the ground. In the summer Shiz gets very hot and humid, and you run the opposite risk of being burnt to a crisp, so pack the suntan cream.
Aside from that, you may want to take BEER. You're more than welcome to bring your own booze, indeed there are special bins put aside for empty cans. There are no Draconian European-style drink laws in the J. League, so get a six pack on your way to 'Daira and enjoy.
Beer is also available inside, but at ￥600 a pop you're paying more than double you would in a convenience store, so it's really worth picking some up before. Many people get to the game when the gates open two to three hours before kick off, so if you're one of them, throw a pack of cards in your bag to help pass the time. Saying that, with the option of relaxing in the sunshine with a few beers, the time goes surprisingly fast! One more word to wise - when S-Pa win, it best not to leave right away. Stick around and you'll see why. :) Away Games
As any football fan will tell you, home games are only half the fun of supporting a team. Heading out on the road in your colours is a totally different experience, so why not take it to the next level with some away game action? As a foreigner in Japan, what better way to see some of this great land than combining sightseeing with an S-Pulse away day to Tokyo (pictured) / Osaka / Yokohama / Kyoto etc? Unless you join an official tour bus, away tickets can't be bought at the club shop, so you'll have to get them from a convenience store which can be done as described above.
For help getting to away games, this site is invaluable for finding out information on the J. League’s many stadiums. Amongst other stuff, it gives you details of the nearest stations and bus stops to the ground. This information, used together with the rail journey planner found here, will give you everything you need to know to get to an away game. Another useful place to look for info about stadium access etc is the ground in question’s Wikipedia page. A good example of this is Ecopa’s article.
S-Pa have a good away following, and being located slap bang in the centre of Honshu, we're in easy reach of many other J1 teams, so join the fun.
S-Pulse Merchandise
If you're not quite ready to start making your own S-Pulse shirts, scarves, toys etc, all the above are of course available in their official, club produced incarnations. You can find these either in the club shops mentioned above, or the various other S-Pulse themed places in and around Shizuoka; pictured is S-Pulse Dream Plaza in Shimizu. Alternatively, you buy pretty much anything you need at the ground on match days, and in doing so rest safe in the knowledge you're also contributing to the fund for our next big signing.
The official online shop does not have an English language service, nor does it offer international delivery. There are a few websites which sell J. League shirts, but whenever I've searched they all seem either out of date or out of stock. If you're aware of a good, up-to-date retailer, do leave a comment so we can add the link here.
Other Stuff
You can learn all about the one S-Pulse song you can't do without, Loco Loco, here. Other than that, good sources of general information in English are the team's Wiki page, Nihondaira'sWiki page, The Rising Sun's S-Pa page, and of course the official English home page. If there's anything else you need to know, (or if I made any mistakes!) just leave a comment and I'll add the info. Hopefully this guide was useful, and you'll enjoy being a fan of a unique footballing experience - Shimizu S-Pulse! If you need any further convincing to get down to 'Daira, here's a compilation video I threw together myself with just a tiny selection of the fun to be had as an S-Pa fan - enjoy!
Barry writes:
The long road to Ecopa
They said it was for "children only" :(
Ole!
New look S-Pulse
You should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back, or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure. Expectant mothers should not ride.
Youngberry had a decent game
