The construction of the new cradle of Korean football got underway.

The KFA and Cheonan City held the ground-breaking ceremony for the Football Complex Centre in Gasan-ri, Ipjang-myeon of Seobuk district in Cheonan on Friday. KFA director Shin Ahyoung was the master of ceremonies, with distinguished figures of Korean football present at the event: KFA president Chung Monggyu, men’s national team coach Paulo Bento, men’s U-23 national team coach Hwang Sunhong, former Korea Republic internationals Kim Jungnam, Lee Hoetaek, Kim Jaehan and Kim Jinguk, as well as KFA vice presidents Lee Yongsoo, Choi Youngil, Kim Byungji and Lee Youngpyo. Government officials also attended the ceremony: Cheonan mayor Park Sangdon, Chungcheongnamdo governor Yang Seungjo, and the vice-minister of Culture and Sports Oh Youngwoo.

In his opening speech, KFA president Chung Monggyu said: “The legend of last four at the FIFA World Cup in 2002 would not have been possible without the National Football Centre in Paju. However, it’s time for us to prepare for a new facility as we need more space and time to eventually replace the Paju NFC. We’re building a stepping stone to becoming a powerhouse in football, by completing the cutting-edge infrastructure for Korean football that is the Football Complex Centre. Hopefully, we will make best use of it in order to exceed the achievement of 2002 and compete with the world’s best in football.”

The construction of the Football Complex Centre is scheduled to be complete by 2024. The total size of plottage is 451,693 square metres, which is approximately four times larger than the current Paju NFC. Its facilities include 12 football grounds including the main stadium and an indoor football stadium, as well as a gymnasium, accommodations, offices and a football museum.