My mother's first soccer match. The stage is the Kyushu Derby ⚽️

Peace Stadium, which opened in Nagasaki City in October 2024.
It is the home ground of the soccer club 'V-Varen Nagasaki'.
This is a record of taking my mother to watch her first match at this brand-new stadium.

The reason for watching was because 'a new stadium was built'.

October 27, 2024.
The second home match held after the stadium was completed.
On this day, I watched a soccer match for the first time at Peace Stadium with my mother, who is over 60.
For my mother, it was...her first time ever watching a soccer match!

Because I would often hang out at Stadium City, take photos, and send them to her on LINE,'I want to go to the stadium, and maybe even watch a match!'she seemed to think (lol).

When I invited her, saying, 'You can still get tickets now, want to go together?', she replied immediately, 'Yes, let's go!!'.
We booked through the Stadium City app and headed off to watch the match!

Since we're at it, let's walk from the station.

The sidewalk from Nagasaki Station to Stadium City is well-maintained, so this time we decided to walk to the stadium from the station.
Although both of us were born and raised in this town, the landscape around the station has changed significantly due to the major development over the last few years. As we walked along, sharing our thoughts on this and that, we arrived at the stadium in no time.

Our first match was from the 4th floor of the main stand. The reason for choosing these seats was...

Neither my mother nor I are used to watching soccer matches.
I thought C seats, which are reasonably priced, would be good for beginners, but those seats view the pitch from the end.
I was a bit hesitant, butto make it easier to understand the flow of the game, I chose the upper level of the A seats in the main stand, where you can view the pitch from the side.
(*The official website had an image showing 'this is what the view looks like from these seats', which was very helpful when choosing seats.)

Since we were in the main stand seats, we could also see customers watching from the balconies of the attached hotel. It must be nice to watch from a balcony~
And it's also unfair that the food court on the opposite side is right at eye level. It just keeps whetting your appetite (lol).

'Hey look, there's a huge line at Marion Crepes!'
'The Sasebo Burger place, Kaya, is also very popular. Actually, it's amazing that you can even see the shop signs from here.'

At the Nagasaki stadium, except for the 'enthusiastic' area, you can bring uniforms and cheering goods for either team!
Since our seats were close to the away side, the people around us were a mix of home and away supporters.
Depending on how the game unfolded, everyone shared in the joy and sorrow.
Perhaps because it was the Kyushu Derby, it was completely peaceful with no trouble.

People were enjoying the food, visiting with mascot plushies, talking passionately about the game with friends, or taking photos with cameras...everyone has their own way of enjoying and cheering.

Because we were in the back seats, I'm glad we were able to experience this free atmosphere.

~My mother's first match was the 'Kyushu Derby'~

The opponent was Kagoshima United FC.
It's the 'Kyushu Derby' against V-Varen Nagasaki!

On this day, since it was a match between Kyushu clubs, an event called 'Kyushu da J' was also held, and many mascot characters participated. Many children also came, and the whole stadium was very lively.

Nagasaki won the match!

V-Varen Nagasaki won 4-1.
Nagura and Matheus scored in the first half, and Masuyama and Matheus scored in the second half. Matheus's technical shot after a solo run was so wonderful that I could truly say, 'I'm so glad I came here today!'I couldn't help but high-five my mother in joy.

My favorite cheer, 'Entertainer ⛱️'

When V-Varen scores, the enthusiastic supporters' section on the Nagasaki sidesings 'Entertainer' while spinning parasols.
Don't you think it's a great cheer, knowing that while they are having a very cheerful festival-like celebration with joy exploding, they are also praising the player who scored as an 'entertainer'?
This is my favorite cheer, and I really wanted my mother to see it for her first match. My mother also liked it, saying, 'That's nice!'

Kagoshima's support was also amazing!

Since I touched on Nagasaki's support, I would also like to make special mention of the wonderful support from the opposing team's Kagoshima supporters.

The Kagoshima supporters' clapping was perfectly synchronized, and their chants were sharp and impressive.
It was refreshing, passionate, and pleasant to the ears!
It was so addictive that I found myself humming along for a while.
I'll keep it a secret that I almost accidentally clapped for the away team (lol).

Oh, and there is one unforgettable misunderstanding I have to mention.
During the match, one of the chants sounded like "Miyazaki, Kagoshima~♪," and my mother and I were trembling, thinking, "What a strong resolve to represent Southern Kyushu!?" But after we got home and looked up the Kagoshima chants,
the real lyrics were "

We are united Kagoshima!." Because of the echo from the stadium roof,

the English part just sounded like "Miyazaki"... lol

But there is no doubt that the support was full of energy and unity, enough to make us mishear it like that.

Kagoshima to Nagasaki is actually quite a distance.
I felt genuine gratitude and respect for the supporters who traveled all that way, especially since access by land is not very convenient.
I would be happy if they came again when there is another match. And since their support was so good, I even thought I would like to go see a match if I ever visit Kagoshima.

Rivals during the match. But we can respect each other.

It makes me a little proud that clubs with such a relationship are in the same Kyushu region.
My mother also said, "I want to watch another match~," so I'm glad she truly enjoyed her first time watching.

After the match, soccer topics have increased in our daily lives ⚽️

My mother and I both have jobs, so we can't go to every match to support them, but since watching this match, we've started checking the results on Nagasaki's match days.
"Did they win today? How did it go?" "Player so-and-so scored today," and so on—soccer topics are gradually increasing in our daily lives. It's fun!

Aside

※By the way, that misheard chant was entirely a problem with my ears and English ability...!
To all the Kagoshima supporters, thank you so much for the truly wonderful support. The many chants were pleasant to listen to and made me want to clap along, and I enjoyed them from the bottom of my heart!

Next time preview: I also went to watch basketball 🏀

Since a stadium was built and I was able to watch a soccer match,
it makes me want to go to the basketball arena next to it, right?
For this series, I plan to write about watching basketball next time.

The stadium-related series is compiled in a magazine below