K League Exposed to Heatwave: Players' Association Calls for Switch to Autumn-Spring Season

The Korea Pro-Footballers' Association (KPFA) has argued that the K League should transition to an autumn-spring season system to protect players from extreme heat.

The autumn-spring system refers to a schedule that begins in the autumn and concludes in the spring of the following year.

Currently, the K League operates on a spring-autumn system, running from spring through late autumn.

Considering climate change and global trends, the necessity of switching the K League to an autumn-spring system has been steadily raised, with related discussions ongoing.

In a press release issued today (August 13), the players' association emphasized, "To fully protect the right to life of players from increasingly severe climate crises and murderous summer heatwaves, and to maintain the K League's leadership and global competitiveness within Asia, a complete transition from the current spring-autumn system to an autumn-spring system is necessary."

Amid record-breaking heatwaves this summer, professional baseball took the unprecedented step of canceling all 15 scheduled games across five stadiums nationwide from August 7 to 9.

Even after games resumed, the start times, which were previously set at 6:30 PM on weekdays and 6:00 PM on weekends, were adjusted to 7:00 PM for both weekdays and weekends.

The K League also adjusted the kickoff times for matches held on August 7 and 8 from 7:30 PM to 8:00 PM.

Pointing out broader global football trends, the association noted that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) fully overhauled its Champions League schedule to an autumn-spring format starting from the 2023-2024 season, and Japan's J League has also decided to adopt the autumn-spring system starting from the 2026-2027 season.

Regarding concerns that transitioning to an autumn-spring schedule would make pitch management and attracting spectators difficult due to severe cold and heavy snow between December and February, the association's stance is that potential impacts on the league can be minimized through sufficient discussion and institutional supplements, such as introducing a winter break.

Lee Keun-ho, president of the players' association, stated, "In fact, the consensus from the field is that guaranteeing an adequate break in the middle of winter is much more advantageous for preventing injuries and maintaining performance than relentlessly overworking players under the murderous summer sun without a rest while juggling league and cup competitions."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.