When will Apple Park stop surprising us? Probably never. And if not, tell our colleague Pedro Aznar, director of Applesfera, during a site visit discovered two generous soccer fields next to the Apple Fitness Center. Yeah ok they’re not for the World Cup but the views are basically spectacular.
Further proof of Apple’s focus on sports and how Apple Park was designed from the start 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 place to close our rings, without a doubt
As can be seen in the images that accompany this article, even considering football as something typically European, the two grounds occupy one of the largest extensions of Apple Park in terms of usable land. In fact, they only find a rival in the indoor plaza next to the stage with the original apple logos.
We don’t know exactly how much these fields are used, but satellite images from Apple Maps clearly show a turf wear in key parts during a football match. Will leagues be organized between the different departments? A very American possibility, indeed.
Being one of the large open spaces in Apple Park closest to the main building, the truth is that the views are spectacular. As can be seen in the photos taken mostly from the Fitness Center, the bottom heel of any game is impressive. In this regard, Pedro Aznar tells us his first-person impression.
I want the next world cup to be played at Apple Park 😅 Look what nice grounds 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 these football pitches was quite a surprise for me. I remember the first time I saw them was during the 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 must first enter the ring area, and from there take a route to the building where Apple’s 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 space surrounded by trees, much bigger than you can see on maps or even being there at some distance. It is only when you enter the road and the huge green space with the football pitches appears on one side that you see them. A bright lawn, bathed in Californian sunshine, set back — but not too far — from the main offices. On the sides, there are some benches to be able to watch the matches. It is curious because in the United States European football (“soccer”) is not the most famous, but the well-known “American football” or “rugby”.
Yet they were there. Although I am not particularly a fan of football, I must admit that these fields, cared for in every detail and light, invited us to play with colleagues or friends. A few meters away, the Fitness Center building with showers and natural juice bar to welcome employees who register for this closure rings in the middle of Apple Park. Who would say no to playing sports after such work?
Well surely no one would say no to a little exercise 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 this because of its resemblance to a ring – to close the rings of our Apple Watch day after day.
In Applesphere | A walk in Apple Park with these 18 photos taken by me