Gyeongju Air Dome soccer field opens on the 30th, anticipation and concern about whether it will operate well

There are anticipation and concern about whether the Air Dome, a specialized facility for indoor soccer training in Gyeongju, which cost more than 10 billion won, will operate smoothly.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently announced that it would hold an air dome completion ceremony at the Air Dome in Cheongun-dong, Gyeongju on the 30th attended by 300 people, including Second Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Cho Yong-man, National Sports Promotion Corporation Chairman Cho Hyun-jae, Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young, and local residents.

Air Dome is a specialized indoor soccer training facility built by Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, at the Wellness Center in Cheongun-dong, near the Bomun Tourism Complex. A total of 10.7 billion won was invested, including 5 billion won from the national treasury and 5 billion won from local government funds. It is a place where you can train and compete in a pleasant environment at any time, regardless of time or climate, such as 4 seasons or 24 hours a day. The soccer field and small stands were covered with air domes. The dome shape is maintained by blowing air into the air dome and inflating it. The height of the ceiling of the air dome is around 25m, so there is no big problem in kicking the ball. The size of a soccer field is a regular standard that can be used even for international matches. There are also some spectator seats inside the air dome. Gyeongju has more than 20 natural grass fields along the riverside. Accommodation is plentiful and the climate is relatively mild. It is an environment where you can train outdoors when the weather is nice and train at the same time in inclement weather and late at night. The Gyeongju Air Dome is scheduled to be officially opened in April after two months of pilot operation. 메이저사이트

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism started the air dome project in 2020 through a public contest with local governments. Since it is a matching project with 50% of the national treasury (5 billion won) and 50% of the local budget (over 5 billion won), the minimum scale is 10 billion won. In sports, it is large. Gyeongju went through a lot of trial and error for about three years. It was not easy to design in a situation where air dome technology for sports is poor in Korea. Since there are few materials for sports-specific air domes in Korea, most of them had to be imported from the United States. During the construction process, there were many difficulties due to contract changes between the constructor and material suppliers, and a rise in exchange rates due to Corona 19 and the global economic recession.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Gyeongju City are promoting this air dome as a ‘smart’ air dome. Smart concepts that are commonly thought of have not been introduced. There is no system that analyzes the team’s performance using various high-tech devices such as artificial intelligence, GPS, and motion analysis. The operation and operation of the air dome is simply done by an automatic control system.

The construction of the air dome was prepared at the central government level as a project to revitalize the local economy. The intention is to increase training efficiency and help the local economy by having school sports teams and business and professional teams that go abroad for field training during hot weather and cold weather stay in Korea. So, the standard of the stadium was raised to a level where official matches were possible, and the installation of spectator seats became virtually mandatory. Local governments that insist on building only one air dome do not fit the purpose of the project.

Changwon, which was selected as a project beneficiary in the same year along with Gyeongju, has been closely monitoring the situation in Gyeongju. This is because it is a business with many variables. It is said that Changwon has not even finished the design process yet. Chuncheon, which was selected as the target for the same project last year, is promoting the project with the goal of completing it within this year. Both Changwon and Chuncheon are soccer stadium air domes. Air domes are suitable for soccer and tennis, but there are technical and financial limitations in using them as baseball fields because the construction height is around 30m. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is in a position to expand the business a little more if it is judged positive after observing the operation and operation of Gyeongju, Changwon, and Chuncheon Air Dome.