Korea Republic opens new national training centre backed by FIFA Forward

The Korea Football Association has opened a new national training centre in Cheonan with support from the FIFA Forward Programme, a move designed to upgrade the infrastructure underpinning elite performance and youth development.The facility, branded Korea Football Park, is positioned as a central operational hub for the association’s national team programmes and wider football development activity.KFA president Chung Mong Gyu said: “The newly opened Korea Football Park will become a core hub for Korean football where all football industry professionals, players, coaches, and administrators, can research and grow. We will open a new horizon for Korean football through a Korean-style development model built on artificial intelligence and scientific research at this facility.”FIFA president Gianni Infantino congratulated the KFA in a video message played during the opening ceremony and highlighted the link between facilities and performance pathways.Gianni Infantino said: “It is paramount that we give players the best possible conditions to prepare and train, and I am especially pleased that this national training centre will serve as a heart for youth development as well as elite training.”The KFA said Korea Football Park includes seven football pitches, two small stadiums, a football museum and accommodation for players.FIFA Forward funding supported five of the pitches and the museum, underlining the programme’s focus on capital investment that can accelerate participation and performance outcomes at national association level.The project was developed in co-operation with the city of Cheonan, which has built an adjacent facility featuring a further five football pitches, an indoor sports centre, tennis courts and futsal pitches.That co-located footprint is intended to strengthen ties with local communities while also providing additional capacity for camps, tournaments and coach education, reducing reliance on fragmented training bases.From a commercial and strategic perspective, the development gives the KFA a modern asset that can host programmes year-round, concentrate services that were previously spread across multiple sites, and provide a more consistent environment for national teams and high-potential talent.The opening also aligns with FIFA’s wider strategy of using Forward investment to leave permanent infrastructure legacies, particularly in training and development facilities that can support both the men’s and women’s games.The KFA said the centre will now act as a long-term base for elite preparation and development activity, with its facilities expected to be used across national team cycles and broader football industry programming.