{
  "id": 733655,
  "title": "Pro football players' association calls on top league to switch to fall-spring schedule",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/pro-football-players-association-calls-on-top-league-to-switch-to",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-13T05:22:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20260813/pro-football-players-association-calls-on-top-league-to-switch-to-fall-spring-schedule"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Korea Pro-Footballer's Association (KPFA) has urged the leading domestic league to adopt a fall-spring schedule in order to better protect its athletes during the hot summer months. In a statement, KPFA emphasized that the current spring-fall calendar leaves players vulnerable to extreme heat. The association argued that transitioning to the fall-spring schedule is crucial for safeguarding players from the escalating climate crisis and maintaining the league's competitiveness both within Asia and globally. Discussions regarding the schedule change have been ongoing for years, with most prominent football leagues around the world following the fall-spring model. In Europe, for example, the season typically starts in late August and concludes in late May. Conversely, the K League's season begins in late February or early March and extends through November, with promotion-relegation playoffs held in December under certain circumstances. Recently, Korea has been emerging from a severe heat wave that prompted the cancellation of matches in the top baseball league.",
  "summary": "The advocacy group for professional football players on Thursday called on the top domestic league to switch to the fall-spring schedule to better protect its athletes during summer. In a statement, the Korea Pro-Footballer's Association (KPFA) said the K League must do away with the current spring-fall calendar because it leaves players exposed to severe summer heat. \"The K League must…",
  "key_points": [
    "KPFA urges K League to switch to fall-spring schedule.",
    "Current spring-fall calendar endangers players in summer heat.",
    "Fall-spring model used by most global football leagues."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The proposed schedule switch would help protect players from extreme heat, allowing the league to maintain competitiveness in Asia and globally amid the escalating climate crisis.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Pro football players' association calls on top league to switch to fall-spring schedule",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/pro-football-players-association-calls-on-top-league-to-switch-to-735427",
        "published": "2026-08-13T05:07:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Pro football players' association calls on top league to switch to fall-spring schedule",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/13/pro-football-players-association-calls-on-top-league-to-switch-to-734526",
        "published": "2026-08-13T05:37:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}