Borussia Dortmund Opens New International Academy Facility in South Korea.

Roger Hampel

Image: BVB

Borussia Dortmund has expanded its international academy network with the opening of a new indoor facility for the BVB International Academy Korea in Suwon, South Korea.

Located next to the Suwon World Cup Stadium, the academy includes three indoor football pitches, changing rooms, a gym, auditorium, café and office facilities, all developed around Borussia Dortmund's black-and-yellow identity.

Around 100 young players currently train at the academy, with plans to increase capacity to as many as 600, according to Borussia Dortmund.

The project has been developed by former BVB and South Korea international Joo-Ho Park in cooperation with the German club, creating a permanent football development platform for Dortmund in one of Asia's established football markets.

BVB Establishes Permanent Academy Infrastructure in Suwon Borussia

The new facility gives Borussia Dortmund a dedicated physical base for youth development in South Korea. Unlike short-term football camps or individual coaching programmes, the Suwon project provides year-round infrastructure built specifically around the BVB academy concept.

Three indoor pitches form the core of the facility, supported by fitness and educational spaces as well as amenities for players, families and staff.

The location also carries football significance. The academy sits next to Suwon's World Cup Stadium, one of the venues built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

The indoor facility was officially inaugurated during the first week of August, with around 150 guests, including parents and sponsors, attending the opening. Borussia Dortmund was represented in Suwon by Christian Diercks, Managing Director of the BVB Evonik Football Academy, and Marius Lorenz, Head of Sports Asia.

Joo-Ho Park Leads Korean Academy Project

Former Dortmund defender Joo-Ho Park has played a central role in developing the project.

Park represented BVB during his playing career and later became involved in establishing the club's academy model in his home country.

Interestingly, Dortmund says the concept was influenced by another former BVB player and international academy project.

Park visited the BVB Academy of Lukasz Piszczek in Poland, where he studied the model developed by the former Dortmund and Poland defender. He subsequently adapted the concept for South Korea in cooperation with Borussia Dortmund.

That connection provides an example of how BVB's international academy network can develop through former players who retain strong relationships with the club after their professional careers.