Gamba Win New Home Suita City Football Stadium Opener

OSAKA, JAPAN - FEB. 14: Gamba Osaka celebrated the first game of their new home ground Suita City Football Stadium with a 3-1 win over Nagoya Grampus on Sunday in front of more than 35,000 spectators. The 40,000-seater stadium, a 15-minute walk away from their old Expo Stadium across the Expo '70 Commemorative Park, is the first stadium in Japan to be built by a club-initiated move to raise funds through company and individual donations. Built for 14 billion yen, the stands are only seven meters from the pitch at their closest, and are adorned with the name plates of individual donators. "The pitch is close to the seats and there's that atmosphere too," said Gamba and former Japan midfielder Yasuhito Endo. "If we get as many (spectators) every game, it'll be a fantastic stadium."