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Women's football in South Korea

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Women's Football in South Korea
Smiling players from Incheon Hyundai Red Angels women's football team, along with their coach and chairman, lift a large golden grophy.
Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels lift the 2022 WK League trophy
Governing body
National team(s)
ClubsFull list
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions

Women's football has been played in South Korea for over seventy years, though its development was impeded by the Korean War and subsequently by opposition from some football authorities who viewed the sport as unsuitable for women.[1] Although not as developed as the men's game in the country, a number of senior and youth teams have emerged since the 1990s. With the rising profile of women's football globally, women's football is growing in popularity in South Korea.[2][3]

History

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Beginnings

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Although similar sports had previously existed in Korea, football in its modern format was first played in the country when crew members of the British vessel HMS Flying Fish played a game while stationed in port in present-day Incheon.[4] The idea of women playing football was first raised in 1925, when the athletic director at Ehwa Women's University argued that women should exercise more, but that sports such as football should be avoided due to physiological differences between men and women.[5]

Women's football in pre-war Korea

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The first girls' football team in the country was founded in 1946 by Kim Hwa-jip, a teacher at Seoul Central Girls' Middle School and pioneer of women's football in Korea.[6]

Grainy black and white photograph showing Korean teen girls playing football
Football at the 2nd National Women's Sports Festival in 1949

The first women's football match on Korean soil took place on 28th June 1949 as part of the 2nd National Women's Sports Festival, held at Seoul Stadium (later known as Dongdaemun Stadium).[7] Three girls' middle school teams (Muhak, Myungsung, and Seoul Central) and a team from Daegu Girls' High School participated in the girls' football tournament.[8][9] A rule was added stating that handling the ball would not be considered a foul if used to block the ball from hitting the chest.[6] Women's football proved popular, with the newspaper at the time reporting that a large crowd gathered to see Muhak beat Myungsung 2-1 in the final.[10]

In October of the same year, a Korea Women's Football Federation was established and the first National Women's Football Tournament announced.[11] Teams paid a 1000 won entry fee to participate in the tournament, held from 10th-11th November at Seoul Stadium.[12][13] Despite the initial popularity of women's football in Korea, its development was impeded by the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950.[6]

A women's football match between Jeonju and Seoul on 18th June, 1973

Post-war revival of women's football

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In post-war South Korea women's football was gaining popularity as women and girls continued to play in schools, universities and grassroots clubs. Jeonju W.F.C. was established in March 1972 and played against Seoul W.F.C. on 17th June 1973 in South Korea's first official women's football match. A crowd of 10,000 gathered to watch Jeonju beat Seoul 3-0 in the match, which took place at Seoul Stadium ahead of the boys' high school football finals.[14] After the match, Seoul Women's Football Club received over one hundred phone calls from women interested in joining the team.[15]

In February 1974, the Korea Women's Football Federation was launched with Choi Wee-seung as the chairman and Kim Yong-sik as honourary chairman. Six clubs from across the country (Seoul W.F.C., Jeonju W.F.C., Gwangju W.F.C., Busan Muhak, Gongju Yongji Academy, and Andong Pungsan Academy) were represented at the federation's first general meeting.[16] In June of the same year, the federation hosted the first official National Women's Football Tournament, which was attended by five teams.[17] Jeonbuk Women claimed the title after a second-half goal from Jung Hye-mi secured them a 1-0 victory over Busan Muhak in the final.[18]

As women continued to enjoy playing football, some advocates pushed for further development and even called for the formation of a women's national team. However, these voices were met with opposition from football authorities at the time who deemed football an unsuitable sport for women, particuarly compared to other sports such as basketball and volleyball.[1]

In the early 1980s, as a number of professional men's football clubs were established in South Korea and the Korean Super League got underway, women's football continued to be viewed as more of a novelty than a serious sport. Following recommendations from FIFA to promote the growth of women's football, the Korea Football Association hosted a number of women's football matches in 1985.[1][19] A national team was also formed at the Incheon Sports Festival in 1985 through open recruitment and played a number of exhibition matches against U.S. Eighth Army teams, but a lack of players and training opportunities led to the team's dissolution in 1987.[20]

