'It's a unique pitch': Mexican volcano crater hosts football matches

About 10 teams belonging to an amateur league play in inactive Teoca volcano crater in the district of Xochimilco, a green lung in the southeast of Mexico City

An aerial view of a football field at the Teoca volcano crater in the town of Santa Cecilia Tepetlapa, on the outskirts of Mexico City, taken on July 9, 2023. AFP

About 10 teams play football on weekends in the crater of the Teoca volcano. AFP

A man fixes the net on a football field at the Teoca volcano crater in the town of Santa Cecilia Tepetlapa, on the outskirts of Mexico City. AFP

The coach of amateur football team Liverpool gives instructions to his players on a field at the Teoca volcano. AFP

Players fight for the ball during a football match on a field at the Teoca volcano crater. AFP

A man fixes the net on a football field at the Teoca volcano. AFP

An aerial view of a football field at the Teoca volcano crater in the town of Santa Cecilia Tepetlapa, on the outskirts of Mexico City. AFP

People play football on a field at the Teoca volcano crater. AFP

People play football on a field at the Teoca volcano crater. AFP

Players take on refreshments on the sidelines of a football field at the Teoca volcano crater in the town of Santa Cecilia Tepetlapa, on the outskirts of Mexico City. AFP

A man marks the lines of play on a football field at the Teoca volcano crater. AFP

An aerial view of a football field at the Teoca volcano crater in the town of Santa Cecilia Tepetlapa, on the outskirts of Mexico City. AFP

A volcano crater is not an obvious venue for a football match, but that's where a referee blows the whistle for kick off each weekend on the outskirts of Mexico City.

"It's a unique pitch," said 32-year-old player Adrian Garcia, a graphic designer by profession.

"It's very nice to come here to distract yourself, to relax, with friends and family," he added.

The inactive Teoca volcano rises around 8,900 feet above sea level in the district of Xochimilco, a green lung in the southeast of the sprawling megacity.

About 10 teams belonging to an amateur league play in its crater on weekends.

The area was once a ceremonial centre, but after falling into disuse, it was transformed into a football venue.

"The pitch must be about 70 years old," said league representative Joel Becerril.

"They used to carry me up here when I was a child," he added.

A single road reaches the summit, as well as an 18-kilometer hiking trail up the volcano's forested slopes.

According to experts from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, there are more than 200 volcanoes, most of them inactive, in the south of Mexico City and on the border with the neighboring state of Morelos.

Mexico sits in the world's most seismically and volcanically active zone, known as the Ring of Fire, where the Pacific plate meets surrounding tectonic plates.