* 이것은 영어 블로그 게시물을 파파고로 번역한 것입니다. 아직 사람이 확인하지 않았습니다. 번역이 잘못되었을 수도 있고, 음성 수치가 올바르게 번역되지 않을 수도 있습니다.
몇 주 동안 다른 리그가 1라운드, 2라운드, 3라운드, 4라운드, 5라운드를 치르는 것을 지켜본 후 이제 WK리그 시즌이 시작될 때입니다. 그리고 오늘은 새로운 모험의 첫날입니다. 아마존이 캐슬(파크)을 습격할 수 있는지 알아보기 위해 수원으로 떠납니다.
수원 FC 여자부는 프로 K리그2 팀인 수원 FC에서 운영하고 있습니다. 같은 유니폼을 입고 소셜 미디어 계정을 공유하며, 중요한 것은 저에게 비교적 쉽게 다가갈 수 있는 같은 경기장에서 경기를 치른다는 점입니다. 사실 너무 쉬워서 주중 경기에도 참석할 수 있을 것 같아요.
2025시즌에 방문했던 K4 팀들과 달리 수원의 캐슬 파크는 인근에 레스토랑과 홈플러스까지 있는 인구 밀집 지역에 위치해 있습니다. 수원의 홈구장인 캐슬 파크는 KT 위즈 야구단, 한국전력 빅스톰 남자 배구단, 현대 E&C 힐스탈 여자 배구단이 함께 있는 수원종합운동장 내에 위치해 있습니다. 국내에는 4개(수원FC 여자는 기술적으로 준프로이기 때문에 절반)는커녕 여러 개의 프로팀을 보유한 스포츠 단지가 많지 않습니다.
저는 여러 번 복합단지에 다녀왔고, 수년 동안 모든 스포츠를 관람했지만 남자팀보다 수원FC 여자팀을 더 많이 봤어요. 이 지역을 잘 알고 경기 전 점심을 찾고 간식을 챙기는 데 아무런 문제가 없습니다. 홈플러스 푸드코트에서는 한국에서 가장 좋아하는 음식인 짜장면을 주문합니다. 식사를 하면서 주변 사람들을 관찰합니다. 노부부들은 커피와 함께 떡을 먹고, 가족들은 국수 한 그릇과 함께 튀긴 돼지고기를 나눠 먹고 있습니다. 푸드코트 곳곳에는 다른 식당의 손님들이 흩어져 있습니다. 아이들은 싸움이나 부모님의 고함소리 없이 놀라울 정도로 조용합니다. 하루의 시작이 즐겁습니다.
점심을 다 먹고 경기장으로 향합니다. 홈플러스에 먼저 갈 시간은 있지만 보안 상황이 어떨지 모르겠고, 경기장 입장이 허락되기 전에 누린마을 막걸리 한 병을 억지로 마시고 싶지 않아요. 막걸리를 좋아한다고 해서 축구 경기장에서 마시고 싶은 건 아니에요. 생수는 충분해야 할 것 같아요.
축구 경기장에 가려면 야구장을 지나야 합니다. 오늘은 몇몇 사람들이 서 있고, 어떤 사람들은 팀 샵이 열리기를 기다리고, 어떤 사람들은 게이트를 통해 선수들이 몸을 푸는 모습을, 어떤 사람들은 경기장 그늘에서 피크닉 담요를 깔고 점심을 먹기 때문에 경기가 열릴 것 같습니다. 이른 봄이고 피크닉하기 좋은 날씨입니다. 부럽지만 축구 경기가 있습니다.
매표소 입구가 단지 반대편에 있다는 것은 알지만, 경기장 주변에 사람이 부족해서 불편할 수밖에 없어요. 제가 보는 유일한 사람은 야구 팬들뿐이에요. 제발 제가 다시는 아닌 잘못된 날에 여기 있게 해주세요. 하지만 매표소에 가까워질수록 상황이 밝아지기 시작해요. 저만 여기 있는 게 아니에요! 저와 매일 달리기를 하러 나온 한 여성이 다른 사람들을 향해 나아가고 있어요. 그녀는 너무 천천히 달리고 있어서 제 여유로운 걸음이 그녀를 따라잡고 있어요. 그녀에게 다가가지 않으려면 속도를 조금 줄여야 해요. 이상하지만 적어도 TV 앞에 앉는 것 외에는 다른 일을 하고 있고, 그 점에 대해 그녀를 탓할 수 없죠?
매표소에서 아무 말 없이 티켓을 건네주더군요. 오늘은 입장료가 무료라고 하는데, 지난번에 여기 왔을 때는 돈을 내야 해서 놀랐어요. 물론 수원이 챔피언십 플레이오프에 나갈 때였는데도 여전히 놀랐어요. 저는 티켓을 들고 새 클럽샵으로 향합니다. 경기장을 돌아다니던 중 옛 클럽샵을 지나쳐서 오늘은 문을 닫았다고 생각했어요. 하지만 그냥 이전하고 업그레이드한 것 같아요. 팀이 완전히 기능하는 클럽샵인 프로팀에 연결되면 이런 일이 벌어집니다.
수원의 2026시즌 유니폼과 팀 머천트, 미니 축구를 보며 몇 분을 낭비하기 위해 매장에 들어갑니다. 어떤 축구는 여자 팀이, 어떤 축구는 남자 팀이 사인합니다. 민지의 사인을 찾는 데 그리 오래 걸리지 않습니다. 한국인 무리에게 돌을 던지면 민지 한 명이라도 친다는 개인적인 이론이 있습니다. 수원과 서울 모두 민지가 로스터에 있을 정도로 이름이 흔합니다.
참고로, 확인해보니 여기 WK 리그의 민지들이 있습니다:
강진: 없음
경주: 없음
화천: 5분짜리지만 민지는 없어 :(
인천: 조미진, 정말 가까워!
