City Football Station
| シティ フットボール ステーション | |
 View of the main stand | |
 Interactive map of City Football Station | |
Full name | City Football Station |
|---|---|
| Address | 1038-1 Mitani, Iwafume-cho, Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Location | Iwafune, Tochigi, Japan |
| Coordinates | 36°20′15″N 139°38′43″E / 36.33750°N 139.64528°E |
| Owner | Nippon Rika Industries Corporation |
| Operator | The Tochigi City United |
Seating type | Stadium seating |
| Capacity | 5,085[1] |
| Type | Stadium |
| Event | Sporting events |
| Surface | Grass |
Record attendance | 4,581 (Tochigi City–AC Nagano Parceiro, 23 November 2025)[2] |
| Public transit |  JR East:Ryōmō Line at Iwafune Station |
| Construction | |
| Built | March 2020–March 2021 |
| Opened | March 2021 |
Cost | Approx. ¥1.7 billion (US$15.49 million) |
Main contractors | Obayashi Corporation |
| Tenants | |
| Tochigi City | |
City Football Station (シティ フットボール ステーション) is a football stadium in Tochigi, Japan, which has a seating capacity of 5,085. It has been the home of Tochigi City since 2021.
History
[edit]On 3 December 2018, Takashi Oguri, president of Tochigi City FC (formerly Tochigi Uva FC), presented a formal request letter to Tochigi City Mayor Hideko Ōkawa outlining the club's ambitions for a new stadium. The proposals included the construction of a football-specific stadium open to the local community, an adjacent natural grass training pitch, player and staff accommodation, and a food and beverage mall. The club also requested financial support through public grants and subsidies, and sought cooperation from the city in areas including personnel development and staffing. The requests were broadly tied to the club's ambition to join the J.League, with the city's cooperation in securing land for the stadium considered a key part of achieving this goal, as J.League regulations require clubs to have a dedicated stadium with a minimum capacity of 5,000 seats.[3][4]
The club identified Iwafune Athletic Park in Tochigi City as its preferred site for the new stadium, with the planned construction area located in the western part of the park, requiring the demolition of existing paid public facilities on the site, including a baseball stadium, athletics stadium, and football pitch.[5] A public information session was held on 13 January 2020, at which the club revealed initial imagery of the proposed stadium.[6] The design was handled by Plantec General Planning Office, with Obayashi Corporation subsequently selected as the contractor. Construction was planned to begin by the end of the fiscal year, with completion targeted for October 2020. Construction costs, estimated at between one and 1.5 billion yen, were to be fully funded by Nippon Rika Kogyosho, the club's largest sponsor and a company also presided over by club president Takashi Ōkuri. The city of Tochigi indicated it would not contribute to construction costs, but was considering making the site available to the club free of charge in order to support local regeneration.[7][8][9]
Although construction continued into 2021, the first match was scheduled to be played on 14 March of that year.[10] Tochigi City won the training match 2–0 against Mito HollyHock in front of a small, members-only crowd due to COVID-19 restrictions still being in place.[11][12] The first league game played was a 2–1 defeat to Esperanza SC in the Kantō Regional League.[13]
In July 2025, during Tochigi City's first season in the J.League, a roof was installed behind the home goal.[14] At the J.League Board of Directors meeting on 25 September, the club was granted a J2 club licence for the J2/J3 100 Year Vision League.[15] Although the stadium does not fully meet J2 standards in terms of capacity and roof coverage, an exception to the facility requirements was applied on the basis that the capacity satisfies the J.League's "ideal stadium" criteria. The stadium currently does not meet the requirement for all spectator seats to be covered, though the club has committed to addressing this through staged renovations over a five-year grace period.[16]
Structure and facilities
[edit]
City Football Station is equipped with four floodlight towers and has a capacity of 5,085. A notable design feature is the distance of just five metres between the pitch and the nearest spectator seating.[17] The main stand features backrest seating throughout and a roof covering its central section, while the area behind each goal offers standing accommodation with railings on the home side and a grass seating area on the away side. Spectator seating is finished in the club's colours of navy and white. A large video screen is installed at the rear of the back stand. The stadium is also equipped with a sub-ground training pitch and a two-storey clubhouse.[18]
Beyond the pitch itself, the ground includes a dedicated club shop, an events stage, and around 60 food and beverage spaces, including stalls and food trucks. The stadium was deliberately named "Station" rather than "Stadium" or "Arena", reflecting club president Oguri's intention for it to serve as a communal gathering place rather than a purely sporting venue.[19]
Legal dispute
[edit]In developing the stadium, the city and Tochigi City FC had signed a memorandum of understanding in which the city would fully exempt the site from property tax and park usage fees for up to ten years following completion.[20] The arrangement drew criticism from some members of the city council, who raised concerns about delays in amending a related ordinance that prohibited the use of the park for purposes other than those originally intended. An amendment bill was subsequently submitted at the September regular session, accompanied by a formal apology from the city, and passed with a majority vote.[21]
On 21 May 2021, a group of 50 Tochigi citizens filed a lawsuit against the city and Mayor Ōkawa in the Utsunomiya District Court, seeking an injunction against the property tax exemption and a declaration that the waiving of park usage fees during the construction period had been unlawful.[22] The city argued that the arrangement was justified by the public benefit of the stadium, but the court ruled against it in January 2022, finding that this public benefit case could not be substantiated on objectively verifiable grounds. The ruling prohibited the reduction of property tax going forward and declared the reduction of park usage fees illegal.[23] Tochigi City appealed to the Tokyo High Court, but the appeal was dismissed in October 2023.[24]
Following the dismissal, the city announced it would not pursue a further appeal and would seek recovery of approximately ¥6 million (US$54,669.7) in property taxes and approximately ¥47.9 million (US$436,446.47) in park usage fees from Nippon Rika Kogyosho.[25] The company subsequently began making payments, but filed a counter-claim against the city seeking damages of more than ¥167 million (US$1.52 million) — equivalent to ten years of property taxes and park usage fees — on the grounds that the city had failed to honour the original memorandum of understanding.[26]
Transport
[edit]Train
[edit]- 30–40 minutes on foot or 5 minutes in a taxi from Iwafune Station on the Ryōmō Line
Bus
[edit]- The "Fureai Bus" connects Tochigi Station and Iwafune Station with the stadium and is available at the adjacent City Gym & Spa (Yurakukan).
