The South Korean sports ministry has announced that it will work together with the professional football league to resolve persistent problems with pitches at stadiums across the nation.
Starting April, the ministry and the Korea Professional Football League (K League) will inspect pitches at 27 stadiums that host K League matches to analyze problems and causes of grass conditions during the first half of the year, and to come up with customized improvement measures for each stadium. In particular, considering the characteristics and climate conditions of the stadium, practical improvement measures such as replacing aging grass, improving the quality of artificial grass, and managing heating and drainage facilities will be devised, and long-term lawn maintenance and management guidelines and on-site inspections will be proposed.
Together with the league, the ministry has already opened a grass management department at the league office tasked with managing football pitches. Researching cases in other countries, including Japan, has also started.
The ministry said the goal is to identify causes for problems and provide solutions tailored to individual stadiums.
New surfaces
According to a Korean newspaper, aging playing surfaces will be replaced from next year and, where applicable, attempts will be made to improve the quality of synthetic turfs and drainage systems.
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.”
Persistent problem
Poor pitches have plagued South Korean football for months. The Seoul World Cup Stadium even had to cede three World Cup qualifying matches to other venues.
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 on Tuesday 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 to voice his frustration. “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.”