문경: 없음
세종: 윤민지
수원: 전민지
서울: 김민지
음, 처음 다섯 팀을 무시하면 WK 리그의 모든 팀에 민지가 있는 거죠?
수원 엠블럼 핀과 티켓을 손에 들고 입구로 향했는데, 그곳에서 한 무리의 사람들이 휴대폰을 응시한 후 독자에게 QR 코드를 보여주었습니다. QR 코드가 적힌 포스터가 붙어 있는데 번역에 따르면 QR 코드를 스캔해야 입장할 수 있다고 합니다. 왜 그런지 모르겠지만 저는 그게 정상이고, 입구까지 올라가는 경사로를 오르기 위해 제가 해야 할 일을 합니다. 경사로 꼭대기에서 티켓을 확인하고, 스텁이 찢어져 수원 깃발을 건네받습니다. 깃발은 필요 없지만 좋은 기념품인데, 물건을 사기 전에 미리 알아두면 좋았을 것 같아요. 아, 그렇군요.
입구 바로 앞에는 간식과 음료를 파는 작은 가게가 있습니다. 라면 한 봉지, 크리스프, 음료, 맥주가 가득합니다. 요즘은 알코올이 없는 맥주를 얼마나 쉽게 구할 수 있는지 보는 것도 흥미롭습니다. 하프타임에 다시 와야겠어요. 막걸리를 들여오고 싶었지만 그럴 수 없다면 0% 맥주 한 잔이면 만족스러워요.
오늘은 경기장 바로 옆에 주차된 메인 스탠드와 푸드트럭만 관중이 이용할 수 있습니다. 서울 쪽에서는 예상치 못한 인원이 50명, 경기 중에는 100명 정도로 늘어날 것으로 예상됩니다. 미미한 숫자처럼 보일 수 있지만 이 리그에서 원정 응원을 하기에는 나쁘지 않습니다. 수원 쪽에서는 최소 500명이 있습니다. 놀랍게도 joinKFA 사이트의 공식 번호는 136명의 관중을 보유하고 있습니다. 모두가 QR코드로 체크인해야 했는데 어떻게 그렇게 틀릴 수 있을까요?
저는 편안하게 휴식을 취하며 주위를 둘러봅니다. 바람이 부는 날인데 경기장 벽에 선수들의 얼굴이 그려진 깃발이 크게 펄럭이고 있습니다. 난간에는 제 앞에 몇 줄 서 있는 셔츠 8벌 정도가 걸려 있는데, 모두 같은 선수입니다. 셔츠는 세 팀에서 나온 것이지만 시즌이 다른 것으로 추정됩니다. 하지만 셔츠는 서울용 셔츠가 아닙니다. 사진을 찍으러 가서 어떤 선수의 셔츠인지 알아보니 그 뒤에 앉아 있는 남자가 서울의 27번 선수인 이채윤이라고 합니다. 수비수인 이채윤은 39세로 수년 동안 리그의 거의 모든 팀에서 뛰었습니다. 나이에 계약을 맺을 만큼 여전히 좋은 모습을 보여준 그녀에게 경의를 표합니다.
경기 시작 전에 이은미라는 선수의 시상식이 있습니다. 은퇴하고 클럽에서 보낸 시간으로 인해 영광을 누리고 있는 것 같습니다.
주요 관중석 옆에는 우산 뒤에 있는 한 남자가 있습니다. 우산이 태양을 향하고 있기 때문에 이상합니다. 마치 숨기려는 것처럼 말이죠. 그는 경기 대부분을 선수들에게 소리를 지르거나 논쟁하는 데 보냈습니다. 무엇보다 이상하게도 그의 가장 큰 폭발음은 아무 일도 일어나지 않는 상황에서 선수들이 세트피스를 준비하는 동안 발생했습니다. 그의 말을 이해할 수 있었으면 좋겠지만 주변 사람들도 이해하지 못할 것 같습니다.
경기 자체가 다소 혼란스럽고 특히 좋습니다. 두 팀 모두 명확한 계획이 없는 것 같고, 최악의 시기에 너무 많은 선수들이 이유 없이 화려해지려고 합니다. 예를 들어 수원 선수 한 명이 노 룩 백 패스를 시도하고, 10미터 이내의 팀 동료가 없고, 서울 선수들이 앞뒤로 패스를 시도하는 경우가 있습니다. 하지만 전반적으로 수원이 조금 더 나은 편입니다. 기회가 있을 때는 수원이 이 패스를 받아 2-0으로 앞서고 있습니다. 서울은 몇 번의 순간이 있고, 공이 한 센티미터 아래로 떨어지거나 옆으로 떨어졌더라면 경기가 크게 달라졌을 수 있지만 이는 경기의 일부입니다. 때로는 당신의 뜻대로 될 때도 있고, 때로는 그렇지 않을 때도 있습니다. 더 좋은 플레이를 통해 "운을 개선"하는 것뿐입니다.
경기는 2-1로 끝났고, 다가오는 AFC 경기에 대비해 컨디션이 좋은 수원으로서는 좋은 결과입니다. 서울은 부끄러워할 것이 없습니다. 이번 시즌 첫 경기인데 경기력이 좋아지고 기량이 다시 향상될수록 더 나아질 것이라고 확신합니다.
