Will Korean soccer also be able to go to the “Chuchun Festival” (a system that starts in autumn and ends in spring).
The Korea Professional Football Association held a public hearing at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies on the 13th to review the transition to the K-League’s autumn system. Members of the K-League club, Korea Football Association, media, ground, medical, and players attended the hearing as a panel to share their opinions on the pros and cons.
The reason why the K-League is considering shifting its focus to the Spring and Autumn Festival is because the trend is changing not only in Europe but also in Asia. The Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE), a competition for Asian clubs, has also changed to the Spring Festival. Japan decided to switch to the Spring Festival from the 2026-2027 season.
In a public hearing presentation, the federation proposed a plan to open in the first week of August when the Chu Chun Festival is converted, resume in mid-February after an eight-week break during the cold season, and finish the season.
Clubs showed mixed responses. Choi Jeong-ho, Ulsan HD’s secretary general who represents the top-tier Korean pro baseball league, welcomed the move, saying, “If we follow the global standard of Chu Chun-je, there will be benefits in various fields including player registration.” Yoon Ji-hyun, secretary general of North Chungcheong Province, said, “Although we are not fundamentally opposed to it, six teams in the first division and nine teams in the second division will receive government subsidies, which will inevitably cause major confusion due to fiscal year issues. How about watching the Japanese J-League to minimize trial and error?”
The biggest advantage of changing the spring season is that it can match the player registration period with the European and South American leagues. FIFA allows player registration for up to 12 weeks, but Korea, which has the spring and autumn season, is facing difficulties due to the slight deviation of the available period for foreign players.
Choi Jung-ho, secretary-general of Ulsan, said, “The biggest problem is player registration. It is difficult to reinforce because K-League player registration and ACL player registration are different. This year, when Won Doo-jae left for the Middle East, the registration period was out of line, so it was impossible to reinforce.”
Four to five teams participating in ACLE or ACL2 can have a complicated schedule of the spring and autumn league and the Champions League. 온라인카지노
Some suggested reducing the number of matches during hot weather, even if the festival is maintained. “Playing one game in summer causes players to lose 5-6 kilograms. I hope to reduce the number of matches during the week and increase the number of matches during the week from March to April,” said Shin Kwang-hoon of Pohang.
The Korea Professional Football Association (KFA) is determined to gradually consider the possibility of changing the system starting with this public hearing. Instead of avoiding the hot weather, the federation will likely start a practical discussion on investment in facilities needed to play in the cold weather. “We will continue to hold public hearings like today to discuss ways to improve realistic issues,” a KFA source said.