The women’s soccer team at Dongwon University, located in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, is the only university team in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The team has about 20 members including 12 professional players who have played soccer since childhood and general students. As the minimum number of registered players (18 players) to participate in various competitions has to be matched, the team has recruited general students who are interested in soccer.

The women’s soccer team of Dongwon National University, which has difficulty forming players, is also in legal dispute with the Korea Football Association. It filed for provisional injunction after the association denied the registration of two players in mid-April, and the Seoul District Court ruled late last month that the association’s move was illegal due to “arbitrary interpretation” and “absence of clear regulations.” However, the association appealed and is waiting for a final decision.

The legal dispute between the two sides will be covered by the court, but the reality of women’s soccer, seen through the voices of the field, is far from ideal. The two players who have been denied registration have played in Dongwon University or other vocational colleges in the past, and re-entered Dongwon University while moving to school or playing for a professional team.

“I was going to quit soccer, but the coach asked me to do it for just one year,” the player A said over the phone. “I have nowhere to go, and I will try my best.” “The coach is an old gift. His goal is to re-enter the WK League in a year. If it doesn’t work, then we have to find another way.” If the team fails to advance to the professional league after graduation, it proves the poor environment of women’s soccer, which has nothing to do.

Some might suspect that the team is exploiting good players to get good results. However, advancing to the semifinals or the finals of men’s high school football, which is desperate for entrance exams, is not important to players at these universities. Whether the team can continue playing soccer or has a chance to advance to the pro league, is a personal criterion for students to re-enter the school.

Contrary to the current situation, the Korean Football Association considers college players’ registration ban decades ago as a golden rule. Under the provision, college players are allowed to register for only four semesters. For this reason, the association claims that the two players from Dongwon University have already exhausted the number of times they registered for the fourth semester. However, the court seems to have ruled in favor of a player’s right to play, as there is no clear provision for players who have to re-enter the school for eight semesters in the first part of the regulation.

The situation facing the women’s soccer team at Dongwon University shows the situation in Korean women’s soccer, which is a guest of honor in foreign currency. There are only nine college teams, including junior college and four-year college teams. The number of high school and junior high school teams has also decreased significantly from 10 years ago, to about 10 each. There are eight teams in the WK League, but the team rarely exposes them to media. Even though the national team will receive 10 billion won (9.1 million U.S. dollars) from Shinsegae Group for five years and participate in international competitions such as the World Cup, it is a big deal considering its grassroots foundation. 토토사이트

The Korea Football Association (KFA) should work for the development and revitalization of women’s soccer. However, when you look at the KFA’s position on the Dongwon University issue, you feel that they are trapped in an authoritative and bureaucratic behavior. They do not have an active attitude to listen to players’ voices and think about what they can do for them.

Commentator Kim Dae-gil said, “The Football Association or the Women’s Soccer Federation should create a competition for retired women’s soccer elite players to participate or provide a space for activities. Apart from the growing number of women’s soccer clubs, it is painful that they have nowhere to go.”

The women’s soccer team at Dongwon University will not be able to participate in the 2024 Korea Women’s Soccer Federation match to be held in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, on Feb. 11 due to delays in registration of the two players. However, the two players seemed to be satisfied with the fact that they can play soccer and have hope.