Sangju Sangmu FC Information

Sangju Sangmu FC was plagued with turmoil in 2020. The team decided that after that season, they were going to leave the K1 League because the team was relocating and at that stage were unsure where they were moving to. They were eventually rescued by the city of Gimcheon who volunteered to host the team beginning in the 2021 season, so they were thus allowed to remain in the K1 League. The team is wholly owned by the Korean Armed Forces. They have numerous small sponsorship deals with the city of Gimcheon as their major sponsor. Their kit colors of red and black have not changed over the years. Since their move to Gimcheon, they have been using the Gimcheon Stadium which has a capacity of 32,000. The team will be led by manager Kim Tae-wan who has been at the helm of the club since 2017.

Sangju Sangmu FC History

Sangju Sangmu FC was originally formed in 1984 as a football team for the Korean Army. Each year, 15 new K-League players joined the team and played for them during their two-year military service. The team first joined the K1 League in 1985, but only played for one season before dropping out of the league. The club rejoined the K1 League in 2003 and played under the name Wangju Sangmu Bulsajo FC. They continued to play under this name until 2011 when the team was relocated to Mungyeong, near Sangju. The club name was officially changed to Sangju Sangmu Phoenix FC in 2011, but before the 2013 season the Phoenix was removed from the name and they were simply called Sangju Sangmu. Since this club is owned by the Korean Army, they are not allowed to sign any foreign players which has prevented them from challenging for any titles. They consistently finish in the bottom half of the table, as every two years the team is completely overhauled as new army recruits take the places of old members as they return to their professional clubs.