If we think of the two words "football" and "Korea", we cannot forget the infamous 2002 World Cup, which saw Italy exit the competition at the hands of the South Koreans, after the goal of Ah in extra time. A match that still arouses some anger due to very dubious refereeing.
Football was not one of the main sports practiced in Korea, the most famous one, we all know, is taekwondo, declared a sport national in the 70s. Only in the last 20 years has football become increasingly popular in Korea, becoming, today, the second most followed sport, together with baseball. From having 5 teams in the 80s it has now reached 12 in the top division K League 1 (in 2011 there were 16).
Divided by numbers, the K League represents the most competitive football league in Asia, which is why the West is also starting to take an interest in several Korean players: just think of the champion Son, who plays for Tottenham and the new signing from Napoli, the defender Kim Min Jae.
The growing popularity of football in Korea allowed me to gain work experience in this country. A few years ago, through a former university colleague of mine, I learned that a Korean boy was looking for coaches and assistants for his "English football" academy. It was a very interesting project, which combined sport with the teaching of the English language.
I had no experience as a football coach, despite having always followed this sport. It seemed like something "too big" for me, but thanks to my university studies in oriental languages at the Sapienza University of Rome, studying the Korean language and culture, I was the perfect candidate to be an assistant to a Spanish coach, already in Korea.
So I decided to get involved. There was an online conversation between me and the Korean CEO and after the call, after a few days, the chief executive wrote to me asking if I could leave in two weeks.
It was all so sudden and fast, that I found myself taken aback and in disbelief. I thought about it a little and understood that it was the ideal opportunity to finally discover firsthand that fantastic world of the Far East that I had studied and always dreamed of visiting.
With a bit of excitement mixed with happiness I packed my bags and took the big step: destination South Korea!
As soon as he arrived, it was love at first sight. Being surrounded by boys with almond-shaped eyes filled me with joy. I couldn't explain why, but Korea has always given me a feeling of inner well-being that no other place has been able to give me.
A couple of days were enough for me to settle in and be immediately operational.
The project, proposed in public schools, saw me and my former colleagues as physical education teachers specializing in football.
Our daily schedule consisted of training sessions in various schools, ranging from the very sweet children of the kindergardens, the Korean kindergartens, where the activity was mostly playful to keep them entertained and create more unity between the children, up to a sports high school, with very smart kids, who put their souls into the most intensive and preparatory training sessions for football.
These extra-curricular football lessons were aimed mainly at suburban schools. Precisely to make our project unique and not have competition, we went to schools further away from the metropolises, closer to rural areas. I remember very well, one of my first days of work, in an elementary school, several teachers and janitors looked at me and my colleague, as if we were aliens. I asked my boss for an explanation and he told me that they were not used to seeing Westerners.
The working day was composed in this way: we left in the morning, towards one of the designated schools where we had 2 or 3 different classes in which we had lessons of one hour each.
Lunch was shared in the beautiful and comfortable canteens of the structure and, in the afternoon, we moved to a second school for as many lessons.
I was impressed to note that almost all of them public schools in Korea are very well-kept structures, with synthetic grass football pitches, perfect for introducing kids to having contact with the ball, and have lots of open spaces. A particularity, which is the basis of oriental habits and customs, is the initial and final bow towards the teacher, as a form of respect. There was no lesson without the students bowing before starting and finishing the training session.
Between one shot and another, we had the task of teaching the kids the English language, a role that enriched me greatly due to the double value of my presence in Korea.
This experience of mine lasted almost a year and a half. The first 3 months I worked as a simple assistant, then, also at the suggestion of my boss, I went to the United Kingdom to get the basic football coaching license and returned to Korea, staying for another year.
Every now and then I wonder how the kids I coached are doing. It's been a long time, who knows if they still play football or not…
This long period has allowed me, on the one hand, to establish a relationship of affection and protection with the children of primary schools and kindergarden, and with the children of middle schools and high school, to obtain the greatest satisfactions on a sporting level, such as to see this project grow more and more until it also involves the former Italian player and manager of Venezia F.C., Paolo Poggi, with whom we organized a summer camp for the kids from the city of Changwon in the south east of Korea and on the island of Jeju. A unique opportunity to introduce Italian football even more to Korean kids.
It was a wonderful adventure, full of emotions that gave me the opportunity to discover football in a country very far from ours and also very different, where I dream of returning soon.
Massimo Gaz
Credit: envato premium cover photo