to allow for more seating. Beginning in 2023, the dome will be soccer-only, as the Fighters will move into their own new stadium in nearby Kitahiroshima. Retractable surface The Dome switches between two entirely different surfaces: Baseball games are played on an underlying artificial turf field, while association football games are held on a grass pitch that slides into and out of the stadium as needed. Conversion from baseball to football begins with the storage of the baseball field's artificial turf. Once finished, a set of lower bowl bleachers rotate from an angled position for baseball to a parallel position. A set of main bowl seats on one end of the dome then retracts, and the football pitch is slid into the stadium. The lower bowl is then rotated 90 degrees. Conversion from football to baseball occurs in reverse. Due to the retraction of seats, the Stadium has a capacity of 40,476 for baseball games. Other stadiums that feature sliding pitches include the GelreDome in the Netherlands, Veltins-Arena in Germany, the split pitch of London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, United States, and Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, United States; however, unlike these four facilities (with the exception of Allegiant Stadum), the Sapporo Dome has a fixed roof. Details Name: Sapporo Dome Capacity: 41,484 / 40,476 Home Team: Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo Former home team: Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2004–2022) Completed: March 2001 Location: Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan Building Area: 53,800 m2 Total Floor Area:(Open Arena) 92,453 m2 Roof Diameter: 245 m Stand Inclination: Max. 30° angle Architect: Hiroshi Hara Access Tōhō Line: 10 minutes walk from Fukuzumi Station. Major sports matches 2002 FIFA World Cup 2019 Rugby World Cup See also Other domed stadiums in Japan: Fukuoka Yahoo! Japan Dome in Fukuoka (retractable roof) Nagoya Dome in Nagoya Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka Ōita Stadium or "Big Eye" in Oita Prefecture (retractable roof) Tokyo Dome in Tokyo References External links Dome website World Stadiums — Stadium Design — Sapporo Dome Stadium in Sapporo 2002 FIFA World Cup stadiums in Japan Venues of the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic football venues Toyohira-ku, Sapporo Retractable-roof stadiums in Japan Retractable-pitch stadiums Lattice shell structures Football venues in Japan Baseball venues in Japan Cricket grounds in Japan Rugby union stadiums in Japan Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters Rally Japan Sports venues completed in 2001 Sports venues in Sapporo 2001 establishments in