Hwacheon KSPO WFC
| Full name | Hwacheon Korea Sports Promotion Foundation Women's Football Club | ||
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| Founded | 2011 | ||
| Ground | Hwacheon Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 3,000 | ||
| Owner | Korea Sports Promotion Foundation | ||
| Chairman | Kim Seong-taek | ||
| Head coach | Kang Sun-mi | ||
| League | WK League | ||
| 2025 | Regular season: 1st of 8 Playoffs: Champions | ||
| Website | https://www.kspo.or.kr/kspo/main/contents.do?menuNo=200409 | ||
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Hwacheon Korea Sports Promotion Foundation Women's Football Club (Korean: 화천 국민체육진흥공단 여자 축구단) or simply Hwacheon KSPO WFC is a South Korean women's football team based in Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province. The club competes in the WK League, the top division of women's football in South Korea, and plays its home games at the Hwacheon Stadium. It was founded as Jeonbuk KSPO in 2011,[1] but moved to Hwacheon County ahead of the 2015 season.
History
The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO) launched its women's football club in March 2011, signing an agreement with the Sports Council of North Jeolla Province (Jeonbuk) to base the team there and play as Jeonbuk KSPO.[2] Kang Jae-soon was appointed as head coach, working with a small coaching staff and a squad of 23 players in the club's first season. Upon its foundation, Jeonbuk KSPO joined the WK League, becoming the seventh team to join the league. The club also hosted friendly matches and football coaching sessions with the aim of promoting grassroots football among girls and women.[3] At the time, there were football programmes for school-age girls in Jeonbuk but with no university or works teams in the province, it was hoped that establishing a semi-professional team would offer a career path for young local talent.[4]
In 2015, when the WK League first started using the home-and-away system, KSPO accepted bids from various sports councils to become the home base of its women's football team.[5] The foundation accepted the bid of Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province and the team relocated, also citing frequent long-distance travel as a reason for players' recent poor condition and performance.[6] KSPO initially signed a five-year agreement with the county, securing their home base until 2019. They renewed their ties in 2019 and again in 2024, ensuring KSPO's presence in Hwacheon until at least 2029.[7]
In 2024, Hwacheon KSPO finished in first place in the regular league season for the first time in the club's history.[8] However, in the two-legged championship final against Suwon FC, they lost 3–2 on aggregate, becoming WK League runners-up for the second time.[9] After their regular league victory, head coach Kang Jae-soon revealed that he would step down at the end of the 2024 season to take on the role of general manager at the club, with Kang Sun-mi replacing him as head coach.[10][11]
Hwacheon KSPO had another successful year in 2025, staying at the top of the WK League table for much of the season and claiming the regular league title for the second year in a row.[12] This time they faced Seoul City Amazones in the championship final, beating them 7–5 on aggregate to lift the club's first ever WK League trophy and qualify for the 2026–27 AFC Women's Champions League.[13] By winning the league title, KSPO also became the first South Korean women's team to complete a domestic treble, having already won the National Women's Football Championship and the National Sports Festival.[14]
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Backroom staff
Coaching staff
- Manager: Kang Sun-mi
- Goalkeeping coach: Im Jong-guk
- Coach: Lee Sae-um
- Technical director: Kang Jae-soon
- Trainer: Park Su-min
Source: Official website[16]
Honours
Season-by-season records
| Season | WK League regular season | Playoffs | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | ||
| 2011 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 17 | 46 | 6 | 7th | Did not qualify |
| 2012 | 21 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 3rd | Semifinals |
| 2013 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 28 | 38 | 30 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2014 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 26 | 43 | 16 | 7th | Did not qualify |
| 2015 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 34 | 28 | 34 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2016 | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 35 | 32 | 33 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2017 | 28 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 45 | 50 | 46 | 3rd | Runners-up |
| 2018 | 28 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 52 | 45 | 44 | 5th | Did not qualify |
| 2019 | 28 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 49 | 39 | 44 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2020 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 32 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2021 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 5th | Did not qualify |
| 2022 | 21 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 36 | 25 | 34 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2023 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 18 | 41 | 2nd | Semifinals |
| 2024 | 28 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 49 | 27 | 56 | 1st | Runners-up |
| 2025 | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 56 | 23 | 57 | 1st | Winners |
References
- ^ 여자축구선수단 소개 (in Korean). KSPO경륜경정사업본부. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
- ^ Um, Min-yong (8 March 2011). "국민체육진흥공단 여자축구단 창단" [KSPO founds women's football team]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ "전북KSPO여자축구단, 친성경기 축구교실 마련" [Jeonbuk KSPO WFC planning friendly matches and football coaching]. Jeonbuk Jungang (in Korean). 27 July 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Park, Im-geun (7 March 2011). "전북 연고 여자 실업축구팀 창단" [Women's works football team established with Jeonbuk as its base]. The Hankyoreh (in Korean). Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Jeon, Hee-jae (12 February 2015). "사라진 '전북 KSPO 여자축구단'" [The disappearance of 'Jeonbuk KSPO WFC']. Jeolla Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Kim, Jae-hak (4 February 2015). "KSPO 여자축구단, 강원도 화천 연고 이전" [KSPO WFC moves home base to Hwacheon, Gangwon-do]. Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Park, Sang-wook (27 December 2024). "KSPO 여자축구단, 화천군과 연고지 협약... 2029년까지" [KSPO WFC sign agreement with Hwacheon County until 2029]. News Pim (in Korean). Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Jang, Min-seok (27 September 2024). "KSPO 창단 13년 만에 WK리그 정규리그 우승" [KSPO win WK League regular season for the first time in 13 years since the club's foundation]. Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Seol, Ha-eun (9 November 2024). "수원FC, WK리그 챔피언결정전 우승 1,2,차전 합계 3–2승" [Suwon FC Women win 3–2 on aggregate in championship final to claim WK League title]. Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Lee, Ee-jin (29 September 2024). "여자축구 현대제철 천하 끝낸 KSPO ... 마지막 꿈 이룬 강재순 감독" [KSPO bring an end to the Hyundai Steel era of women's football... Manager Kang Jae-soon achieves his final dream]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Shin, Mun-ro; Geum, Yun-ho (12 March 2025). "'통합우승 재도전' 화천KSPO 정지연 "강선미 감독님은 불꽃 카리스마, 머리 쓰는 축구"" [Jeong Ji-yeon of title challengers Hwacheon KSPO: "Manager Kang's flaming charisma and smart football"]. Sporki (in Korean). Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Seo, Jae-won (1 October 2025). "화천KSPO 여자축구단, 2025 WK리그 정규리그 우승" [Hwacheon KSPO WFC 2025 WK League regular league champions]. Hankyung (in Korean). Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ An, Ee-ho (17 November 2025). "화천 KSPO 창단 첫 WK리그 챔피언 등극" [Hwacheon KSPO crowned WK League champions for first time]. Gangwon Domin Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ Lee, Young-ho (15 November 2025). "화천 KSPO, WK리그 챔피언결정전서 역대 첫 우승…'트레블 달성'" [Hwacheon KSPO win first WK League title, achieve treble]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 17 November 2025.
- ^ "2026 SQUAD NUMBERS". Hwacheon KSPO WFC. 31 January 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026 – via Instagram.
- ^ a b 프로필 [Profiles] (in Korean). KSPO. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
External links
- Official website (in Korean)