Where Do We Go?
The phrase from Sweet Child o'Mine is repeating in my head as I consider the coming season. My original plan for the 2025 season was to follow Seoul Nowon United FC to attend every home game and as many away games as I could manage. That plan was waylaid when the club decided to cease operating just weeks before the start of the season. I moped for a few days about my adventure ending before it even started, and then came up with a new plan. I would visit as many K4 League grounds as I can manage.
Travelling the country was more difficult than I originally thought. Public transport from a city without a bus terminal eats up hours of my day, and the knock-on effect means I need to stay overnight at locations that are harder to reach. I don't like staying overnight. I like sleeping in my own bed, on my own pillow, with my wife next to me and a cat on top of me. I travelled to various semi-professional clubs based in the Northern half of the country. But as much fun as it was seeing all these new teams and locations, I missed having a specific team to cheer for. Without a team, I never developed a comfortable match day routine, and I didn't really get to know any players or teams. I hope to change that for the 2026 season.
This season, I want to follow a single team. My closest team is FC Anyang, with Suwon FC and Seoul E-Land slightly further away. FC Anyang is a single bus and a short walk away, while the other two are slightly annoying to get to. Then there is FC Seoul, a team for which I have held season tickets in the past and still buy home shirts from time to time. But all of these teams are professional, and I have a soft spot for amateur and semi-professional teams. There is just something about players doing it for the love of the game, and not because it's their job. I'm not implying professionals don't play for the love, but their rewards are quantifiable and often substantial. Semi-professional players often have day jobs, and their immediate rewards are more personal and less financial.
Who Then?
Officially called Seoul City Hall Amazones Women's Football Club, I'm sure you will forgive me if I just refer to them as Seoul or the Amazones. The club was founded in 1976 and saw success in domestic tournaments in its first decade, but since then, there has been little change to the trophy cabinet. The Amazones are one of the founding members of the WK League, Korea's semi-professional women's league. Historically, they are a mid-table team and finished runners-up only twice. As their name suggests, the team is based in Seoul. They've been at various stadiums over the years, but since 2022, they've called Seoul World Cup Stadium Auxiliary Field their home.
I first learned of their existence sometime in the mid-2010s, when they were still playing at Hyochang Stadium and wearing the same uniform as FC Seoul. Despite the uniform, there was no direct connection between the two teams. FC Seoul is owned by the GS group, and the Amazones are operated by Seoul City. The Amazones now wear a dark blue shirt with red, white and blue stripes down the middle. Their club crest is the symbol of Seoul, something resembling a person waving their arms.
The Team
The 2026 squad is significantly different from the 2025 squad. All 4 midfield players, as well as the goalkeeper wearing the number 1 shirt, have moved on or retired. As with the K4 League teams, I never got to know the players, and I don't know how important the players were to the team, but surely replacing your whole midfield will have an impact.
Finding specific information about the team is not always easy. They released their full squat and match schedule via Instagram just two weeks before the start of the season. To be fair to them, the official KFA channels took even longer to release fixtures, and they were not even the last team to post their squad.
As mentioned, I don't know the players well, but I hope following a single team will remedy that this season. One new arrival I definitely know is national team regular Kim Jeong-Mi. I have no idea why she left the Red Angels to come to Seoul. She must be nearing the end of her playing career, so it's possible that she was not offered a new contract. I'll do my best to find out as the season develops by shouting questions at her from the stands.
No! Don't do that! Shouting anything other than encouragement at players, or pointing out their dick behaviour, is creepy. Don't abuse players. Don't tell them you love them and want them to have your children. Don't threaten them or their families. Just chill, enjoy the match, and support the team, or both teams if that is your thing.
Sources
During the 2026 season, matches were streamed on YouTube at the Korean Women's Football Federation's own channel. It's always nice to have free and on-demand access to all the matches.
News directly from the team can be found on their Instagram feed, and basic information about the squad is available on Seoul City's official sports page.
Wider news about the league, in English, can be found at WK League News with shorter posts on their Instagram feed. WK Log provides information in Korean, and Bless Football Diary often posts photos from various matches.
Lastly, there are Naver Cafes. I'm still learning how to use them, but I've found useful information on Into the K and WMFootball.
