What is this collaboration between soccer and music!? We attended the spectacular event ‘GAMBA SONIC’ featuring renowned artists! | Event Report
Hello! I’m Iizuka, a first-year employee who joined the company in April 2022, working in the Sports division of the Public Relations Business Headquarters, Bureau 3!
How do you spend your weekends? Whether relaxing at home or enjoying hobbies, everyone has their own way of having fun.
I must confess, I am a huge, huge, huge fan of the soccer club Gamba Osaka! So I spend most of my weekends watching soccer.
This time, Gamba Osaka was hosting an event called ‘GAMBA SONIC’ for the first time, so I went to their home stadium, Panasonic Stadium Suita!
The memorable first ‘GAMBA SONIC.’ It was an event full of highlights that anyone could enjoy, even without detailed knowledge of soccer—perfect for sports viewing beginners. As a club fan myself, I’d like to report on how it went!
What is GAMBA SONIC?
First, let me briefly introduce what GAMBA SONIC actually is!
Last October, marking its 30th anniversary, Gamba Osaka adopted a new brand concept: “JAPAN’S BEST SPORTS EXPERIENCE BRAND,” and has been taking on challenges to create new experiences both inside and outside the stadium.
As part of this initiative, ‘GAMBA SONIC,’ an event collaborating with music—which has high affinity with sports—was held for the first time.
Off to the stadium!
About 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station, I arrived at Bampaku-kinen-koen Station (Osaka Monorail), the nearest station to the stadium. As I headed to the stadium, the path from the station was decorated with Gamba Osaka banners and player photos, which got me excited!
Panasonic Stadium Suita
Walking past these decorations that are irresistible to Gamba Osaka fans, I arrived at the stadium in no time! This is “Panasonic Stadium Suita,” affectionately known as “Panasta.” The stylish exterior, designed to evoke the speed of soccer and the image of players linking arms, is really cool!
The excitement extends outside the stadium too!
The plaza in front of the stadium was lined with many food stalls and booths. The special stage “Suita G Stage” in particular had a large crowd. When I got closer, I saw Gamba Osaka’s cheer dance team performing in perfect sync!
Gamba Osaka’s cheer dance team performing!
At the “G Stage,” there are also live performances by musicians and talk shows with special guests. Being able to enjoy many attractions outside the stadium before the match, such as stage performances and stadium food, is one of the pleasures of watching soccer! We also took a commemorative photo at the photo booth.
From left: Gamba Osaka fans Ninomiya, myself (Iizuka), and Koyama
‘GAMBA SONIC’ Highlight #1: Get an exclusive SONIC shirt available only on this day!
After taking commemorative photos, we entered the stadium. Then, staff members handed us black shirts.
Yes, these were the SONIC shirts! Amazingly, everyone who entered with a home-side ticket on this day received a limited-edition T-shirt as a visitor gift!
Gamba Osaka’s mascot Gamba Boy ©GAMBAOSAKA
Even first-time soccer spectators can wear this shirt and cheer while feeling a sense of unity!
‘GAMBA SONIC’ Highlight #2: Top J-POP DJ “DJ Kazu” visits!
Also, on this day, “DJ Kazu,” a top J-POP DJ who performs at major domestic events as well as international events, visited. He energized the stadium before the match with upbeat tracks that made you want to sing along.
The real DJ Kazu was there!! @GANBAOSAKA
While listening to the J-POP playing in the venue, I purchased Panasta’s specialty “Large Octopus Takoyaki” from Takoya Dotonbori Kukuru as my viewing companion. I was all set for kickoff.
‘GAMBA SONIC’ Highlight #3: Popular artist “Def Tech” performs live!
And finally, the players entered. During the player entrance, “Def Tech,” who recently announced their first nationwide tour in about three years and are currently receiving major attention, performed “Bolero,” Gamba Osaka’s player entrance song for this season, live on the pitch. It truly felt like a fusion of soccer and music, and I got goosebumps from how cool it was!
Def Tech is singing “My Way”!!
“Def Tech” also performed live on the pitch during halftime, performing their signature song “My Way.” What a luxury!
The powerful live performance excited not only Gamba Osaka supporters but also supporters of the opposing team, Yokohama F. Marinos!
The match develops into a nail-biting contest!
And finally, kickoff! Yokohama F. Marinos, leading the league, versus Gamba Osaka, aiming to move up the rankings. What kind of match would unfold?
Gamba Osaka aggressively went for the ball from the first half. Then, right at the start, they didn’t miss the opponent’s mistake, and Dawan scored to take the lead!! They finished the first half leading 1-0.
However, in the second half, Gamba Osaka gradually began to lose control of the match, conceding goals in quick succession at the 11th and 16th minutes. The score quickly became 1-2. Unable to regain the pace of the match, Gamba Osaka finished the game 1-2…
It was a disappointing result for Gamba Osaka, but it was a very exciting match, including taking the lead against the league leaders.
Although my favorite team Gamba Osaka unfortunately lost the match, I was thoroughly satisfied with the day thanks to the many highlights inside and outside the venue, including food and performances! The ‘GAMBA SONIC’ event is also featured on the official YouTube channel, so please check it out!
Additionally, Gamba Osaka is undertaking many other challenges to create new experiences inside and outside the stadium.
For example, the business seminar for working professionals, ‘Gamba Osaka Soccer Business Academy,’ shares the management know-how the club has cultivated throughout its history and challenges participants to develop implementation plans. This is introduced in detail in the following blog article, so please take a look.
Furthermore, on Sunday, August 14, at the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 25 match against Shimizu S-Pulse, the annual ‘GAMBA EXPO 2022’ will be held. This event, which started in 2017, has been held every year with the support of many fans and supporters in a sold-out stadium. This year’s theme is “A New Start,” and for the first time in club history for a collaboration design uniform, they are collaborating with an apparel brand!
Currently, tickets with a commemorative shirt from the collaboration with “BEAUTY&YOUTH UNITED ARROWS” are on sale!
Why not visit Panasta to create summer memories?
