Most teams in the K League have been restricted from overseas training for a while due to the COVID-19 pandemic (the global pandemic), but they have been on the plane again since last year.
As many as 14 out of 25 teams selected Thailand as their first training site last year. The same applies this year. In the first part, Gwangju, Incheon (Chiang Mai), Daegu (Chiang Rai), and Seoul (Hoohin) will head to Thailand.
In the second part, there are as many as 10 teams from Suwon Samsung, Jeonnam, Cheongju, Seoul E-Land (Bangkok), Gyeongnam Bucheon Seongnam (Chiang Mai), Busan (Hoahin), Anyang Cheonan (Chunburi).
During the first off-season training, the team usually focuses on strengthening basic physical stamina and other factors. In addition, the team will hold several warm-up matches with local clubs while developing a tactical plan A in preparation for the new season.
Thailand and Southeast Asia have been popular training sites in the past, but there are times when negative perceptions about the state of the local ground and the level of the team playing warm-up matches have accumulated and were once avoided.
However, most teams are relocating to Southeast Asia with “cost-effectiveness” as their budgets have shrunken. Thailand has become the top priority as teams from multiple leagues can easily find an opponent for warm-up matches.
Among the 25 teams, there is only one team that is leaving for Europe. It is Gangwon that managed to survive in the first division this year. Gangwon FC also boarded a flight to Thailand last year.
This year, however, the team will head to Antalya, Turkiye. Antalya has a mild climate and has been visited by many teams in the past. Gangwon will also reportedly hold an exhibition game with the Korean Olympic team Hwang Sun-hong, who is conducting off-season training in Antalya during the period.
Hyundai rivals Ulsan and Jeonbuk, which left for Europe last year, will head to Ishigaki in Japan and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, respectively. Ulsan will move to Okinawa after strengthening its physical strength in Ishigaki.
Pohang and Daejeon will depart side by side for Hanoi, Vietnam. Pohang also conducted its first off-season training in Hanoi last year.
Jeju, where Kim Hak-beom took the helm, has decided to hold its first off-season training at the clubhouse. Since then, the team is preparing a plan to move to China and play the actual game in time for the second round.
Suwon FC, whose head is still vacant, will first convene early next month and stay in Korea until the middle of the month before leaving for Southeast Asia, including Thailand. Kim Cheon, the “military team” who was promoted to the first division, will stay in Korea including Seogwipo (first round) and Busan Gijang (second round) to prepare for the new season.
BY: 스포츠토토핫