예전에는 서울과 관련된 경기를 보러 갈 때 응원하러 나온 팬들에게 감사하기보다는 경기가 끝난 후 원을 그리며 서 있으면 항상 짜증이 났어요. 팬들이 왜 그런 말도 안 되는 소리를 참는지 궁금하기도 하고요. 하지만 오늘은 선수들이 경기장을 떠날 때까지 기다리기로 했어요. 또한 일부 팬들은 선수들이 올 것이라고 기대하는 듯 난간 근처에 모여 있는 것을 발견했습니다. 그들은 그렇지 않았고, 그 사이 수원 선수들은 반대편에 서서 팬들과 함께 노래를 부르고 있습니다. 하지만 저는 이것이 모험의 일부이기 때문에 남아 있고, 확신해야 합니다. 그러다 결국... 선수들은 원을 깨고 팬들에게 다가가 감사의 인사를 건넵니다. 결국 야만인은 아닙니다. 일부 선수들은 난간에 올라와 가족과 친구들과 대화하기도 합니다. 이는 좋은 일입니다. 즉, 이번 시즌 한국에서 가장 무례한 팀을 따르지 않는다는 뜻입니다.
경기가 끝나면 제가 선호하는 버스 정류장에 가려면 야구장을 다시 지나야 하는데, 모든 사람들이 놀라워요. 대구에 연고를 둔 삼성 라이온즈는 이미 수백 명이 입장하기 위해 줄을 서고 있고, 더 많은 사람들이 도착하고 있습니다. 집에 도착했을 때 방송을 보니 경기장이 대부분 만원인 것 같아서 최소 15,000명이 있어야 한다는 뜻이죠. 우리가 분명히 우월한 스포츠를 위해 수백 명밖에 안 되는 데 반해, 수천 명이 이 어리석은 스틱볼 경기를 보고 있다는 사실이 슬픕니다. (농담입니다. 야구는 좋아하지 않을 수도 있지만 크리켓은 좋아해서 스틱볼 관중을 손가락질할 수 있는 입장이 아닙니다.)
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.
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.
* 이것은 영어 블로그 게시물을 파파고로 번역한 것입니다. 아직 사람이 확인하지 않았습니다. 번역이 잘못되었을 수도 있고, 음성 수치가 올바르게 번역되지 않을 수도 있습니다.
우리는 어디로 가나요?
다가오는 시즌을 생각할 때마다 스위트 차일드 오마인의 말이 머릿속에 반복되고 있습니다. 2025시즌 원래 계획은 서울 노원 유나이티드 FC를 따라 모든 홈 경기와 원정 경기에 참석하는 것이었습니다. 시즌 시작 몇 주 전 구단이 운영을 중단하기로 결정하면서 계획이 무산되었습니다. 저는 시작하기도 전에 모험이 끝났다고 며칠 동안 고민하다가 새로운 계획을 세웠습니다. 가능한 한 많은 K4리그 경기장을 방문할 예정입니다.
전국 여행은 처음 생각했던 것보다 더 어려웠습니다. 버스 터미널이 없는 도시에서 대중교통을 이용하면 하루 중 몇 시간을 소비하고, 노크온 효과로 인해 접근하기 어려운 장소에서 하룻밤을 묵어야 했습니다. 저는 하룻밤을 보내는 것을 좋아하지 않습니다. 저는 침대에서, 베개에서 아내와 고양이를 옆에 두고 자는 것을 좋아합니다. 저는 북부 지역에 기반을 둔 다양한 세미 프로 클럽을 여행했습니다. 하지만 새로운 팀과 장소를 모두 보는 것이 재미있었지만 특정 팀을 응원하는 것이 그리웠습니다. 팀 없이는 편안한 경기 일정을 개발하지 못했고, 선수나 팀을 잘 알지 못했습니다. 2026시즌에도 이를 바꾸고 싶습니다.
이번 시즌에는 단일 팀을 따르고 싶습니다. 가장 가까운 팀은 FC 안양으로, 수원 FC와 서울 이랜드가 조금 더 멀리 떨어져 있습니다. FC 안양은 버스 한 대와 도보로 짧은 거리에 있고, 나머지 두 팀은 가기 조금 귀찮습니다. 그리고 과거에 시즌 티켓을 소지하고 가끔 홈 셔츠를 구입하는 FC 서울이 있습니다. 하지만 이 모든 팀은 프로이고 아마추어와 세미 프로 팀에게는 유리한 고지를 점하고 있습니다. 선수들이 게임의 사랑을 위해 하는 것에는 무언가가 있을 뿐, 자신의 일이기 때문이 아닙니다. 프로 선수들이 사랑을 위해 뛰지 않는다는 뜻은 아니지만, 보상은 정량화할 수 있고 상당한 경우가 많습니다. 세미 프로 선수들은 일상적인 직업을 가지고 있는 경우가 많고, 즉각적인 보상은 더 개인적이고 재정적인 면이 적습니다.
그러면 누구?
공식적으로 서울시청 아마조네스 여자 축구 클럽이라고 불리는 이 클럽은 서울이나 아마조네스라고만 불러도 용서해 주실 거라고 확신합니다. 1976년 창단되어 창단 첫 10년 동안 국내 대회에서 성공을 거두었지만 그 이후 트로피 캐비닛에는 거의 변화가 없었습니다. 아마조네스는 한국의 준프로 여자 리그인 WK리그의 창립 멤버 중 하나입니다. 역사적으로 이 팀은 중위권 팀이며 준우승을 두 번밖에 차지하지 못했습니다. 이름에서 알 수 있듯이 팀의 연고지는 서울입니다. 수년 동안 다양한 경기장에 있었지만 2022년부터는 서울월드컵경기장 보조구장을 홈구장으로 사용하고 있습니다.
효창구장에서 뛰고 FC서울과 같은 유니폼을 입고 있던 2010년대 중반쯤 처음으로 그 존재를 알게 되었습니다. 유니폼을 입었음에도 불구하고 두 팀 사이에는 직접적인 연관성이 없었습니다. FC서울은 GS그룹이 소유하고 있고 아마존은 서울시가 운영하고 있습니다. 아마존은 이제 가운데에 빨간색, 흰색, 파란색 줄무늬가 있는 짙은 파란색 셔츠를 입고 있습니다. 이들의 클럽 문장은 팔을 흔드는 사람을 닮은 서울의 상징입니다.
