KOBE -- With the weather gradually warming, outdoor sports fans are again starting to rejoice. J. League soccer teams kicked off a new soccer season last week and professional baseball games will get under way later this month. And this year, fans living in or near Kobe should be more motivated than ever to take in the games live. Two facilities -- including one under construction -- will offer fans a better view of the action.

The fence in front of the two infield stands at Green Stadium Kobe in Suma Ward has been lowered, roughly by half. It is now just 1.2 meters high, providing a clearer view of the entire field and, of course, the heroes on it.

As the home turf of the Orix BlueWave baseball team, the stadium will host some 71 games this season.

Thanks to the lower fence, those sitting in the third row from the front or farther back can see the infield and outfield without the annoyance of a wire net obstructing their view. The lowering of the net also means schoolchildren standing behind it will not have their view hindered.

"With the lower net, I don't have the hassle that I experienced last year when I watched games through the net. I now feel more of a sense of oneness with the game," Shigeru Maruyama said at a preseason game last weekend from a fourth-row seat. This is the response Yutaka Okazoe, president of Orix Baseball Club, hoped to hear.

Although the stadium is owned by the city and not the base club, Okazoe has been striving to turn it into a venue that attracts more families. This task involves persuading city officials, who are reluctant to make any changes due partly to safety concerns and to their potential financial implications, to permit modifications.

"As the president of a baseball club, there is nothing unusual about thinking about how our customers, or fans, see the stadium and how they can be pleased by visiting it," Okazoe said, noting that lowering the infield fence is just part of efforts to make the facility more family-friendly.

Last year, Green Stadium Kobe became the first major open-air arena to ban smoking in all seats, and where real grass covers both the infield and outfield.

Upgrading the facility is a necessary step to attract more visitors and ensure stable revenues, Okazoe said. "We cannot afford to count (solely) on the results of the BlueWave's games, which are not so reliable. This is the case in all sports."

Indeed, with Orix superstar Ichiro Suzuki having defected to the U.S. Major Leagues, the club faces a struggle to fill the 35,000-seat facility. But Okazoe said the stadium can probably attract a broader base of visitors -- beyond Kobe's hardcore baseball fans -- by better accommodating kids and families.

Another piece of good news for sports fans in the region is the opening of a new soccer stadium in Hyogo Ward. The 2002 World Cup is on the horizon, but Kobe Wing Stadium will open in October -- well ahead of the main event in June next year.

Set to be used for soccer and other games, the stadium has an apparent advantage over multipurpose arenas -- those designed to accommodate track and field events as well -- because it will provide a closer view of the action. At typical multipurpose stadiums, an athletics track separates fans from the games.

Of 10 venues that will stage World Cup games, Kobe Wing Stadium is one of only three designed just for ball games. It is also the only one in western Japan. The other two are Kashima Soccer Stadium in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, and Saitama Stadium 2002 in Urawa, Saitama Prefecture.

Lucky spectators at Kobe Wing Stadium can be seated as close as 6 meters from the touchline and about 1 meter above the playing field.

The stadium will have 30,000 seats in the regular season. But for the World Cup, it will have an extra 12,000, including some just 10 meters directly behind both goals and 1 meter above the field.

This will provide a stark contrast to what one can expect at Nagai Stadium in Osaka's Higashi-Sumiyoshi Ward, the only alternative venue in the Kansai region.

The 50,000-seat stadium is to host one of Japan's three qualifying matches on June 14 next year. The closest fans can get to a game there, however, are seats 24 meters away from the touchline or 36 meters behind the goals. A worst-case scenario will see fans occupying seats 62 meters away from the touchline or 77 meters behind the goals.

At the Kobe stadium, the unluckiest fans could end up in seats 52 meters away from the touchline or 56 meters behind the goals. These seats will, nevertheless be 25 meters and 27 meters, respectively, above the field, commanding a far better view. This compares favorably with similar seats at Nagai Stadium, which are only 20 meters above the field.

Along with these considerations, there might be yet another reason for fans to visit the Kobe Wing Stadium. Should the Japanese team manage to finish second in its World Cup qualifying group -- Group H -- its first match in the knock-out phase will be at Kobe on June 17.