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J.League Side Gamba Osaka Raises $114M For New 40,000-Seat Stadium

Reigning J.League champions Gamba Osaka has raised ¥14B ($114M) for its new 40,000-seater stadium, slated to be completed this fall and be ready for use when the next season begins in March. The club has been raising money for the project since '10 and will now be able to add features including a retractable roof, exec boxes and a second big screen, which it would have sacrificed had it not hit its full target. A total of ¥9.95B ($81M) was donated by 721 companies, ¥3.5B ($27M) from the J.League toto lottery and government funding, along with ¥622M ($5.4M) by 34,627 individuals. Funding was hit by the club's relegation two seasons ago, but was picked up again after it achieved an unprecedented league and two-cup treble after promotion back to the top tier last year. The new stadium is purpose-built for football, with seating close to the pitch and an energy-efficient design, including solar panels on the roof, which helped it get public money. The stadium meets int'l standards and the club is hoping to host games for the Japan national side and major tournaments. "We would like to hold football games for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the World Cup, if it is held in Japan again, but the final decisions are made by the organizing committees, not us," a Gamba spokesperson told SBD Global. With controversy continuing over the spiraling cost of the 80,000-seater Tokyo Olympic stadium -- now estimated at ¥252B ($2.05B) -- Gamba's new home, with a budget of around 5% of the '20 centerpiece, is attracting inevitable comparisons.
Gavin Blair is a writer in Tokyo.

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