팀
2026 스쿼드는 2025 스쿼드와 크게 다릅니다. 미드필더 4명은 물론 1번 셔츠를 입은 골키퍼까지 모두 이적했거나 은퇴했습니다. K4리그 팀들과 마찬가지로 선수들을 알게 된 적이 없고, 선수들이 팀에 얼마나 중요한 역할을 했는지는 모르겠지만 미드필드 전체를 교체하는 것이 분명 영향을 미칠 것입니다.
팀에 대한 구체적인 정보를 찾는 것이 항상 쉬운 일은 아닙니다. 시즌 시작 2주 전에 인스타그램을 통해 스쿼트와 경기 일정을 모두 공개했습니다. 공정하게 말하자면, 공식 KFA 채널은 경기 일정을 발표하는 데 훨씬 더 오랜 시간이 걸렸고, 선수단을 마지막으로 게시한 팀도 아니었습니다.
말씀드린 것처럼 선수들에 대해 잘 모르지만, 이번 시즌에는 한 팀을 따라가면 해결될 수 있기를 바랍니다. 제가 확실히 아는 새로운 선수 중 한 명은 국가대표 단골 김정미 선수입니다. 그녀가 왜 레드엔젤스를 떠나 서울로 오게 되었는지 전혀 모르겠습니다. 선수 생활이 막바지에 이르렀을 테니 새로운 계약 제안을 받지 못했을 가능성도 있습니다. 관중석에서 질문을 던지며 시즌이 진행되는 만큼 최선을 다해 알아보겠습니다.
안 돼요! 그러지 마세요! 선수들에게 격려 외에 다른 말을 하거나 선수들의 행동을 지적하는 것은 소름 끼칩니다. 선수를 학대하지 마세요. 선수를 사랑하고 자녀를 낳기를 원한다고 말하지 마세요. 선수나 가족을 위협하지 마세요. 진정하고 경기를 즐기고 팀을 응원하거나 두 팀 모두 응원하세요.
원천
2026시즌에는 한국여자축구연맹 자체 채널에서 경기가 유튜브를 통해 스트리밍되었습니다. 모든 경기에 무료로 입장할 수 있어서 항상 좋습니다.
팀의 소식은 인스타그램 피드에서 직접 확인할 수 있으며, 선수단에 대한 기본 정보는 서울시 공식 스포츠 페이지에서 확인할 수 있습니다.
리그에 대한 더 넓은 소식은 영어로 된 WK 리그 뉴스에서 인스타그램 피드에 짧은 게시물과 함께 확인할 수 있습니다. WK 로그는 한국어로 정보를 제공하며, 블레스 풋볼 다이어리는 다양한 경기 사진을 자주 게시합니다.
마지막으로 네이버 카페가 있습니다. 아직 사용법을 배우고 있지만 Into the K와 WMFootball에 대한 유용한 정보를 찾았습니다.
The summer sport seasons are mostly over, and the winter sport leagues have started. In Korea, the notable winter sports are basketball and volleyball, followed by smaller leagues like handball and futsal. There are other even smaller amateur sports happening, but I have no plans to venture to any of those soon.
Today I'm on my way to Incheon to watch a match at the home area of Shinhang Bank S-Birds, a women's basketball team. They are a team with a proud history, dominating the league for about a decade. But those days are long gone, and for a few seasons now, they've been languishing in the bottom half of the table. Their home arena is near Dowon Station, located across the road from Incheon Football Stadium, home of Incheon United FC. The big Bluewings vs Incheon match was the only professional football match I attended all season, but I screwed up the trip so badly that I decided not to write about it. The point is, I've been here recently, and I'm confident of where to go and how to get there. There will be no getting lost and arriving as the players take the floor.
I have precious little experience with basketball, to the extent that this will be only the third time I attend a live match. "Matches" I've watched on screens are mostly from sports movies, and those obviously don't count. I have no idea what to expect from a women's match. Is women's basketball popular? What extras will there be at the arena? Will there be something worth buying at the club shop? Is there even a shop? Will I be caught in a stampede and make it onto the news? "A Little-known foreigner, Otto Silver, gets lost and trampled at a basketball arena." My questions are answered quickly, though. The only refreshment stand at the arena is a food truck selling coffee. Next to the ticket booth is a small club shop with signed balls, stickers, phone covers and a small collection of player shirts. On the other side of the ticket box is the entrance where a fair number of fans are already making their way into the arena.
Throughout the football season, I rarely had to pay for tickets, and it feels like a knife in my side as I dig out my credit card to pay for a ticket. They charge me the "exorbitant" price of eleven thousand won (less than ten US Dollars). Sure, it's not much, but it's still more than zero thousand won charged at most K4 League matches. There isn't much to explore, so after looking at the club shop, I head inside to find my seat, but I there is a slight problem. I can't figure out where I'm supposed to sit. I ask a staff member, and they mumble something while pointing in the general direction of some open seats. I head over, find an empty spot to plonk down in, hoping it's not assigned seating. By the end of the match, I was still unsure if it was assigned seating, but I was never asked to move, so...
Seating settled, I relax and watch the players finish their pre-match warm-up, dropping Hot-Crossed Bun-looking balls into the net. They're not the only ones warming up, because I start feeling warm. I can even feel sweat running down my back, and soon I start to peel off layers, all the way down to my t-shirt. Why is the arena so warm? It's a good thing I didn't wear an old, stained t-shirt like I often do when layering for the winter cold.
