The grass problem is likely to be solved by the efforts of the management entity, but if it is not discussed with the league schedule, it will inevitably be an empty fire.
A symposium on ways to improve the K-League ground was held at 2 p.m. on the 20th at the Asan Institute of Policy Studies’ auditorium in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The symposium was organized by the Korea Professional Football Federation to explore ways to improve the ground due to damage to grass at K-League stadiums such as abnormal high temperatures and rainy seasons in summer.
The event was hosted by Shim Sang-ryul, a professor of environmental landscaping at Cheongju University, and panelists with knowledge of lawn management, including Kim Jae-hoo, deputy director of the Ulsan Facilities Corporation, Choi Kyu-young, president of Cheonan City Corporation, Kim Kyung-nam, professor of environmental design horticulture at Samyuk University, and Ryu Joo-hyun, director of the E&L Lawn Research Institute, participated in the event. They presented under the themes of “the current status of Munsu Football Stadium and future grass management plan,” “Improvement of lawn management and managerial treatment at Cheonan Sports Complex,” “Soil environment and grass quality at domestic stadiums,” and “Strategic approach of domestic grass management through overseas stadium cases,” and talked about the problems and improvement measures of Korean soccer grass from their respective positions.
What they pointed out in common was the need for a summer break. The Kentucky Bluegrass variety, which is currently mostly used in Korean soccer stadiums, is characterized by being vulnerable to summer heat. Due to the nature of the league, which is held during the spring and autumn season, the game is bound to continue in the summer, and in this case, the minimum period of two weeks for grass recovery is often not met. The grass condition goes to an irreversible level as the grass is continuously damaged and there is little time to recover.
Four experts on the panel and Professor Shim, who is in charge of hosting the event, emphasized that some of the grass problems can be solved by reducing the number of games played in the summer. “We can’t stop the summer schedule, but we need to drastically reduce the number of games,” Deputy Chief Kim said, adding that there should be a summer break even if the number of games increases in spring and autumn. Professor Shim also said, “I want to emphasize that the state of grass will be improved only by limiting the July and August games,” and argued that it is essential to restrict the number of games or introduce a summer break for both grass and players.
The issue of grass is also linked to the transition to the Autumn Spring Festival. Nanji grass, which is currently under consideration for introduction, will be of little use if it is converted to the Autumn Spring Festival. Considering that most of the grass issues currently discussed are related to the summer, the introduction of the Autumn Spring Festival presents another challenge of managing grass in winter. Managing grass during the pre-season and during the league is a huge difference.
However, those who directly manage the grass in the field raised doubts about the transition to the Autumn Spring Festival. “There is a question of whether spectators will be able to come to the Autumn Spring Festival. In summer, people get hurt by turning into paddy fields, and in winter, the ground freezes and gets hurt,” Choi concluded. “I think the existing method is the best.” Professor Shim also said, “Except for Jeju Island, the Autumn Spring Festival may be difficult,” adding that the transition to the Autumn Spring Festival could be too much, at least when it comes to using grass. 토토사이트
“It’s hard to talk about the springtime system right now. If you want to play in winter, you need an automatic heating system. Or you will keep having problems, but the automatic heating system is a cost issue after all,” Kim said. “Changing the springtime system will inevitably lead to burdensome spending.”
Another issue for hybrid grass was money. Referring to the actual difference in size between overseas leagues and the K-League, Kim stressed the need for long-term measures to be taken step by step starting with discussions on next summer. It also implies that discussions on the summer break should be preceded by discussions on the transition to the Autumn Spring Festival and grass management.