This March 5, 2025, file photo shows the pitch at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The sports ministry announced Thursday it will work together with the professional football league to resolve persistent problems with pitches at stadiums across the nation.
The ministry and the Korea Professional Football League (K League) will inspect pitches at 27 stadiums that host K League matches, starting in April.
The ministry and the league worked together to open a new department at the league office tasked with managing football pitches, and it has begun researching cases in other countries, including Japan.
The ministry said the goal is to identify causes for problems and provide solutions tailored to individual stadiums. It will change aging playing surfaces and try to improve the quality of artificial turfs and drainage systems where applicable.
The ministry added it will provide guidelines on maintenance and management of football pitches and strengthen on-site inspections of facilities.
“Conditions of football pitches are directly related to the overall quality of games, as they can affect players’ performances and fan satisfaction,” the ministry said in a statement. “We will come up with practical solutions to problems and also strengthen cooperation with the K League, individual clubs and stadium management personnel to establish a sustainable management system.”
Poor pitches have plagued South Korean football for months, with Seoul World Cup Stadium, considered the mecca of football here, having to cede World Cup qualifying matches to other venues – one in October and two in March – because of pitch problems.
The top-flight K League 1 kicked off its new season on Feb. 15, its earliest start ever, and players immediately complained that pitches in cold conditions were not close to being ready for matches.
Son Heung-min, captain of the men’s national team, joined a growing chorus Tuesday as he voiced his frustration with South Korean pitches, following his team’s 1-1 draw against Jordan in their latest World Cup qualifying match at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul.
So far in the third round of the Asian qualifiers, the Taegeuk Warriors have had three wins and one draw in away matches in Middle East countries, but only one win and three draws at home.
“Obviously, players are responsible for not winning games in front of home fans, but I think there’s a reason why we’ve had better results in away matches,” Son said. “Although it’s the players who compete on the field, the responsibility falls on everyone. When we’re at home, we’re supposed to enjoy the best playing conditions possible, but things have not improved at all. I know we can play better than this, but when conditions on our home soil get in the way, then I wonder where we should get our home field advantage.”
(Yonhap)
