Archive for the ‘best football pitch in the world’ Category
The Best Football Pitch In The World
I played there with my team Myatts Park Rangers in summer 1994. The grass was green and imperial, tanks and cannons overlooked the pitch. We were used to playing in violent surroundings. A woman getting attacked with a machete once interrupted a game at our training ground in Brixton. Our managers white car was covered in blood.
In Amino, Kyoto-fu, Japan, there is a beach side pitch. Situated within a long throw of the Sea of Japan, undulating waves hugging one touchline, it is a jewel. Its luscious green turf a precious emerald in the desert of sand pitches that provide the majority of Japanese playing surfaces. The only thing violent about it is the passions it stirs.
Thick, spongy and carpet like underfoot I imagined myself playing at the old Wembley as my passes slowed dramatically before reaching their target. Prior to kickoff I asked a team mate which he preferred, grass or sand. His preference lay with sand reasoning that it was easy to turn an ankle on grass.
The proximity of the beach, waves, breaks and surfers is what lends this pitch its real majesty. Playing to the sound of the sea was a memorable experience. The crowd was minimal but the roar of the waves made a lasting impression.
The game itself was a comfortable victory for Team Silver. Playing in the yellow and blue of Palermo, we comfortably overcame Amilan, 3-1. A final whistle confrontation between our striker and a member of the opposition marred proceedings. A regular occurrence at home, this football pitch almost-violence was most unexpected and felt particularly illegal and alien in such picturesque surroundings.
I have been to some impressive footballing theatres, San Siro in Milan being particularly dramatic, but this was the most beautiful pitch I have seen or played on.