1990 Asian Games and beyond

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See also: Football at the 1990 Asian Games – Women's tournament

The news that women's football would be included for the first time at the 1990 Asian Games, as well as the upcoming 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup led to the revival of the previously disbanded South Korea national women's football team.[20] This renaissance also led to the foundation of the country's first university-level women's teams, at Ehwa Women's University and Sookmyung Women's University.[21] A number of high school teams and clubs were also founded at this time.[22]

At the Asian Games in Beijing, the South Korea women's football team made its first appearance on the international stage under manager Park Kyung-hwa.[8] The team, composed partly of athletes from other sports, lost with significant goal margins in matches against China, Japan, Taiwan and North Korea, narrowly avoiding an overall last-place finish with a 1-0 victory over Hong Kong.[23] Despite the poor results, the tournament served as a catalyst for the development of women's football in South Korea, with the establishment of teams at various levels and the operation of domestic tournaments throughout the 1990s.[8] The Queen's National Women's Football Championship was launched in 1993 for college and university teams.[24] The first works team, Incheon Steel, was founded by the Hyundai Group in 1993.[25] Without any other works teams to play against, they competed against university teams in domestic tournaments.

The national team showed improvement, achieving a fourth place finish in the 1995 AFC Women's Championship, and by the end of the 1990s, women's football appeared to be on the verge of a major expansion, with both the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Korea Football Association promising subsidies for new women's teams.[26][27] Kyunghee University and Hanyang Women's University, both of which had previously announced the dissolution of their teams, reversed their decisions and began recruiting again.[27] Two works teams, Hebron Mission WFC and Soongmin Wonders, were founded in late 1999, bringing the total to three.[28]

As the longest-established team, Incheon Hyundai (by this time known as INI Steel) had already established their dominance in domestic competition. An Jong-goan, INI Steel's manager from 1999-2009, also managed the South Korean national women's team on a number of occasions, and many of the club's players also played for South Korea.[29][30] Although the national team did not participate in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, South Korea was represented at the tournament by its first ever female professional referee Im Eun-ju.[31] Television broadcasts of the tournament gave many Korean viewers their first experience of women's football.[32]

2000s: National team successes and foundation of WK League

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Following the success of the 2002 men's World Cup, hosted jointly by South Korea and Japan, the Korea Football Association took a renewed interest in women's football, equipping the national team with an extra coach and a chef for the first time as they headed to the 2003 AFC Women's Championship in Thailand.[33] Their third place finish at the tournament saw them qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time. They lost all three group stage matches to finish at the bottom of Group B, with Kim Jin-hee scoring South Korea's only goal of the tournament.[34] The following year, the South Korea women's U-20 team were champions of the 2004 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, beating hosts China 3-0 in the final.[35] The senior team's first tournament win came on home soil at the 2005 EAFF Women's Championship.[36]

Despite the disappearance of both Hebron Mission and Soongmin Wonders, a number of works teams were established in the early 2000s. By 2006, there were four active teams, and the Korean Women's Football Federation announced their plans to launch a semi-professional women's league.[37] A pilot scheme took place in 2008 and the WK League was launched in 2009, with six teams taking part in the inaugural season.[38][39]

League system

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Main article: WK League

WK League is the highest tier of women's football in South Korea.[40] Following a pilot scheme in 2008, the WK League was launched in 2009.[41]

National team

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Main article: South Korea women's national football team

Since the 21st century, South Korea has seen an upsurge of success with the national team qualifying for the World Cup twice and reaching the Asian Cup final in 2022.[42]