With everyone warmed up, the players leave the court, but are back soon enough for the introductions. As each home team player is introduced, they run onto the court and high-five their teammates. I'm clearly not made for team sport, because I'd mentally break from the constant high-fiving of everyone around me for every little thing that happens on the court. Are you introduced? High five, everyone! Did you score? High five, everyone! I see you stopped a ball. High five, everyone! You've had enough. Come take a break. But not before...you high-five everyone!
When the match starts, the visitors get possession first, and immediately, we hear "Dee Pen!" over the sound system. Some in the crowd join in, but most are focused on the game itself. In case you are wondering, "Dee Pen" means "Defence". As soon as possession changes, music starts. Silence is a rarity inside the arena, but much of it is manufactured by whoever manages the sound system, or by the team's appointed cheerleader. I'm used to the sound of unpaid football fan groups filling half-empty stadiums, and when I'm in an arena, it's usually ice hockey where the music is cut as soon as play resumes. In basketball, it feels as if there is no escape from the "noise". I guess it's just something I need to get used to if I want to attend more matches.
Being still new to the sport, I find small things fascinating, which I presume most in the arena find merely pedestrian. The club has eight dancers, and even more little girls doing their best to mimic the adult dancers. That seems excessive, especially because they are tucked away just behind one of the nets. boards? The thing with the basket for scoring. The dancers are behind that thing. While we watch the match, they do their thing in the corner, out of sight of everyone who is not specifically looking at them. Whenever a player falls, teammates immediately run to check and help them up. Once the player is up, someone rushes in from the side to wipe the floor where they fell, reminding me of the ring cleaners in Bloodsport. Referees have numbers, and when they do the video review, classical music plays over the sound system.
Something that is fun, manufactured or not, depending on your viewpoint, is the booing. When the visitors attempt their free throws, the dancers and everyone behind the net wave their posters up and down while booing. But the jeering seems good-natured and not nasty or personal. I actually wish I could do this at football matches, but booking there never feels good-natured.
Throughout the match, the crowd is generally quiet. There are many small groups, like families, and not far from me sits a group of teenagers. They are quiet most of the time, but during longer breaks in play, when the dancers hand out gifts, they change. The first gift handed out was signed balls. The teenager stayed in their seats, waving and begging for a ball, and one of them gets. But with each successive gift, they are more aggressive, to the point where they wait at the stairs for the dancer to come up to mob her. For the last gift, she comes up, holds out the gift as soon as she reaches the top of the stairs, then turns and leaves. She could not get away faster, and I don't blame her. Considering that the dancers probably try to spread the gifts out as much as possible, it seems unreasonable that of the 10 or so members of the group, 6 managed to get something at least once. I suspect the teens aren't regulars, and it really left a bad taste in my mouth.
Back to the game, the visitors led from the first ball toss. Again, what is the term for that? Did I get it right? I really need to find this out before my next match. They quickly take a commanding lead, and before long, they're 20 points ahead. That seems big considering women's teams rarely score more than 70 points in a match. The home team manages to claw back some points and at one point are even within 10 of the visitors, but they are never a real threat, and the visitors leave 58-65 victors.
With the match over, we all file out of the arena. Outside, people mill about as they wait for others to exit. I pass a father playing with his son, bouncing a signed ball. This is something I'll never understand. Why do you take a sighted ball, then use it as a normal ball? It just feels greedy because there are people who'd genuinely want the ball as a collectable?
Without the crush of a football stadium's worth of spectators, I make my way to the station in a relaxed way, and there is no fighting to get on the train when it arrives. Overall, I enjoyed the experience, and I look forward to going to at least one more match before the season ends.
The train bound for Munsan is only one station away, and I can't wait to get out of the freezing wind cutting straight through me. This is worrying because I'll spend much of the day outside, exposed to said wind.
I'm on my way to Paju to watch Paju Citizen FC. The club was founded in 2012, and although they've never been one of the semi-professional league's powerhouses, they've always been a competent mid-table team, even finishing runners-up in 2022. Like Yeoju before, I've threatened a trip to Paju many times, but the travel time has always discouraged me. Who in their right mind travels as much as two and a half hours to visit a small city bordering North Korea?
Today is Paju's last home match in the K3 League, and if that's not motivation enough, then I don't know what will be. "But, why is this their last match in the K3 League?", you may ask. It's because the city has decided to turn the team professional, and they will join the K League 2 in 2026. They still need to receive final approval in January, but all indications suggest that it's just a formality. Gimhae 2008 FC, who would be crowned K3 League Champions on the same day, also applied to join K League 2, along with a new team that had been created in Yongin, a city in the South of Gyeonggi Province.
The trip to Paju is mostly uneventful, with many passengers taking long trips and using the opportunity to get some shut-eye. One exception is a couple with a baby who insist on sitting in the centre of a row of seats despite a pink seat being available. At the next station after the couple gets on, three older women get on and argue about who should sit where. The one standing and barking out the orders is standing right next to the mother and child when the train jerks, causing her to fall onto the mother and child. The baby is quiet for a few seconds before the shock sets in, and then she starts screaming. The older woman tries to help, but quickly realises it's not helping, so she just sits there sheepishly looking at nothing. This seems to prompt an unrelated woman next to her to weigh in on the situation when the screaming did not stop immediately, but she might as well have said nothing for all the reaction she gets. Yup, it is a pretty boring 2-hour ride if this is all that I have to report.
I'd been to a part of Paju once before, and that was mostly just riding through on a bus, so I was surprised at the size of the area around Geumchon Station. Of all my trips this year, the walk to the stadium has by far the best variety of restaurants, coffee shops and assorted establishments. I had a specific restaurant in mind before the trip because I contacted the supporter I met in Yeoju, asking for a recommendation. He recommended a Sundaeguk restaurant that he'd been visiting for many years, and I can see why. I don't know how to explain the difference, but their sundae is not the same as the sundae I'm used to, but it is still very good.
