[the phantom]

All the peoples of Arda were awed by the 2010 debut of the Amon Hen Coliseum, built in secret by the Gondor Arda Cup Host Committee in return for a promise of hosting the semis and finals two consecutive years, with options to return to the site before the normal mandatory gap between hosting Arda Cup finals.

There is no question that The Coliseum is the largest venue in all of Arda, thanks largely to the magic of Amon Hen, the “hill of seeing”, which allows the stadium to climb far higher than others so long as it flows up the side of Amon Hen, which was found to amplify the natural visionary capabilities of anyone upon it, and more so as one nears the pinnacle of the hill.

Because of this the stadium appears extremely lopsided. The east quarter of the stadium overlooks the great falls of Rauros and seats around 25,000, while the north quarter hugs the shores of the lake and seats slightly more. But as the stadium runs to the south-southwest up the slopes of Amon Hen, the seats just pile higher and higher, and after two brand new additions this past offseason the total seating for the stadium is now in the neighborhood of 190,000!

But believe it or not the whopping size of the monstrous arena is not the number one thing that typically arrests the attention of fans and critics, but rather it is the architecture. The stadium is a tribute to the history of football in Arda, featuring sections which expertly capture the architecture, décor, and adornments of various famous stadiums from elsewhere in Arda. Any walkway, restroom, eatery, and entrance in a given section also mirrors the style, making visitors feel as if they were actually in a different stadium.

The initial construction featured sections from Valimar, Utumno, Tirion, Angband, Gondolin, Doriath, Numenor, Mordor, Mirkwood, and Rohan, while Moria and The Shire were added in 2011. In the most recent off-season teams of Noldor and Teleri put in some hard work to reproduce a piece of Alqualonde's arena, and workers from Nargothrond had successfully mimicked Finrod's famous deep-delved stadium.

When stadium planners were asked earlier this week if there were new additions in the works, they answered: "Yes, definitely. There is a Gundabad section that should begin as soon as Arda Cup ends, and we're attempting to line up a Lothlorien section for early next year."

But the stadium isn’t the only thing expanding- there is also the infrastructure. There are a good number of inns, pubs, and rentable homes in a rather new town a short distance west of the stadium along the shores of the lake, and a good number of cabins farther along, or in the woods higher up on the slopes of the surrounding hills. It was the same the last couple years, only this year there are more of them than ever, as well as a growing number of permanent residents now that Gondor had opened the area to settlement. There is also a good deal of boating on the lake, and the marinas to accommodate it. A bit farther up the lake there are several ski lodges. It is not the season for snow obviously, but the lodges are still open to host guests and show off their facilities and runs, in hopes that visitors will return in the winter.

The docks beneath Rauros and the ingenious series of hydro-powered lifts that transported travelers up to lake-level had been improved as well. Specifically, the docks were larger, and a fourth lift path had been installed to allow for shorter waiting times. Additionally, a second winding nature trail had been constructed that wrapped around the west side of Amon Hen for anyone so inclined to enjoy a challenging day-long hike to their destination. All in all the committee had done all they could to ensure that the Amon Hen Coliseum would be recognized as the king of match locations.