Nippon-Ham held a press conference at Escon on the 2nd and announced that the location for their farm team relocation has been tentatively decided as Eniwa City, Hokkaido. They aim to open the facility in 2030 or 2031.

The site will be located between JR Chitose Line's Megumino Station and Shimamatsu Station, covering a total of 46 hectares. This is a vast area, roughly equivalent to 10 Tokyo Dome. The facilities will be a hybrid of public and private construction, but the details will be finalized in the future. Plans include a main stadium with a capacity of 3,000 to 5,000 people, an indoor practice facility, a players' dormitory, commercial spaces, residential areas, and accommodation facilities.

The search for the new home base for Nippon-Ham' farm team had been narrowed down to three cities: Eniwa, Ebetsu, and Tomakomai. Ultimately, Eniwa was chosen because of its easy access from Sapporo, Kitahiroshima (where Escon is located), and New Chitose Airport.

Mayor Yoshito Goto of Ebetsu City, whose city was unfortunately not selected, commented, "We received strong support from many citizens and many voices expressing hope that our bid would be realized, but unfortunately our city was not selected. I apologize for this and express my gratitude for the support we have received so far." He concluded by saying, "I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Eniwa City, and I hope that the relocation of the farm facility within Hokkaido will lead to the revitalization of Hokkaido as a whole, more than ever before, so I pray for the success of the project."

Below is the full text of Mayor Goto's comments from Ebetsu City.

Today, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters team announced that Eniwa City has been selected as the new location for their farm team facilities, and that our city was not chosen.

In our city, since the baseball team officially announced its plan to relocate its farm team facilities within Hokkaido (ONE BASE HOKKAIDO plan) last July, we established a project team within the city hall and have been actively holding discussions and considering options, striving to make the relocation a reality.

Furthermore, prior to this, in May of last year, a committee was established by volunteers from the citizens to promote the project, and we received encouraging support and many voices of hope that the project would be realized from many citizens. We apologize for the unfortunate fact that our city was not selected, and we would like to express our gratitude for the support we have received so far.

Although we were unable to attract a farm facility to Ebetsu City, I believe that this effort to attract such a facility allowed me to feel a sense of unity with the citizens and to express my own vision for community development as mayor. This will be a great asset for future community development.

Finally, I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Eniwa City, which has been selected as the relocation site. I also hope that the relocation of the farm facilities within Hokkaido will contribute to the revitalization of Hokkaido as a whole, and I wish the project great success.

July 2, 2020

Ebetsu Mayor Yoshito Goto