With a belly full of lunch, I cover the last kilometre or so to the stadium, giving myself enough time to walk around, take photos, and get something from the food carts that the club posted about on their Instagram account. There are only three trucks, but all are useful. A Philly Cheese Steak truck, a churros and ice cream truck, and a coffee truck.
With a warm coffee and churros in hand, I made my way into the stadium. Entrance is free, and not only is there no fee, but they are "paying me". Everyone entering gets a bottle of water and two boiled eggs. The team-branded paper noise maker is a given, though, so I don't count that as something special.
Inside, I take photos as I start making my way over to where some Paju supporters are already gathered, and along the way, I pass a young man heading in the opposite direction. When he sees me, he quickly turns around, grabs a bottle of water from a pile on a seat, and hands it to me as a gift. You can never have too much water in your bag, can you? And soon after reaching the fans, I'm handed a Paju Citizen FC-branded scarf by a member of the group.
I have to talk about the scarf. Most team scarves in Korea are impractical. Often long and thick, which would be perfect if the season ran through winter, but the Korean football season runs through the hot, humid summer, and a thick scarf is just impractical. The scarf I'm handed today was custom-made for the day and is being given away for as long as the supply lasts. What makes it special is that it is essentially a long towel, and honestly, one of the most useful things I've ever received at a club. With this thing in hand, I can comfortably whisk away sweat while cheering on a team, if it were not this cold day at the end of the season, that is.
The Paju supporters group, named 술이홀, is an odd bunch. Because the group is fairly small, they all know each other to some extent, but they don't seem to have a leader. Instead, everyone kind of does their own thing and ropes the rest in with them. This is even true when they cheer. The three drummers do not seem particularly coordinated, but somehow always in sync. And as the game goes on, some random "leader" will start a chant, with everyone quickly joining in with whatever they started. Then, when that chant is done, the next random "leader" will start, and everyone will go with the new chant or song. It was fascinating to watch.
At some point, someone brings out a box with even more eggs. There must be 50 eggs in there, and they are begging everyone to take two, or three, or more.
During the first half, I notice a single supporter on the Mokpo side, so I make my way over to see if I can talk to them. They speak almost no English, and the conversation doesn't last long, but I'm able to learn that they are not actually Mokpo supporters, but supporters of a specific player who used to play for Incheon. On the way back from the Mokpo side, I notice a black man, presumably of African descent, sitting alone in the stands. This is an unusual sight, and I stop to ask if he minds a quick conversation. I learn that he's reporting on the game using an app on his phone. I don't want to bother him because he needs to concentrate, but I would have loved to find out more about this, presumably, side job.
Wow. Today I managed to contact a member of the supporters group, talk to them and other members after I arrived, as well as go up to two complete strangers to talk to them. It's not that I don't like talking, because if you come up to me, then I can talk your ears off, but I made first contact today, and I wish I could fully express how big an achievement this is for me.
During the half-time break, as people go to the bathrooms or wherever people go, I amuse myself by watching those who remain. One guy is posing for a photo. He asked someone close by to take the photo, and he looks fairly normal, even shy, until it is time to pose for the photo, when he gets this determined, hard-man expression and stance, which disappears the moment the photo is done. But my favourite part is his Paju replica shirt. It's the number 1 goalkeeper shirt, and the name above the number is 골키퍼, the Korean transliteration of the word "Goalkeeper". Now I want to see a number 9 shirt with "Striker" as the name.
The match itself was fine, but it basically summed up Mokpo's season. Paju screwed up a back pass, and a Mokpo attacker intercepted it with space to run. The keeper started rushing out, so the attacker lobbed the ball in a high arch over the keeper, just for the ball to his the crossbar and bounce back instead of in. But it did not stop there because the ball bounced back and landed at the feet of a second Mokpo attacker, who looked at all the space in front of him and slid it past the keeper, into the crossbar! On any normal day, you would expect both of those to go straight in, or at least bounce in a favourable direction, but not today with Mokpo on the field.
As this was the last home game of the season, there was a ceremony after the match. But they spend so much time faffing about with speeches, highlights of the season on the big screen and photos with the main stand in the background, that I just give up and left. It's not worth freezing in the wind for 30+ minutes just to get one more photo.
There is one more K3 League round left this season, and I'm considering going to Siheung, which will be hosting Paju, but there is also an important WK League match in Seoul. I'm leaning toward the WK League match, but we'll see what happens when I get closer to the day.
Today's match will see YeoJU host PaJU. Both teams' home shirts are orange, JUhwangsek in Korean, with YeoJU wearing bright ORANGE and PaJU a burnt ORANGE. For so much JU, I've named this match The Battle of Orange.
Jeoju is a smallish city on the edge of Gyeonggi Province, best known as the final resting place of King Sejong the Great. It's also known, to a lesser extent, for rice and ceramics. Like Yangpyeong, I know it as a city along the Seoul-to-Busan bicycle path.
Yeoju FC is a citizen club created in 2018. The sitting Mayor of Yeoju is the owner, and the head of Yeoju Football Association is the CEO. Historically, they've never been more than a competent team. They were one of the initial members of the K4 League at its inception in 2020 and earned promotion to the K3 League in 2023.
I've made plans to visit Yeoju FC many times, but I always find an excuse to cancel, because to get to Yeoju, I need to travel to Seoul, and then leave in a similar direction. The trip that intuitively feels like it should be about 1 hour is actually a boring, 2-hour-long, mostly underground slog. But today I'm making the trip no matter what.
