Continuing to build the hype ahead of Friday’s launch of FIFA 20, EA SPORTS has unveiled a five-a-side football pitch in East London, designed by heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua. The pitch has been designed to celebrate the launch of VOLTA Football within the FIFA franchise for the first time.

The long wait is almost over… FIFA 20 officially launches worldwide this Friday, and continuing the build up of hype surrounding its release following the FIFA 20 World Premiere In London last week, EA SPORTS has unveiled a five-a-side pitch, designed by Anthony Joshua. Yep, we don’t know why it’s him either, but at this stage in the marketing game, we’ll take anything.

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Named the ‘Lion’s Den’, the design of the pitch sees two lions heads facing each other on either side of the pitch. The walls are a camouflage style, reminding players to never get complacent and to keep competitive every time that they step into the cage. Each corner of the cage then has a compass graphic to represent the four different areas of London, celebrating the diversity of the city.

The pitch is inspired by the introduction of VOLTA FOOTBALL to the EA SPORTS FIFA franchise. Translated as ‘return’ in Portuguese, ‘VOLTA’ sees the game head back to the streets, providing FIFA 20 players with a small-sided football experience set in courts all over the globe.   

To mark the opening of the pitch, EA SPORTS has donated 250 hours of free playing time to the community to inspire players to get back on the pitch and play The World’s Game. The pitch, located in Shoreditch, is also open for hire to the general public with the facility accessible to both casual and regular players.

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Anthony Joshua said: “I grew up playing a lot of street football. I’d play at least eight hours with my friends every Sunday and it fostered a real sense of community. With pitches and youth clubs closing daily, the opportunity for kids and even adults to come together is becoming restricted so I’m delighted to partner with EA SPORTS to celebrate small sided football and make it more accessible to Londoners. Hopefully they like my design!

FIFA 20, featuring Volta Football, is out on the 27th September for Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC, and you can pre-order your copy now.

To claim your free pitch hire, head here.