Gangwon FC facts for kids
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| Full name | Gangwon Football Club 강원도민프로축구단 |
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| Founded | 2008 | ||
| Ground | Chuncheon Songam Sports Town Gangneung Stadium |
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| Owner | Gangwon Province Government | ||
| Chairman | Kim Jin-tae | ||
| Manager | Yoon Jong-hwan | ||
| League | K League 1 | ||
| 2023 | K League 1, 10th of 12 | ||
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Gangwon FC (Korean: 강원 FC) is a football club from South Korea. They play in Gangwon Province. This team joined the K League, which is South Korea's top football league, in 2009. They were the 15th club to join! The club gets support from High1 Resort.
Contents
The Club's Journey: A History
How Gangwon FC Started
The idea for Gangwon FC began on April 28, 2008. The governor of Gangwon-do, Kim Jin-sun, announced plans to create a new professional football team. A special group called the "Foundation of Football Club in Gangwon Preparation Committee" was set up in June 2008. Their job was to help make the club happen.
By November 2008, 14 players had already joined the team. Soon after, on November 20, the club had its first full squad of 23 players. This included nine players chosen from the 2009 K League draft. Gangwon FC was officially formed on December 18, 2008, just in time to play in the 2009 K League season.
Early Seasons and Challenges
Gangwon FC played its very first K League match on March 8, 2009. They faced Jeju United at Gangneung Stadium and won 1–0! The winning goal was scored by Yoon Jun-ha. The team had an amazing start, winning four more games in a row. This made them a big surprise in the first half of the 2009 season.
However, they couldn't keep up their winning streak. By the middle of the season, they had dropped to the lower half of the league. They finished their first K League season in 13th place out of 15 clubs.
In the 2009 Korean FA Cup, Gangwon FC won their first game against Daejeon Korail FC after a penalty shootout. But they lost their next match to the Chunnam Dragons. In the 2009 Korean League Cup, they finished last in their group, with only one win.
The 2010 season was tough for Gangwon FC. Even though their main striker, Kim Young-hoo, scored 13 goals, the team finished 12th. The 2011 season was even harder, as they finished last in the league. The whole team only scored 14 goals in 30 matches.
Staying in the Top League
In 2012, the K League changed its rules. The bottom two teams would be sent down to a lower division. In the very last games of the season, Gangwon FC managed to stay in the top league. A crucial goal by Baek Jong-hwan helped them win against Seongnam Ilhwa. This win kept them safe by just one point!
However, in the 2013 season, Gangwon FC finished third from last. This meant they had to play in a special playoff game. They lost to Sangju Sangmu Phoenix and were moved down to the K League Challenge, which is the second division.
New Managers and "Byung-soo Ball"
In the middle of the 2018 season, Kim Byung-soo became the new head coach. He helped the team finish in eighth place. The next year, in 2019, player Kim Ji-hyeon won the "K League Young Player of the Year" award. Gangwon FC finished sixth that season.
Coach Kim Byung-soo became famous for his exciting style of play, which fans called "Byung-soo ball." In 2019, Gangwon FC was the best team in the K League for keeping the ball and making successful passes. They also scored the third-highest number of goals.
Before the 2020 season, the team worked on making their defense stronger. They brought in new players like Lim Chai-min, Shin Se-gye, and Kim Young-bin. On October 4, 2020, Gangwon won a game against Seongnam 2–1. This win helped them stay in the K League 1.
Recent Seasons and Changes
For the 2021 season, Gangwon FC added more new players. These included Masatoshi Ishida, Sin Chang-moo, and national team players Yun Suk-young and Rim Chang-woo. On March 21, 2021, they won their first home game of the season against Incheon United with a 2–0 score.
Later in 2021, after a tough loss, coach Kim Byung-soo left the team. Choi Yong-soo took over as the new coach. Under his leadership, Gangwon FC managed to stay in the top division. They won their relegation playoff games against Daejeon Hana Citizen.
Team Players
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
Sometimes players are loaned to other teams for a period. Here are some Gangwon FC players currently on loan:
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Team Captains Through the Years
The captain is a very important player who leads the team. Here are some of Gangwon FC's captains over the years:
| Season | Captain |
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| 2009 |  Lee Eul-yong |
| 2010–11 | Chung Kyung-ho |
| 2011 | Seo Dong-hyeon |
| 2011 | Lee Eul-yong |
| 2012 | Kim Eun-jung |
| 2013 | Chun Jae-ho |
| 2014 | Kim Oh-gyu |
| 2015 | Hwang Kyo-chung Baek Jong-hwan |
| 2016–17 | Baek Jong-hwan |
| 2018 | Jung Jo-gook |
| 2019–20 | Oh Beom-seok |
| 2020–21 | Lim Chai-min |
| 2022 | Kim Dong-hyun |
| 2023 | Rim Chang-woo |
| 2024 | Han Kook-young Yun Suk-young |
Youth Development
Gangwon FC believes in training young talent.
