Imabari Satoyama Stadium Ehime Prefecture

Japan Stadiums: Imabari Satoyama Stadium, Ehime Prefecture

ASICS Imabari Satoyama Stadium (アシックス里山スタジアム) so-called for sponsorship reasons is a soccer-specific stadium in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku.

The venue is the home ground of J.League club FC Imabari and also hosts other events.

Imabari Satoyama Stadium, Ehime Prefecture. — Floodlighting

History & Capacity

Imabari Satoyama Stadium is a football-specific stadium located within Takahashi Fureai no Oka Sports Park in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture. Privately developed and operated by Imabari Yume Village, a subsidiary of FC Imabari's operating company, it serves as the home of FC Imabari. Sporting-goods manufacturer ASICS, which supplies FC Imabari, acquired the stadium's naming rights in 2024, resulting in its current name, Asics Satoyama Stadium.

The venue now (2026) has a total capacity for 8,848 spectators up from the previous 5,316.

After former Samurai Blue manager Takeshi Okada took over FC Imabari in 2014, he set out a vision for the club to reach the J1 League by 2025, supported by plans for a new 20,000-capacity stadium complex.

As the club progressed through the leagues, a new ground became necessary to meet J.League requirements. Arigato Service Dream Stadium was built in 2016, allowing FC Imabari to move there in 2017, but Okada later proposed a larger 15,000-seat stadium on vacant Sports Park land in Imabari.

The project was funded through approximately ¥4 billion in contributions from local companies and banks, with the city providing the land. Originally scheduled to begin in 2020, construction was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, with work eventually starting in November 2021. Satoyama Stadium was completed for the 2023 J3 League season and officially opened on 29 January 2023.

FC Imabari played their first competitive match there on 5 March, defeating Fukushima United 1-0 in front of a club-record 5,424 spectators. During the 2023 season, the stadium hosted 19 home matches with an average attendance of 3,711.

Stats

ASICS Satoyama Stadium occupies a 5.7-hectare site that also includes a dog park, outdoor event space and other community facilities, reflecting its aim of connecting FC Imabari with the local community and revitalising the area.

Built on a hillside, the open-air stadium offers views over Imabari and incorporates the Japanese satoyama concept of coexistence between people and nature.

Its design also draws on a pirate-ship theme inspired by Imabari's historic association with the Murakami maritime clans. The steel stands are built on a concrete base designed to allow future expansion. The two-tiered main stand has a roof covering most of its seats, while the other three sides are open.

Premium central seats feature cushions and drink holders, with wheelchair spaces provided in the main stand and behind the north goal, where away supporters are also accommodated. The stands are positioned just eight metres from the pitch.

Facilities

Facilities include 14 VIP rooms, 15 special seats, meeting and lounge areas, and media and broadcast facilities. The toilet blocks use recycled shipping containers originally deployed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, reinforcing the stadium's maritime theme.

In September 2025, plans were announced to add approximately 3,500 seats, increasing capacity to around 8,900, with construction scheduled to begin after the 2025 J2 League season and completion planned for August 2026.

Originally known as Imabari Satoyama Stadium, the ground was renamed ASICS Satoyama Stadium after ASICS acquired the naming rights in 2024 under an agreement running until January 2029.

FC Imabari

FC Imabari presently compete in J2, the second tier of football in Japan.

FC Imabari was founded in 1976 and reached the Shikoku Football League in 2001. From 2009 to 2011, the club operated as the reserve team of Ehime FC under the name Ehime FC Shimanami, before former Japan national team manager Takeshi Okada acquired a majority stake in 2014.

In 2016, FC Imabari was recognised as a J.League Hundred Year Vision club and won the Regional Promotion Series, earning promotion to the Japan Football League (JFL). After finishing third in the 2019 JFL season, the club gained promotion to the J3 League for the first time and entered Japan's professional football system.

FC Imabari obtained a J2 license in 2021 and, on 10 November 2024, secured promotion to the J2 League for the first time after five seasons in the third tier. In September 2025, the club was granted a J1 League license, making it eligible for promotion to Japan's top division.

Derbies

Imabari have a passionate rivalry with prefectural neighbors Ehime FC. This derby is known as the 'Iyo Kessen' (伊予決戦) in Japanese. In 2023 Ehime FC secured the J3 League title and promotion to J2 by defeating Imabari 1-0 in a high-stakes game. There are other less-fierce rivalries with such Shikoku-based clubs as Tokushima Vortis, Kamatamare Sanuki and Kochi United.

Home to Imabari FC. — The stadium is set in some pleasant countryside

Notable Players

Notable players associated with FC Imabari include Hiroki Abe, a former Japan international and Barcelona Atlètic player who joined from Urawa Red Diamonds, and Brazilian striker Edigar Junio, an experienced J.League forward who has represented V-Varen Nagasaki and Yokohama F. Marinos. Serbian attacking midfielder Aleksandar Paločević is another notable figure, having played in top European and Asian leagues, while Yumeki Yokoyama is a promising forward who developed at Imabari before earning a move to Cerezo Osaka.

Superfan. — Mr Imabari FC Nobuyoshi Takaishi

Access - Getting There

ASICS Satoyama Stadium is about 10 minutes by taxi or 15 minutes by bus from Imabari Station on the JR Yosan Line. By bus, take a Setouchi Bus from Imabari Ekimae towards AEON Mall Imabari Shintoshi; the stadium is around a 10-minute walk from the AEON Mall bus stop.

By car, the stadium is approximately five minutes from the Imabari Interchange on the Nishiseto Expressway or 25 minutes from the Imabari Yonoura Interchange on the Matsuyama Expressway.

Address: 1-3 Takahashi Fureai no Oka, Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, 794-0067

Wheelchair reserved seating. — Wheelchair reserved seating

Accessibility

ASICS Satoyama Stadium has comprehensive barrier-free facilities for wheelchair users, with ramps at the north and south gates and a separate accessible entrance for visiting supporters.

Staff can assist wheelchair users from the entrances to designated viewing areas, which are provided on both the home (south) and visitor/mixed (north) sides, with companion seating available alongside.

Accessible pathways are approximately 130–135 cm wide and feature safety handrails, while barrier-free restrooms near both sections of the main stand have automatic sliding doors, washlet toilets and adult-sized changing beds. Designated accessible parking spaces are also available close to the stadium.