February 5, 2033 – Tokyo, Japan On the heels of their most successful season to date changes keep on coming to the Neo-Tokyo Akira. New owner José Vega has stated he intends to invest heavily in all aspects of the organization. After several months of analyzing the state of the team and what potential improvements could be made Vega announced that upgrades to the Neo-Tokyo Grounds would take place immediately and most of these would be completed by the beginning of the 2033 season. Most notable to the fans would be an increased capacity with the addition of 5,000 seats bringing the total capacity to 60,000.Asked about the decision the wealthy Mexican owner stated: “It’s obvious that interest in our team has never been higher and with a large fan base in Tokyo to draw from I believe strongly that this is the right thing to do for our fans and the organization. I want to be able to sustain the level of talent we have here for the foreseeable future and to do that we need the additional revenue this upgrade will provide.”
Neo-Tokyo set an all-time team record for attendance drawing 4,319,176 fans in 2032 and season ticket sales this offseason project to surpass all previous records. They have drawn over four million fans in four of the last five seasons. The growing Tokyo market leads the team to believe they can continue that trend.
The extra seating will spur other improvements as well. Increased parking, concessions and other accommodations will be added as well as scoreboard upgrades that will all be ready by the home opener on April 7th. Vega hinted there could be further improvements down the road. A possible hard or retractable roof could be a possibility, a feature fans have clamored for due to Tokyo’s notoriously rainy climate. Retractable roofs or domes are a feature that other teams in Japan have already invested in, notably the Shin Seiki, Niihama and Okinawa stadiums.
The financial expenditures to NTG eased concerns some fans had that Vega intended to relocate the team to his home country of Mexico or elsewhere. Fans were assured though that the ownership group headed by Vega made a commitment to previous owner Tim Foster that the team would not be moved. In prepared remarks announcing the sale of the team Foster said: “It’s important to me that Neo-Tokyo fans get treated fair and square in the future. We’ve found a great partner in José Vega and I think you’re going to love what he brings to the table. There will be a Sovereign League team here in Tokyo for a very long time.” The new owner immediately backed up his words with a financial commitment to increase payroll that demonstrated his desire to keep the Akira a competitive team.
With these improvements dedicated fans of the team will be rewarded for their support of the Akira. The team is counting on their fans continued support as they build on their success in the highly competitive Rising Sun division.
