The biggest issue in Korean soccer right now is “the state of grass.” The national team’s “captain” Son Heung-min became “publicized” after the A-match in September, expressing regret over the Sangam grass, and the condition of the grass at home of various K-League clubs has since become controversial. However, some clubs boast the best grass condition.
It was Cheonan Sports Complex that received the second Green Stadium award in the K League 2 2024 season. This reporter met with Choi Kyu-young, president of the Cheonan Urban Innovation Corporation’s culture and sports department, who is in charge of managing the grass at Cheonan Sports Complex.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) has decided to change the venue of the home game against Iraq in the fourth round of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. from Seoul World Cup Stadium to Yongin Mir Stadium on October 15.
The reason for this is clear: State of the grass. Earlier, the Korean team had a 0-0 draw with the Palestinians in the first round of the third qualifying round. The match was held at home, but as the Seoul World Cup Stadium was unable to withstand heat waves caused by abnormal climate and the aftermath of holding events, voices calling for improvement were raised as the grass was severely damaged. As some players of the national team opened their mouths, captain Son Heung-min also said, “I hope the home stadium gets better,” and Palestinian coach Markram Daboub also said, “The grass condition was not 100 percent.”
In the end, the KFA confirmed the grass condition through on-site inspections at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 23rd of last month and determined that even if it uses various measures such as grass storage as much as possible, there is a limit to significantly improving the grass condition of the stadium until the Iraq match. On the other hand, in the case of Yongin Mir Stadium, officials of the association conducted an on-site inspection and found that the grass was in relatively good condition despite the damage caused by Suwon Samsung’s home game a day ago, and considering the schedule of the two upcoming K League 2 games (September 25th and October 6th), the current weather will allow some lawn recovery and management.
The grass issue has become an issue in the K-League as well. Not only FC Seoul, which uses the Seoul World Cup Stadium as its home ground, but also the Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan HD and the soccer stadium and World Cup Stadium in Gwangju were in poor condition. Ulsan and Gwangju, which are participating in the Asian Champions League elite, became particularly problematic, and eventually, Gwangju decided to play its home game at Mir Stadium in Yongin, more than 300 kilometers away. 토토사이트
As such, the condition of the “Nondureung” grass in the soccer stadium is becoming an issue, but there were some stadiums with good grass management. It is Cheonan Stadium, the home of Cheonan City FC. The grass was in the best condition. At a glance, the grass condition was close to perfect, and compared to Sangam and Ulsan, you could feel a clear difference. In particular, Cheonan City Corporation, the management body of Cheonan Stadium, has created an environment where players can play in an optimal environment through systematic management.
In response, Kim Tae-wan said, “You should ask the manager. He is very good at managing things. It seems that there are good things because he doesn’t use it often. This is what the stadium should be like,” while veteran defender Lee Woong-hee also praised him, saying, “It’s almost perfect. He seems to be really good at managing things, and he has pride. It clearly affects players’ performance.”
As head coach Kim Tae-wan said, I met with Choi Kyu-young, the head of the Cheonan Urban Innovation Corporation’s culture and sports department, who manages the grass at Cheonan Sports Complex, and asked for the secret.