Changnyeong Women's Football Club () is a South Korean

women's football Women's football most often refers to: * Women's association football Women's football may also refer to: * Women's gridiron football * Women's Australian rules football * Ladies' Gaelic football * Women's rugby league * Women's rugby union ...

team based in

Changnyeong County Changnyeong County () is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. In the early Three Kingdoms period, Changnyeong was the seat of Bihwa Gaya, a member of the Gaya confederacy which was later conquered by Silla. The Nakdong River flo ...

. The team joined the

WK League The WK League (Hangul: WK리그) is a semi-professional women's football league, run by the Korea Football Association (KFA) and the Korea Women's Football Federation (KWFF), which represents the sport's highest level in South Korea. Icheon D ...

, the top division of women's football in South Korea, in 2018.

History

Foundation

The foundation of a new women's football team to be based in

was announced in late 2017, with the objective of developing women's football and maintaining the eight-team system in the

following the dissolution of Icheon Daekyo. Former Icheon manager Shin Sang-woo was appointed as Changnyeong WFC's first manager, and the Korean Women's Football Federation allowed the club two priority picks at the beginning of the 2018 WK League draft. Thanks to this special consideration, the newly established club was able to sign two of the most sought-after talents in the draft,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

internationals

Son Hwa-yeon Son Hwa-yeon (; born 15 March 1997) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a striker for AIK Fotboll in the Damallsvenskan and the South Korea national team. Club career On 27 December 2017, Son was drafted second overall in the 2018 WK ...

and Hong Hye-ji, along with seven other rookie draftees. Changnyeong also acquired three former Icheon players, three free agents and a small number of other rookies, starting their first league season with a squad of only 19 players. Changnyeong played their first league match away against

Suwon FMC Suwon FC Women (Korean language, Korean: 수원 FC 위민) is a South Korean Women's association football, women's football team based in Suwon. They compete in the WK League, the highest division of women's football in South Korea. History In ...

. Their first home match took place on 30 April 2018 against Incheon Hyundai Steel.

Poor performance and financial difficulties

After finishing at the bottom of the league for two years in a row, the club attempted to bolster its squad ahead of the

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

season, recruiting a number of experienced players including former Japan international Nanase Kiryu. The influx of talent helped the team reach their highest ever finish, ending the season in fifth place. However, Changnyeong were unable to build on this momentum, scoring only nine points to finish bottom of the table once again in 2021. The trend of poor performance continued as the club faced increasing financial pressure. Despite increased financial contributions from Changnyeong County, subsidies provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to the Korean Women's Football Federation to fund league operations steadily decreased from 2021 to 2023. In 2024, with the existence of the league itself under threat, Changnyeong WFC's future was also called into question due to financial difficulties and low attendance. Even the signing of star striker and South Korea international Lee Eun-young was not enough to save Changnyeong from eighth place in the league, and the lowest attendance of all WK League clubs in 2024.

Stadium

Since the club's foundation, they have played their home fixtures at Changnyeong Sports Park in

Bugok Bugok township, also known as Bugok Hot Springs (부곡온천, 釜谷溫泉), is a natural Hot Springs and tourist area located in the Bugok township (부곡면) of Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang Province, in South Korea. Etymology Bugok ( ...

. Changnyeong WFC has priority access to the facility's grass pitches, artificial pitches and health centre, with the club's manager Ahn Tae-hwan describing it as the "best environment in oreanwomen's football". Changnyeong Sports Park has also hosted the National Women's Football Tournament for four years in a row.

Current squad

Coaching staff

*Manager: Ahn Tae-hwa *Head coach: Song A-ri *Goalkeeping coach: Ham Baek-chul *Trainer: Do Hyo-jeong Source: WK League 2024 Guide Book

Season-by-season records

References

External links

{{WK-League Women's football clubs in South Korea WK League clubs Association football clubs established in 2018 Sport in South Gyeongsang Province Football clubs in South Gyeongsang Province 2018 establishments in South Korea