Japan Stadiums: Sun Village Hamada Soccer Ground, Hamada, Shimane Prefecture
Sun Village Hamada Soccer Ground (サン・ビレッジ浜田サッカーグラウンド) is a soccer stadium in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture on the Japan Sea coast. It is part of a larger leisure complex that includes an indoor ice rink which is presently closed and other sports facilities.
It is the home ground of Belugarosso Iwami who complete in the Chugoku Soccer League, part of the fifth tier of football in Japan.
History & Capacity
The playing surface is artificial turf with floodlighting. Only one side of the ground is open to spectators. Jobs-worth stewards patrol the area behind one of the goals removing anyone who has strayed here. The pitch is also open for futsal games during the week under the lights (if required).
There is a good variety of food trucks (kitchen cars in Japanese) on match days and an ear-splitting MC.
The ground has a total capacity of around 2,000 people.
Belugarosso Iwami
The club date from 1977 and a team called Bunkers. The present name, adopted in 2023, comes from the much-loved Beluga whales at Hamada Aquarium and the color of the team's shirts, which derive from the red of the setting sun and the passion of the local populace, supposedly.
Beluga won the Shimane Prefecture League 1st Division in 2018 and gained promotion to the Chugoku Soccer League.
In 2023, Rosso qualified for the Emperor's Cup for the first time in 14 years, but lost in the first round to Kochi United.
Access - Getting There
The ground is just under 7 km northeast of Hamada along the picturesque coast towards Gotsu.
The closest station is JR Hamada Station on the San'in Main Line. There are buses from Hamada Station but they do not go directly to Sun Village. From the nearest bus stop (Kokubunji) it is still a 20 minute walk. A free shuttle bus does run from the large car park up the hill to the ground on match days and back again after the game.
Fairly regular express buses run to Hamada from Hiroshima (on the Shinkansen Line from Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo) and take about 2 hours, 30 minutes. Buses depart from the north exit of Hiroshima Station and also stop at Hiroshima Bus Station near Sanfrecce's Edion Peace Wing Stadium.
Address: 2457 Kamikoucho, Hamada, Shimane 697-0005
Nearby Hotels
Hamada-shi is the most convenient place to stay if visiting the area and there are a several decent business hotels near the station.
Some recommendations include Toyoko Inn Hamada-eki Kitaguchi, a 3-star property a short walk from the station.
The Hotel Route Inn Hamada is another business hotel, also at the JR station.
See a range of hotels and other accommodation options in Hamada.
More J.League Stadiums
Sanga Stadium by Kyocera Kyoto
Tosu Stadium (Ekimae Real Estate Stadium)
Toyota Stadium Aichi Prefecture
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