Ottmar Hitzfeld Arena, Mountain football stadium in Gspon, Switzerland
The Ottmar Hitzfeld Arena is a football stadium at 2000 meters elevation in the Swiss Alps, featuring an artificial turf field surrounded by mountain peaks. The pitch is smaller than standard regulation and accommodates eight players per side.
The stadium opened in 2008 and hosted the European Mountain Village Championship, with Spain defeating Sweden in the final. Since then, it has served as the venue for the local team and high-altitude sporting events.
FC Gspon, the local amateur team, calls this place home and shapes the sporting life of the village through regular matches. The modified rules of play reflect how mountain communities adapt football to their unique setting.
Access is by cable car from the village of Staldenried, with the modern system transporting up to 25 passengers per trip since 2019. Plan for mountain weather conditions at this elevation and dress accordingly for your visit.
Matches are played without the offside rule, which fundamentally changes how the game is played and creates faster, more direct football. This rule modification is typical of mountain football and makes each match less tactical and more spontaneous.
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