What day will Apple Park stop surprising us? Probably never. And if not, tell our colleague Pedro Aznar, director of Applesfera, when on a visit to the venue discovered two generous soccer fields next to the Apple Fitness Center. Yeah, okay, they’re not for the World Cup, but the views are basically spectacular.
One more proof of the attention that Apple pays to the world of sports and of how Apple Park was conceived from the beginning as a space where work is not all that comes into play. With recreational spaces, the campus is one of the most complete when it comes to creating the Apple microcosm.
The best location to close our rings, without a doubt
As we can see in the images that accompany this article, even considering football something typically European, the two fields occupy one of the largest extensions of Apple Park in terms of usable land. In fact, they only find a rival in the interior esplanade next to the stage with the logos of the original apple.
View of Apple Park with the two soccer fields on the left.
We don’t know exactly how much use these fields are getting, but satellite imagery from Apple Maps clearly shows a turf wear in key parts during a football match. Will leagues be organized between the different departments? A very American possibility, indeed.
Soccer fields, with their wear and tear.
Being one of the large open spaces in Apple Park closest to the main building, the truth is that the views are spectacular. As we can see in the photos taken mainly from the Fitness Center, the background heel of any game is impressive. In this regard, Pedro Aznar tells us his impression of him in the first person.
I want the next World Cup to be played at Apple Park 😅 Look what nice fields to play a game after work… ⚽️
(I recorded this video last June when we were there for WWDC22) pic.twitter.com/N51qjkMv0N
—Pedro Aznar (@pedroaznar) December 19, 2022
Discovering those soccer fields was a complete surprise for me. I remember that the first time I saw them was at the keynote presentation of the new Apple Watch, which they were going to show us at the Fitness Center —located in front of Apple Park, but within its perimeter. To access the Fitness Center, you first have to enter the ring area, and from there, take a route to the building where the Apple sports facilities are located. Everything is done in electric carts very similar to those that already exist in the Golf, for example.
Between the ring and the Fitness Center, there was a huge green area surrounded by trees, much bigger than what can be seen on Maps or even being there at a certain distance. Only when you enter the road and the immense green area with the soccer fields appears to one side do you see them. A bright lawn, bathed in California sun, set back—but not too far—from the main offices. On the sides, there are some benches to be able to attend the games. It is curious because in the US European football (“soccer”) is not the most famous, but the well-known “American football” or “rugby”.
View from the Apple Fitness Center
Yet there they were. Despite not being a particularly soccer fan, I must admit that those pitches, cared for in detail and that light, invited us to play a game with colleagues or friends. A few meters away, the Fitness Center building with showers and a natural juice bar in reception for employees who sign up for this closing rings in the middle of Apple Park. Who would say no to practicing sports after work like this?
Well surely no one would say no to a little sport after work. Or before. Or at lunch break. The truth is that the environment provided by Apple Park encourages you to connect with nature and —I’m not saying it because of its resemblance to a ring— to close the rings of our Apple Watch day in and day out.
In Applesphere | A walk through Apple Park with these 18 photos taken by me