Car
[edit]- 10 minutes from Sano-Fujioka interchange on the Tōhoku Expressway.[27]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "【ＣＦＳ】日本フットボールリーグオフィシャルWebサイト". www.jfl.or.jp. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "2025 Tochigi City Attendance". Soccer D.B. Japan. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ↑ "ピッチと観客 日本一近く 天然芝、5129人栃木シティＦＣスタジアム計画" [Tochigi Uva "Provide stadium land" - Seven requests to Tochigi city, serious about joining J League]. 下野新聞 SOON (in Japanese). 4 December 2018. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ↑ "栃木市役所へ要望書提出" (in Japanese). Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ↑ "岩舟総合運動公園の有料公園施設及び栃木市公園条例等の一部改正について". 栃木市ホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ↑ "広報 とちぎ" (pdf) (in Japanese). p. 15. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
- ↑ "工事・計画" [Construction and Planning] (in Japanese). 16 January 2020. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ↑ "ピッチと観客 日本一近く 天然芝、5129人収容 栃木シティＦＣスタジアム計画" [Tochigi City FC Stadium: Nearly the largest pitch and spectators in Japan, with natural grass and a capacity of 5,129] (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ↑ "【施工は大林組、１０月完成へ】栃木シティＦＣ、栃木市内にサッカー専用スタジアム建設". 【施工は大林組、１０月完成へ】栃木シティＦＣ、栃木市内にサッカー専用スタジアム建設 ~ 日刊建設工業新聞ブログ. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ↑ "【TOP】オフィシャルトレーニングマッチ開催のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ↑ "【TOP】オフィシャルトレーニングマッチ結果報告" (in Japanese). 14 March 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ↑ "【NEWS】オフィシャルトレーニングマッチご招待について" (in Japanese). 2 March 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ↑ "第55回関東サッカーリーグ1部前期1節" (in Japanese). Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ↑ "ホームゲームにおける大旗使用可能エリア変更のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ↑ "栃木シティにＪ２ライセンス交付 ｜下野新聞デジタル". 下野新聞デジタル (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ↑ "公益社団法人 日本プロサッカーリーグ（Ｊリーグ）". 公益社団法人 日本プロサッカーリーグ（Ｊリーグ） (in Japanese). Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ↑ "スタジアム情報" (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "栃木シティFCの驚異的な快進撃". SportsPressJP (in Japanese). 28 November 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "関東リーグとは思えぬスタジアムが栃木市に作られた理由 大栗崇司（栃木シティフットボールクラブ代表）＜１／２＞". 宇都宮徹壱ウェブマガジン (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "建設中のサッカースタジアム、栃木市が固定資産税免除の覚書「条例逸脱」との指摘も". 毎日新聞 (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "栃木市議会だより第46号（9月定例会）" [Tochigi City Council Newsletter No. 46 (September Regular Session)] (pdf) (in Japanese). 20 November 2020. p. 4. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "栃木市民が市を提訴 サッカー場使用料など巡り ／栃木" [Tochigi citizens sue city over soccer field usage fees, etc.]. 毎日新聞 (in Japanese). 22 May 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ Takuya Ikeda; Atsuo Negishi (28 January 2022). "サッカー場設置した会社への使用料免除は「違法」 原告側が全面勝訴：朝日新聞" [The plaintiffs win a full victory in court, claiming that the exemption of the company that built the soccer field from usage fees was "illegal."]. 朝日新聞 (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "サッカースタジアム訴訟、栃木市側全面敗訴 税免除「合理性ない」 控訴審、東京高裁判決でも｜下野新聞デジタル" [Tochigi City loses completely in soccer stadium lawsuit; tax exemption deemed "unreasonable" in appeal trial, Tokyo High Court also ruled.]. 下野新聞デジタル (in Japanese). 18 October 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "スタジアム訴訟、上告正式に断念 栃木市「住民と対立長引くの本意でない」 住民「根本的な反省なく残念」｜下野新聞デジタル" [Stadium lawsuit: Appeal formally abandoned. Tochigi City: "We did not want the conflict with residents to drag on." Residents: "It's disappointing that there is no fundamental reflection."]. 下野新聞デジタル (in Japanese). 2 November 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "サッカー栃木シティの親会社が市を提訴、覚書「不履行」で賠償請求：朝日新聞" [The parent company of Tochigi City football club has sued the city, seeking damages for "failure to fulfill" a memorandum of understanding.]. 朝日新聞 (in Japanese). 1 February 2025. Retrieved 21 March 2026.
- ↑ "【ＣＦＳ】日本フットボールリーグオフィシャルWebサイト". www.jfl.or.jp. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