Grassroots football

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In recent years, amateur football and futsal have seen a huge growth in popularity among South Korean women, partly driven by the hit television show Shooting Stars, which features female celebrities and guests playing in a five-a-side football tournament.[43] After the show first aired in July 2021, the social sports platform Plab Football reported a 45.2% increase in female users compared to the previous month.[44] The Korea Football Association also saw an increase in the number of female players registered: from 2412 in 2020 to 5242 in 2024. The number of registered women’s futsal teams in the country also went from 12 to 75 during the same time period.[45][46]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Koh, Eunha (23 November 2004). "Chains, Challenges and Changes: The Making of Women's Football in Korea". In Hong, Fan; Mangan, J.A. (eds.). Soccer, Women, Sexual Liberation: Kicking off a New Era. London: Routledge. pp. 76–77. ISBN 9780203011164.
  2. ^ Bae, Gawon (July 21, 2022). "South Korea breaks out of its old prejudice and embraces women's football". CNN.
  3. ^ "'Korean women's football is moving backwards' - Cho determined to take Asian Cup 'opportunity' with South Korea |". Goal. January 22, 2022.
  4. ^ 간추린축구사 [A condensed history of football]. Korea Football Association (in Korean). Archived from the original on 27 July 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  5. ^ 치중하는 운동과 [The importance of physical education]. Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 1 January 2025. p. 17. Retrieved 20 February 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  6. ^ a b c Kim, Sang-woo (3 October 2010). 여자 축구, 가슴에 오는 공 잡아도 반칙 아니다? [Is it acceptable to catch the ball with the chest in women's football?]. Media Today (in Korean). Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  7. ^ 이땅 최초의 여자축구 재작일 서울운동장서 성황 [The first recreation of women's football in Korea is a success at Seoul Stadium]. Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 30 June 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 20 February 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  8. ^ a b c 한국 여자축구 역사 [History of women's football in Korea]. Korea Women's Football Federation (in Korean). Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  9. ^ Han, Gun-soo (28 March 2020). 한국 여자축구의 역사와 발전과정: 미국 여자축구와의 비교 [The History and Process of Development of the Korean Women's Soccer: Comparison with the U.S.'s Women's Soccer] (PDF). Journal of the Korea Convergence Survey (in Korean). 11 (3): 227–235 – via Korea Science.
  10. ^ 여자축구무학우승 [Muhak victorious in women's football]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 5 July 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 20 February 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  11. ^ 전국여자축구대회개최 [National Women's Football Tournament to take place]. Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 9 October 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 20 February 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  12. ^ 여자축구선서권대회 [Women's Football Tournament]. Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 10 November 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 20 February 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  13. ^ 제일회여자축구대회거행 [First women's football tournament to take place]. Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 10 November 1949. p. 2. Retrieved 20 February 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  14. ^ Kim, Kyung-je (2 September 2011). 1973년 첫 여자축구 경기 [First women's football match in 1973]. Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  15. ^ 묘기백출 여자축구. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 18 June 1973. p. 6. Retrieved 20 February 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  16. ^ 한국여자축구연맹 발족 전국 6개팀 - 6월21일 전국대회 열어 [Korean Women's Football Federation launched with 6 teams from across the country - national tournament to be held on 21st June]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 28 February 1974. p. 8. Retrieved 20 February 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  17. ^ 팬 매혹 시킬 드릴 묘기 국내 첫 공식 타이틀전 - 전국여자축구대회 [National Women's Football Tournament - South Korea's first official title match to captivate fans]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 28 June 1974. p. 6. Retrieved 20 February 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  18. ^ 전국여자축구 폐막 전북팀 패권 [National Women's Football: Jeonbuk team victorious in final]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Naver News Library. 4 July 1974. p. 8. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  19. ^ 여자선수 묘기에 갈채 [Applause for female athlete's stunt]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 24 June 1985. p. 8. Retrieved 20 February 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  20. ^ a b 여자축구팀 부활 [Women's football team resurrected]. Maeil Business (in Korean). 6 December 1989. p. 16. Retrieved 20 February 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  21. ^ Jo, Mun-ho (3 May 2005). 역사속의 오늘 - 이화여대 축구팀 창단 [Today in history - Ehwa University football team established]. Maeil Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  22. ^ Kim, Jin-ryung (4 October 2010). '한국 여자축구, 아직도 어두운 밤' ['Women's football in Korea is still in the dark']. Sisa Journal (in Korean). Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  23. ^ Garin, Erik (21 December 1999). "Asian Games 1990 (Women's Tournament)". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  24. ^ Manzenreiter, Wolfram; Horne, John (October 2007). "Playing the Post-Fordist Game in/to the Far East: The Footbalisation of China, Japan and South Korea". Soccer & Society. 8 (4): 571 – via Taylor & Francis.
  25. ^ Joo, Gil-chi (3 December 1993). 인천제철 女축구단 오늘 출범 [Today: Incheon Steel launches women's football team]. Kyunghyang Shinmun. p. 19. Retrieved 5 March 2025 – via Naver News Library.
  26. ^ Lewis, Tom; Morrison, Neil (28 May 2015). "Asian Women's Championship 1995". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  27. ^ a b Kwak, Yeong-wan (23 September 1999). 국내 여자축구 창단 붐 [Boom in establishment of women's football teams in Korea]. Seoul Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  28. ^ Kwon, Oh-sang (30 December 1999). 여자축구팀 숭민원더스 13일 창단 [Women’s football team Soongmin Wonders to be established on 13th]. Hankyoreh (in Korean). p. 31. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  29. ^ Park, Min-young (1 June 2006). 현대제철 [Hyundai Steel]. Seoul Economic Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 7 March 2025.
  30. ^ 안종관 감독, 女 축구대표 '히딩크' [Manager An Jong-goan, the 'Hiddink' of women's football]. KBS News (in Korean). 5 August 2005. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  31. ^ 임은주축구심판, 여자월드컵 3.4위전 주심 보게돼 [Football referee Im Eun-ju to oversee 3rd place play-off at Women's World Cup]. KBS News (in Korean). 8 July 1999. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  32. ^ Kim, Jin-ryung (4 October 2010). '한국 여자축구, 아직도 어두운 밤' ['Women's football in Korea is still in the dark']. Sisa Journal (in Korean). Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  33. ^ Oh, Seung-joo (22 June 2003). 여자축구 첫 월드컵진출 '기적의 헹가래' [Women's football team celebrate miraculous first qualification for World Cup]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  34. ^ Aarhus, Lars; Burkert, Sturmius (25 June 2015). "Women's World Cup 2003 (USA)". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  35. ^ Di Maggio, Roberto (17 April 2014). "Asian Women U-19 Championship 2004". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  36. ^ "EAFF Women's Cup 2005". East Asian Football Federation. 2005. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  37. ^ Jeon, Gwang-yeol (December 27, 2006). 여자축구 내년 세미프로리그 뜬다 [Semi-professional women's football league coming next year] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  38. ^ Jeon, Gwang-yeol (April 8, 2008). 女실업 축구 연중리그 시범운영 [Women's works football year-round league pilot launched] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  39. ^ 여자축구 실업 WK-리그 출범..올스타전 포함 총 63경기 치르기로 [Women's works football league WK League launched.. 63 matches including all-star game] (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. November 27, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  40. ^ "Kang Ga-ae: "We're making women's football in Korea more visible" - FIFPRO World Players' Union".
  41. ^ Kim, Jong-ryuk (May 23, 2008). 6개팀 참가 여자축구리그 내년 출범...연중리그제 변신 [Women's football league to launch next year with 6 teams... change to year-round league format] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  42. ^ "China stage incredible comeback to win AFC Women's Asian Cup". South China Morning Post. February 6, 2022.
  43. ^ Lee, Yeon-woo (5 June 2022). "Growing number of women making foray into football". The Korea Times. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  44. ^ Bae, Gawon (21 July 2022). "South Korea breaks out of its old prejudice and embraces women's football". CNN. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  45. ^ Kim, Ga-young (24 May 2024). "'골때녀'로 시작된 여풋 열풍…일자리 늘고 시장 활기" [Women’s futsal explodes following ‘Kick a Goal’ … More jobs and expansion of the market]. E Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  46. ^ Lee, David D. (17 November 2024). "South Korea sees growing sports enthusiasm -- boosted by women". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
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