The train to Seoul is as full as can be expected for late morning, but the train out is surprisingly busy as well. The subway line heading out to Yeoju starts at Pangyo, where the waiting train slowly fills up before setting off to the edge of the province. Just before we reach Icheon, we exit the tunnel system and are greeted with the rice field of South East Gyeonggi, already starting to glow yellow in the afternoon sun. Icheon is also where 75% of the passengers pour out. Most of the remaining 25% are destined for Yeoju.
Even though I knew the match started at three, I got it into my head that it actually started at two, so at Yeoju Station, I immediately started looking for lunch. I originally planned to head to a restaurant I found on the map, but instead, I'm running into the GS25 at the station to get something I can eat while walking. This is where I encounter one of the rudest convenience store workers/owners I've met in a while. The dude didn't say a single word and actually orders me around with dismissive hand waving. Note to self, do not buy anything there if you see this man behind the desk.
Yeoju's stadium is about a thirty-minute walk from the subway station, depending on your speed. This is a perfect distance to get a feel for the area. The walk doesn't take me through the main urban area, but the area I do pass through is strange. Everywhere I look, I see isolated groups of high-rise apartment buildings separated by farms and small houses. The isolated blocks are connected by quiet six-lane roads. I can't imagine who these roads we built for, because surely it's no busier during the week.
After an uneventful walk along the giant, quiet roads, I reach the stadium from the rear, where I'm greeted by a wall of grass. Unlike most stadiums that have a sort of wall surrounding them, this stadium was built with grass slopes serving as the "wall", making it look more like a bowl in the land than a stadium. It also makes me think of the Japanese fortresses from the game Total War: Shogun 2.
It seems like today is a special occasion because in front of the main entrance is an unusual number of tents with food, snacks and games. The largest tent provides tables and seats where people are eating Guksu bought at the nearby vendor. It would have been nice to know about this before I came, but in hindsight, I should've asked the supporter I was in contact with about the possibility of food at the stadium. Speaking of my contact, it's a young man, possibly in high school, who is all of the Yeoju cheer squad. I shall call him... Yeoju Boy! and now I'm imagining him with an orange cape and a team emblem across his chest.
Having screwed up the kick-off time, I sit around for a good hour, listening to podcasts and watching the teams slowly get ready for the match. At least I'm here to receive a hard, hard candy that Yeoju Boy is hanging out to everyone in the stand. With public relations done, he heads over to set up his banner behind one of the goals. It's a rather large banner, and he struggles until someone comes to help.
About 15 minutes before kick-off, more spectators start to arrive. Today is the last home match of the season, clearly a special day. I don't know if they always give out signed balls, and if they do, do they hand out this many, but they are throwing two big baskets filled to the brim into the crowd. I'm ont interested in one because I dont have space for a ball, but the three people in front of me clearly dont have the same reservations. They quickly collect two, hide them in their bag, and then gather three more. So greedy.
When the match starts, I sit and watch for a while before I start moving around. First up is the Paju fan cheering on his team from the side. We've briefly interacted on Instagram, so I know he can speak some English, and when I show him my Instagram profile picture, he knows who I am. We swap a few words, and I assure him that Paju's last home match is definitely on my agenda this season, and that I will see him there. I also make a mental note to message him to ask him about what will be available at the stadium on the day.
Next, I make my way around the field to where Yeoju Boy can be heard chanting on the megaphone. I arrive at the same time as a bunch of elementary school boys. They run around, push each other, sometimes join in the chant, and peek at me too often. Yeoju Boy speaks to them a little, but he mostly seems indifferent to them. He jokingly tells me that they are the new recruits, but he seems more annoyed than happy with them. Their presence does not interfere with his chanting, though.
Of the two supporters, I have to give the Paju supporter the edge. He has a selection of chants and never quits. However, despite being young, Yeoju Boy is active enough to be a challenge. He and his loudspeaker even manage to get the main stand to join in on multiple occasions. If he does not leave the city for university or something, he will grow up to be Yeoju Man!
The second most interesting thing about Yeoju Stadium is that they don't have dedicated bathrooms for the players. The players must leave their dressing room and come out to the public bathrooms to brush their teeth and whatnot. This is common at small community grounds like Seoul Nowon and Seoul Jungnang, but I would have expected a larger stadium like Jeoju's to have a more.
The match itself seems dominated by Yeoju, but the dominance never leads to goals. Their only "goal" comes after the whistle, with the Paju goalkeeper on the ground and the referee checking on him. The ball is lying a few metres away in front of an open goal, and not wanting to waste a chance, a Yeoju player runs up and pops it into the net, much to the annoyance of one Paju player. The Paju keeper is having a rough day, being involved in multiple collisions that leave him on the ground more than once, and at one point during the second half, he is clearly limping.
At the end of the match, the teams come off the field without much fanfare, only thanking each other and the opposition coaching staff before heading off and waving to the supporters. The trip back is as boring as the trip there, and only memorable moments come from the man next to me with breath so I have to change seats, and the Seongnam Line's monitors, which display the speed of the train as well as the distance to the next station, down to the metre.
Overall, it was an enjoyable day, but I will need more incentive to take on this boring trip in the future.
Summer has been rough this year, with high humidity and frequent heatwave warnings. To save players from the worst summer heat, all leagues have a summer break, and mid-season matches have late afternoon or evening kick-off times. There were only a few matches available, but none of them looked attractive enough to justify dealing with the heat and kick-off times. So here I am after about a month of inactivity, at Seoul World Cup Stadium, again.
Note: This was also the first time I was at a match with a clear plan to record the experience on video. I'm not happy with the results, but I learned from this, and each attempt will be a little better.
Last time I was here, it was mostly just to go somewhere different, but this time I'm here specifically to watch Changnyeong WFC. Changnyeong is a rural county in the Southeast of Korea,filled with farms and farmers. I've watched most of their matches this season via live streams on YouTube, but this is the first time I watched them in person. I fully expect Changnyeong to lose. In the twenty league matches this season, they've won one, drawn one and lost eighteen. They come into this match with six losses in a row and, I think, three more from the recent National Women's Football Championship. Despite Changnyeong's record, I'm hoping for an interesting match because although Seoul started the season with a bang, they seem to be fizzling out. In their last ten matches, they won two, lost two and drew six.
