Cheonan Football Center seeks solution to chronic stadium lawn controversy

Cheonan Football Center seeks solution to chronic stadium lawn controversy

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Korean soccer is suffering from grass problems caused by climate change in recent years. It is not easy to hold an A-match as well as a K-League due to thick grass at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, which represents Korean soccer. Not only Seoul but also some other stadiums were disqualified from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) screening.

Expectations are high for the Korea Football Center, which is scheduled to be completed in July, at a time when no solution can be found. The soccer center, which has invested 400 billion won, is expected to have 11 soccer fields and solve grass problems in various ways.

The soccer center, which started construction in April 2022, is currently scheduled to be completed in July at a 65% process rate. If all the most important ground maintenance for the soccer center is completed, the national team will be able to use it in earnest by this fall.

The Korea Football Center is expected to not only provide the national soccer team with the latest training facilities and improved living facilities, but also provide solutions to the chronic problem of Korean soccer grass.

Controversy over grass at soccer fields is not new. Ki Sung-yueng (Seoul) and Lee Chung-yong (Ulsan) who returned to Korea after playing in Europe, the center of soccer, have constantly pointed out problems with Korean grass. Recently, Son Heung-min (Tottenham) also expressed regret after holding an A-match at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

This year, the Seoul World Cup Stadium continued to be so serious that players could be at risk of injury during the game. In response, Hong Myung-bo decided to play two consecutive games in Goyang (20th, Oman) and Suwon (25th, Jordan), not Seoul.

Although the local government's facility management corporation, which manages and operates the stadium, is being criticized, the Korea Football Association and the Korea Professional Football Federation cannot escape criticism.

In response, the Korea Football Association plans to create a solution through the Korea Football Association (KFA). "The Cheonan Center has the right conditions to conduct more R&D (R&D) on grass," said Chung Mong-kyu, president of the KFA. "In Japan, we lay the orchid-type grass in spring and summer and lay the Korean paper grass on top of it in autumn. As the climate changes, research on grass is needed."

In particular, we can focus more on researching hybrid grass, which has become an international trend recently. Hybrid grass is a mix of natural and artificial grass, which is used in most countries. Hybrid grass was also used in the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups. Cheonan General Center will also have two sides of hybrid grass.

"We will experiment with different types and combinations of grass at two hybrid stadiums," said Park Il-ki, head of the general team of the Korea Football Association's soccer center construction promotion team. "We will find the best grass through various combinations and share information with local governments and K-League teams," he said. "The soccer center is the best place to check grass suitable for Korea." 메이저사이트

Along with grass research, the Korea Football Association is also considering the management and operation of stadiums. Chairman Chung Mong-kyu said, "(K-League stadiums) are usually managed by local governments and facilities management corporations. There are many types of operations, and it seems necessary to think about them and adjust them."