◆ Sports Hochi Journalist Column "From Ryogoku"
Nippon-Ham 's farm team has tentatively decided to relocate to Eniwa City, Hokkaido. They aim to open the facility in 2030-2031. The site covers 46 hectares, roughly the size of 10 Tokyo Domes, or slightly smaller than Tokyo Disneyland's 51 hectares. The facility will include an open-air main stadium, an indoor practice field, player dormitories, a sub-ground, as well as accommodation, residences, commercial facilities, and research facilities. More than just a farm team base, they are aiming to create a new town.
The advantages for the team are significant. In addition to the improved facilities, the fact that Escon Field is only about 10 kilometers away, a 20-minute drive, is a major advantage compared to Yakult, which has also announced a farm team relocation to Moriya City in Ibaraki Prefecture, and Lotte, which has decided to relocate to Kimitsu City in Chiba ES CON FIELD, both of which are located far from their first-team home stadiums.
This will make it easier to rotate players, and farm team games can also be used to help first-team players adjust. Manager Shinjo laughed and said, "It's been 30 years, right? That's an era that doesn't concern me," but he welcomed the idea, saying, "These kids are really lucky. They've even built mound in the indoor practice facility, so first-team pitcher can throw anytime." He also mentioned that they are considering using Escon during the harsh weather conditions of early spring.
The difference from F Village is that it's not so much a place where people gather, but rather an area where people can live comfortably. The total investment was described as "over 20 billion or 30 billion yen." It's located almost midway between Sapporo and New Chitose Airport. How will this area, which most people just pass through, be transformed? From what those involved have said, the image that comes to mind is a beautiful and attractive yet practical and functional town. I hope that the new "The Fighters Town" will far exceed the limited imagination of this reporter. (Yasushi Yamaguchi, Nippon-Ham correspondent)
◆Hirofumi Yamaguchi: Joined the company in 2001. Covered teams such as Nippon-Ham, Yakult, and Rakuten Eagles.
