Choi Soon-ho (61), head of Suwon FC, said in a telephone interview with OSEN on Monday, “We are considering ways to utilize the Suwon World Cup Stadium together. As it is a good stadium, I think it is okay for both teams to use it,” adding, “We already had several discussions with our employees within the club. Everyone agreed. However, since there have been difficulties in implementing the plan, we all agreed that we should go through the process and process well.”
In fact, Suwon FC’s joint use of the big bird is not the first story to come out. Suwon FC has expressed its desire to use the big bird, a football stadium, since former general manager Kim Ho-gon, and Suwon Special Mayor Lee Jae-joon mentioned it in January.
At that time, former general manager Kim Ho-gon insisted on the use of the Suwon World Cup Stadium as an alternative, saying, “Citizens are not able to use the Suwon Sports Complex.” Lee Jae-joon, Mayor of Suwon Special City, also said, “It is a good idea to use another World Cup Stadium for fan service,” adding, “We are thinking about consulting with the governor and Suwon Samsung and using it only for important games or as a dedicated stadium.”
However, it did not become a reality. Fans of both teams strongly protested, and Suwon Samsung also expressed discomfort. There were also many practical problems, including various expenses. Consequently, Suwon FC used Suwon Sports Complex (Castle Park) as its home base in the 2023 season without any change.
Then, Choi Soon-ho once again raised the issue. “Considering the reality of Korea and the soccer atmosphere, they seem to find it awkward to share the stadium. Even in baseball, Doosan and LG share Jamsil Stadium. In addition, K3 and K4 share the same stadium. Suwon Gymnasium is also shared by Korea Electric Power Corp. and Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. in women’s volleyball. There are more related cases in foreign countries,” he said.
Choi Soon-ho, the general manager, says it should have been discussed earlier. “I’m trying to promote it now, but in a way, it should have been promoted by management organizations or various places that control us. I think we should provide such a convenient and good stadium to Suwon citizens, soccer fans, and players,” he said.
Choi Soon-ho added, “Actually, I think the order is to push ahead with it in other places before I talk about it. However, such a process doesn’t seem to take place naturally. That’s why as the head of Suwon FC, I’m going to go through the process with the idea that I’ll give it a try.”
He also mentioned many overseas cases. Choi Soon-ho inspected 35 stadiums shared by the two teams, including Giuseppe Meacha (or San Siro), which is shared by Inter Milan and AC Milan in the Italian Serie A league.
“We looked into 35 cases worldwide. There are many cases including soccer, basketball, baseball, volleyball, and the NFL (American football). In my research, 70 teams are using 35 stadiums and gymnasiums. Speaking of soccer, San Siro is the representative one. There is also AS Roma. There are two teams using it in Tokyo in Japan. There are many examples,” he stressed.
If two teams use one stadium, the number of days left empty will decrease, which is why efficiency increases. “Of course, it is efficient to use it together. In Italy, a team plays more than 30 games at home alone. But we only play 20 games. It is not a problem at all,” Choi said.
However, there is a lot of opposition among fans. The main reason is the club identity and grass management issues. Suwon FC also shared the big bird in the second half of 2021 when it became difficult to use Suwon Sports Complex due to the renovation of the stadium’s grass. At that time, management was not very good, with an absurd goal due to grass problems.
Choi Soon-ho had different views. “Some are concerned about identity issues. However, Italian Serie A, which is much older than Korea and has a clear identity, also shares a large stadium that accommodates nearly 80,000 people. That logic cannot explain the situation,” he said.
I believe that efforts will be enough to solve the problem. “Of course, it can be cumbersome. If we want to bring down the mood of the home team, we need to change AD boards or billboards. However, we are doing well by using service companies just by looking at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. If that became a problem, we would have talked about it in Jamsil as well,” he added.
Watchers say there will be no major problems with grass. “We only play 40 games a year even if two teams use it,” Choi Soon-ho, the team’s general manager, said. “Italy is playing 1.5 to twice as many games as that. It will be easier for us to manage grass,” he said, adding that the second half of 2021 was just a matter of management at that time.
However, there is still a long way to go before the joint use of the big bird by Suwon FC becomes a reality. Consultation and communication with the World Cup Stadium Management Foundation and Suwon Samsung are needed. “I have told the foundation about my intention several times, but I am still in the process of discussing it,” Choi Soon-ho, the team’s general manager, said. “From now on, I plan to meet with related parties including Suwon Samsung and discuss them constantly.”
Choi Soon-ho showed strong commitment. “I hope fans of Suwon Samsung and Suwon Samsung will really appreciate it. If we open up and share the World Cup Stadium, which is a good stadium, I think we can help Suwon citizens and soccer fans develop Korean soccer and the K-League,” he said.
Also, Choi Soon-ho, the team’s general manager, said, “Suwon Samsung is a representative team of professional soccer. It is an old team and has many achievements. Suwon FC has been turning into a professional team for 10 years now since it started as an amateur. It is a struggling team. Then, I hope that the Suwon Samsung Club or its fans will have this good stadium and help all K-League players and fans, including the away team, share good stadiums conveniently and create good performances. Then, I think our Suwon soccer will develop and professional soccer will develop. I would like to ask for such a favor.”
Choi Soon-ho, the team’s general manager, plans to move busily to convey his message. “Joint use is a way to revitalize the stadium. In fact, all World Cup stadiums in Korea are having difficulty in making the most of them.
BY: 토토사이트