Alarming deterioration of the stadium infrastructure at Song Lam Nghe An.
The severely dilapidated condition of the pitches and facilities is putting Song Lam Nghe An's youth football team in a critical situation. Without prompt solutions, the reputation of one of Vietnam's leading football academies risks being jeopardized.
A sad reality
It can be confirmed that, among the 14 clubs currently competing in the V-League 2024/25,Lam River, Nghe AnAlong with Hanoi, Viettel is considered to have a well-structured youth training system, consistently achieving stable results year after year when competing in youth tournaments organized by the Vietnam Football Federation.
In particular, the Nghe An team has built a deep youth training system that provides a wealth of human resources and consistently makes positive contributions to the Vietnamese national teams. Currently, this training academy has nearly 200 young players across 9 training classes from U9 to U21.
However, the increasingly dilapidated state of the training grounds is becoming a major obstacle, threatening the achievements and long-standing tradition in youth football training.
Currently, the Nghe An team owns one auxiliary natural grass training field and two artificial grass training fields. Over time, these training fields have been severely damaged. The natural grass field is almost unusable, with the surface reduced to bare earth and sand, resembling nothing more than a plowed field.
"The court surface is damaged due to many objective and subjective reasons, from harsh weather and pest infestations to overcrowding from too many training sessions at the same time. The irrigation system and maintenance equipment are insufficient, leading to the court's condition worsening," a court maintenance worker shared helplessly.
Similarly, the center's artificial turf pitch number 1 has reached the end of its lifespan. The rubber layer has collapsed, leaving the surface as hard as concrete, while the artificial grass is peeling off, revealing the rubber base underneath. In addition, the lighting system is largely burnt out and severely damaged, affecting late afternoon training sessions.
Threat to achievements
Due to the deteriorating condition of the training pitch, the Song Lam Nghe An management was forced to instruct the youth teams to stop training on the natural grass pitch while awaiting a solution. This significantly impacts the preparation for important tournaments such as the U13, U15, and U17 national championships.
“The new season is just around the corner, but we don’t have a natural grass pitch to train on. Having to train on artificial turf with multiple teams at the same time seriously affects our tactical training plans. The players lack the necessary feel for the ball and space to absorb the coach’s tactical intentions,” worried U17 head coach Hai Nam.
Due to a lack of sufficient training grounds, nine youth teams have to share two artificial turf pitches, divided into two time slots each afternoon. The sight of two or three teams training crammed onto the same surface is a common occurrence. In particular, the artificial turf pitch number 1 is severely degraded, making it impossible for players to play at high intensity and increasing the risk of serious injury.
During a training session observed by reporters, two injuries occurred simply because the pitch was too hard and lacked elasticity. Duc Anh (U14 SLNA) suffered an ankle injury, while Viet Duy (U17 SLNA) had a large piece of skin torn off his thigh and arm. These are just two of many cases of injuries caused by substandard pitch conditions.
“We are very worried about the players whenever we hold training sessions on artificial turf pitch number 1. If this situation continues, it will certainly affect their performance and health. We hope the pitch will be improved as soon as possible,” Coach Hai Nam added.
It can be affirmed that Song Lam Nghe An is one of the leading youth football training centers in Vietnam. This center not only provides excellent talent for the national teams but also consistently achieves high results in youth tournaments organized by the Vietnam Football Federation. However, if the condition of the training grounds is not improved, the risk of losing its leading position is entirely possible. The lack of standard training grounds will lead to a decline in training quality, meaning that the performance of the youth teams in the upcoming U13, U15, U17, and U21 National Championships in 2025 will be seriously affected.