- On September 13, 2010, the club started its Under-12 (U-12) team in Gangneung.
- Later, in November 2011, they partnered with Gangneung Jeil High School (for U-18 players) and Jumunjin Middle School (for U-15 players). This helps young players grow and develop their skills.
In 2021, Gangwon FC made history! They were the first professional team to create a reserve team. This team plays in the semi-professional K4 League. The idea is to give younger players and other team members more chances to play. At least seven players in the starting lineup must be 23 years old or younger. Lee Seul-gi, who used to be a coach for the main team, became the manager of this new U23 squad.
Coaches and Staff
The team has many people working behind the scenes to help the players succeed.
Coaching Staff
- Manager: Yoon Jong-hwan
- Assistant Manager: Chung Kyung-ho
- First-team Coaches: Choi Hyo-jin, Song Chang-ho
- Goalkeeping Coach: Jeon Sang-wook
Team Managers Through Time
Here is a list of the main managers who have led Gangwon FC:
| No. | Name | From | To | Season(s) |
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Choi Soon-ho |
2008/11/16 | 2011/04/06 | 2009–2011 |
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Kim Sang-ho |
2011/04/07 | 2012/07/01 | 2011–2012 |
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Kim Hak-bum |
2012/07/09 | 2013/08/11 | 2012–2013 |
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Kim Yong-kab |
2013/08/14 | 2013/12/10 | 2013 |
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 Arthur Bernardes |
2013/12/23 | 2014/09/18 | 2014 |
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Park Hyo-jin |
2014/09/18 | 2014/12/24 | 2014 |
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Choi Yun-kyum |
2015/01/05 | 2017/08/14 | 2015–2017 |
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Park Hyo-jin |
2017/08/14 | 2017/11/04 | 2017 |
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Song Kyung-sub |
2017/11/02 | 2018/08/11 | 2017–2018 |
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Kim Byung-soo |
2018/08/12 | 2021/11/04 | 2018–2021 |
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Choi Yong-soo |
2021/11/16 | 2023/06/14 | 2021–2023 |
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Yoon Jong-hwan |
2023/06/19 | present | 2023– |
Season Records
This table shows how Gangwon FC has performed in different leagues and cups each season.
| Season | League | FA Cup | Other | |||||||||
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| Division | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pos. | |||
| 2009 | 1 | 28 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 42 | 57 | –15 | 28 | 13 | R16 | League Cup: GS |
| 2010 | 28 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 36 | 50 | –14 | 30 | 12 | R32 | League Cup: GS | |
| 2011 | 30 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 14 | 45 | –31 | 15 | 16 | QF | League Cup: GS | |
| 2012 | 44 | 14 | 7 | 23 | 57 | 68 | –11 | 49 | 14 | R16 | ||
| 2013 | 38 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 37 | 64 | –27 | 36 | 12↓ | R16 | ||
| 2014 | 2 | 36 | 16 | 6 | 14 | 48 | 50 | –2 | 54 | 3 | QF | |
| 2015 | 40 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 51 | 7 | R16 | ||
| 2016 | 40 | 19 | 9 | 12 | 50 | 33 | +17 | 66 | 4↑ | R32 | ||
| 2017 | 1 | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 59 | 65 | –6 | 49 | 6 | R16 | |
| 2018 | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 56 | 60 | –4 | 46 | 8 | R32 | ||
| 2019 | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 56 | 58 | –2 | 50 | 6 | QF | ||
| 2020 | 27 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 36 | 41 | –5 | 34 | 7 | QF | ||
| 2021 | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 40 | 51 | –11 | 43 | 11 | SF | ||
| 2022 | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 50 | 52 | –2 | 49 | 6 | R16 | ||
| 2023 | 38 | 6 | 16 | 16 | 30 | 41 | –11 | 34 | 10 | QF | ||
- Key
- SF = Semi-final
- QF = Quarter-final
- R16 = Round of 16
- R32 = Round of 32
- GS = Group stage
See also
In Spanish: Gangwon Football Club para niños
