Football in Kobe

Kobe, one of the most important port cities of Japan, fringes the serene and peaceful Seto Inland Sea. It is city that has been through a lot, survived a major natural disaster and emerged even stronger. In spite of everything Kobe does not lag behind any other city in terms of its enthusiasm and its liveliness is really very hard to miss. This is proved by the fact that Kobe is filled with numerous sport enthusiasts. football, baseball, karate, sumo, golf are the most-liked sports in Kobe . Among these Football in Kobe is something that is growing considerably in its popularity. Playing football for fun or cheering professional football is one of the favorite past times in Kobe.

Football in Kobe mostly focuses around Vissel Kobe, a professional football club. It features in the professional soccer league of Japan, known as the J-league. This Football Club of Kobe was formed as early as 1966, but it was more or less an amateur association then. However it is only in 1995 that the Vissel Kobe was taken into the Japan Football League and people started being more and more passionate about this sport. At present Vissel Kobe plays Division 1 in the J-league.

In Kobe, Football is played mainly in Kobe Wing Stadium, which is also the home stadium of the Vissel Kobe. Situated in Hyogo-ku, this Stadium in Kobe has held some of the matches of the Football World Cup 2002. It has a seating space for more than 34,000 spectators.

Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium is the one of largest Kobe Stadiums having a capacity for more than 60,000 people. Though it is a multi purpose stadium, it is a major venue for Football in Kobe , especially when there are lots of spectators.