The earliest opening of all time... Shorter break than previous years-off training → What is the reaction of the players?
The earliest opening of all time... Shorter break than previous years-off training → What is the reaction of the players?
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It is a variable of K League 1 in the 2025 season, which opens earlier than usual.
This season's K League 1 will be held two weeks earlier than the previous season. The K League 1 for the 2024 season opened on March 1, and this season will open on February 15. It is four days earlier than the 2022 season, which opened on February 19 due to FIFA's Qatar World Cup.
The reason is the aftermath of other competitions. The AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) tournament will take place from April to May, and Ulsan HD will host the FIFA Club World Cup in the U.S. in June. The EAFFE E-1 Championship, also called the East Asian Cup, will take place in July, which will kick off early.
The Korea Professional Football Association said it will hold all the opening rounds in the southern part of the country in February considering the early start of the season. Six games will be held in Pohang (Pohang Steelers vs. Daejeon Hana Citizen), Jeju (Jeju United vs. FC Seoul, Gwangju FC vs. Suwon FC), Ulsan (Ulsan HDvsFC Anyang), Daegu (Daegu FC vs. Gangwon FC), and Jeonju (Jeonbuk Hyundai vs. Gimcheon Sangmu).
The Korea Professional Football Federation said, "According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the cold wave continues only in the first week of February, and the southern part of the country is predicted to be minus 2 degrees to 10 degrees Celsius in the opening week."
Early opening of the season can be a burden to each team. After the playoff, the teams went through off-season training without proper rest until the season ended in December. The off-season training was also shorter than usual, which could have resulted in disruptions in preparation.
The athletes don't seem to mind. "Personally, a long winter training session doesn't mean that I'm well prepared. As it is a short winter training session, I think I can focus and prepare short and thickly. The opening game has gotten faster, but this is something I should enjoy. Personally, I like it," said Kim Young-kwon of Ulsan.
Jeon Min-kwang of the Pohang Steelers said, "After a short break, we have a training camp and are preparing for the opening game. The preparation period is not important. I think how we prepared is important. I don't worry about that." 안전놀이터
"We have a new coach. It was true that we didn't have enough time to add a new color. It may be difficult to add a full color during the pre-season, but I think it will get better and better," said Park Jin-seop of Jeonbuk Hyundai.