As before, I head to Seoul directly after work. I'm not particularly hungry and grab a piece of cold chicken and a cheap beer from HomePlus before heading over to the auxiliary stadium. While there I spend some time capturing video of the area and players warming up. I also take out my newly acquired pink Changnyeong away shirt and hang it over my bag to show which team I'm supporting today.
Diagonally behind me is a woman with a camera attached to an almighty lens. If she were a man, I would joke that she is compensating for something, but what is the female equivalent of that silly joke? Seriously, though, I think you'd be able to photograph the nose hair of players on the other side of the field with that piece of telephoto glass.
Just to the side of me is a young man who looks like he left work early to be here. He is too well-dressed to sit among us ruffians. When he notices the shirt draped over my backpack, he stands and, ever so slowly, inches his way towards me, I'm guessing "to get a better look at the players warming up". I know what's coming, but I'm not allowed to avoid the conversation, so I'll just have to wait for the inevitable...
"Where are you from?" Yup, that's what he leads with. No matter where in the world you are, this is the most common first sentence when speaking to someone obviously not from here. We get to chatting, and I learn that he is an Incheon United supporter, not not a Changnyeong WFC supporter. He is here because his favourite player, number 2, Choi Jeong-Yun, plays for Changnyeong. Unfortunately, she is injured and will not play today. She is on the field with the rest of the team as they warm up, and she its on the bench with the substitutes, but that is all we will see of her during the match.
Mr, United is filled with football trivia about Korean teams and players. He even remembers facts about South Africa at the 2010 World Cup, and remembers that Sundowns played against Ulsan in the Club World Cup. Amazingly, he can name a South African national team player who played for a club in England.
Soon enough, the referees and players make their way onto the field, players huddle up for the pre-game chant, and it's time to kick off. Interestingly, there are no pre-match team photos.The whistle blows, and as if waiting for the signal, the heavens open to pour out every bit of moisture they'd been building up during the day. The players are instantly drenched. The rain lasted for only a moment before it stopped, but for the rest of the match, it would make brief but strong appearances.
During the match, Mr Font of Knowledge slips me bits of information about the teams and players, from recent results to players club histories. He also mentions that it's the third time he watches Changnyeong, and he brought a present for his favourite player. I ask if I may know what he brought, and he says a Starbucks cup. Interesting. Is it common for fans to give players presents?
Right on half-time, Seoul gets a free kick near the box. They lob the ball straight at the keeper, who promptly tips it straight into her own net. I assume it wasn't as easy a save as it looked, but from where we were sitting, with only one viewing, it looked like a rather straightforward tap over the bar. Up to this point, Seoul looked the better team, but Changnyeong was doing a good job of keeping them at bay and a draw looked like a real possibility. Oh well, such is life. After the goal, the players head straight to the locker room for the break.
When they come out, Changnyeong star player, number one draft pick, and member of the national team, Lee Eun-Yeon, grabs my attention. She doesn't look happy with life. Before a half starts, the team gathers, forms a circle, and bends over to do a quick chant. Lee is in the circle, but doesn't bend over and doesn't chant. During the match, whenever she has the ball, you can see she is a quality player, but off the ball, she is a very different player. It's not clear what her role is in midfield. She doesn't look defensive because she rarely chases or closes down attackers. She doesn't look attacking because she is too far back and doesn't run into space. She just hangs out and waits for the ball to appear at her feet. It's disappointing because the few times she did have the ball, she had the crowd Ooh-ing and Aah-ing.
(A few days before the match this article popped up on my feed, and honestly, after reading that I'm just surprised she is even on the field.)
An amusing moment comes when the referee awards Seoul a free kick. Instead of spraying a circle to mark the spot, she sprays a single dot. As soon as she turns her back, the Seoul player scoops up the whole dot, moves it about a metre forward, and places the ball just behind it. I doubt that metre will make any difference, but A+ for effort and sneakiness.
Seoul does not score in the second half, but twice unmarked attackers hit the woodwork. Cheongnyeong fights bravely and looks like they were trying, but it's mostly the same old same old. Their ball handling under pressure is terrible, and their first touch more often than not bounces in unintended directions. On top of that, they still don't seem to have any real game plan. Even plain old Route One would be better than whatever they are supposed to be doing.
The match finishes 1-0 to Seoul, and after the match, the players thank each other and the referees. The Seoul players huddle up for a team talk (without thanking the home support first) while the Changnyeong players walk off without even acknowledging the visiting supporters with so much as a wave. They definitely know they have support in the stands because during warm-ups, more than one player waved at someone they knew. This nonsense might be standard behaviour in most countries, but in Korea it's just plain rude. I was annoyed, but it clearly left my match buddy a bit down.
Before leaving the stadium, I exchanged contact information with the Incheon Mind Trap and promised to contact him if I decide to go to a match at Incheon United. It just so happens that Incheon will host Suwon during Chuseok, and that seems like a juicy match to attend. As we walk out of the stadium, I notice the woman with the telescope for a camera and her friend standing where the team buses normally pick up the players. I assume they are waiting for the players to come out, and I get confirmation when Incheon Man says he will join them. I still have an hour of travel ahead of me, and I'm not in the mood to wait until the players come out one day, so I greet him and head to the subway station. I hope he managed to give the gift to Number 2.
It's been too long without free live football, and I can't wait for the kick-off times to change so that I can attend K3 League matches.
2025.08.25 - Seoul World Cup Stadium Auxiliary Field
