[골닷컴, 인천] Reporter Kang Dong-hoon = Overseas club coaches participating in the ‘K League International Youth Cup Incheon 2023’ announced that they would gain as much as it is a rare opportunity while participating in a youth competition held in the Asian continent, among them, Korea for the first time. In particular, I hoped that it would be a valuable experience for the players and looked forward to it.
On the afternoon of the 2nd, the Korea Professional Football Federation (hereinafter referred to as the federation) held the ‘K League International Youth Cup Incheon 2023′ Media Day (hereinafter referred to as Media Day) at the Howard Johnson Incheon Airport Hotel in Yeongjong Island, Incheon, to hear the directors’ determination and impressions. I had time to look.
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The federation held the ‘K League International Youth Cup Incheon 2023’ this year while continuing to promote international exchanges to improve the international competitiveness of K League Youth. Through this competition, K-League Youth is expected to increase contact points with overseas advanced leagues, and to secure an international exchange network and international competitiveness of the front desk and coaching staff of each K-League club.
The ‘K League International Youth Cup Incheon 2023’ will start the first round of the group stage immediately after holding an official opening event, including Media Day today. After that, the group stage schedule will be held on the 4th and 5th, the rest day will be held on the 6th, the group league schedule will be held on the 7th and 8th, and the finals and ranking match will be scheduled on the 9th.
The group stage will be held at three venues: Incheon Munhak Stadium auxiliary pitch, Incheon Asiad auxiliary pitch, and Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium. The final will be held at the Incheon Soccer Stadium, the home ground of Incheon United. The age group participating in this competition is for players under the age of 17 (U-17).
In addition to the games, the federation also held a coach conference and a time for foreign players to experience Korean culture. An official from the federation explained, “In addition to holding the game, through coach seminars, each club shared their know-how and philosophy related to youth development and organized a variety of cultural experience programs for foreign players.”
First, Sergio Lozano Gomez, Valencia U-17 (Spain) coach, said, “I am very happy to have invited you. I have played many competitions in Europe, but this is my first time in Korea,” he said, expressing his feelings about participating, saying, “I hope to have fun and meaningful matches with Korean teams.” He said, “There are many competitions like this in North America and Europe, but opportunities to participate in competitions in Asia are rare. It is expected that it will be a valuable experience to play in a different country and environment. It will also be an important opportunity to understand different cultures.”
Richard Walker, Wolverhampton Wanderers U-17 (England) coach, said, “It is an honor to represent England in this competition. I am looking forward to it as the level of Korean soccer has improved a lot. In the past, Seol Ki-hyun played, and Hwang Hee-chan is currently playing, so it is more meaningful,” he said after expressing his feelings, “It is a very valuable opportunity. I expect players to grow and become stronger physically and mentally. In particular, exchanging different styles on different stages will be a meaningful and good experience in itself.”
Asier Eisaguirre Rosa Real Sociedad U-17 (Spain) coach said, “Thank you for inviting me. From the coaching staff to the players, everyone is looking forward to it. After emphasizing that I am happy to have a good experience with other teams, and I will work hard,” he emphasized, “It is a completely different environment, especially the continent is different this time. Asia, among them, came to Korea. It has a great meaning in that you can experience different things and gain a lot while competing.”
Ratchakit Kochasuwan Chonburi FC U-17 (Thailand) general manager said, “Thank you for inviting me. This tournament will be a good experience to compete with good teams from all over the world,” he said. “The most important thing is for the players to grow. To become a good player, you must have a lot of overseas experience. We support them to play soccer abroad 2-3 times a year. It will be a good opportunity to compete with European, Asian and K-League teams in this tournament,” he said.
Shigero Kozaburo, manager of Tokyo Verdy U-17 (Japan), said, “First of all, congratulations on the 40th anniversary of the K-League,” and then said, “Thank you for inviting me to a great tournament. I am happy to be participating. During the next six days of competition, I expect to raise the youth level, and I hope to raise the level further while sharing different cultures and different philosophies.”
Meanwhile, according to federation officials, René Peter RSC Anderlecht U-17 (Belgium) coach could not appear at this media day due to flight schedule problems. Likewise, Tokyo Verdy U-17 coach Ryo Shibuya was unable to attend due to scheduling issues, and manager Kozaburo attended instead.
2023-09-02 10:10:15
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