November 26 – Borussia Dortmund have planted a permanent flag in South Korea, opening their first full-time international academy in Suwon as the club deepens its long-running courtship of the Asian football market.
The new BVB International Academy sits next to the Suwon World Cup Stadium and will run year-round, looking to offer daily sessions built around the club’s well-worn development blueprint.
The project is being delivered in partnership with former Dortmund fullback Park Joo-ho, whose post-retirement shift into youth development has made him one of the most trusted voices in the Korean game.
His involvement gives the project a familiar local face, but also offers cultural fluency, credibility with parents, and a direct link into a football ecosystem that already produces polished, tactically literate players.
South Korea is hardly an emerging market and is one of Asia’s most structured football environments, with established school systems, consistent participation numbers and an audience that has long gravitated towards the Bundesliga.
Dortmund’s decision to stop touring the region with coaching clinics and instead build something permanent is a step-change in how the club intends to operate overseas.
The academy will cater to a broad range of young players – from complete beginners to those hoping to move into elite pathways. Accessibility is part of the pitch, but so is staying true to the standards expected of a Bundesliga academy.
Benedikt Scholz, Managing Director of the BVB Football Academy, said South Korea’s football culture and the club’s existing fan connection made Suwon “a natural next step” in the club’s global plan. Dortmund already runs projects across North America, Asia and the Middle East, but this is the first time it has committed to fixed infrastructure abroad.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1764159954labto1764159954ofdlr1764159954owedi1764159954sni@g1764159954niwe.1764159954yrrah1764159954
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