Hwacheon KSPO WFC
Football club
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Hwacheon Korea Sports Promotion Foundation Women's Football Club (Korean: 화천 국민체육진흥공단 여자 축구단) or simply Hwacheon KSPO WFC is a South Korean women's football team based in Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province. The club competes in the WK League, the top division of women's football in South Korea, and plays its home games at the Hwacheon Stadium. It was founded as Jeonbuk KSPO in 2011,[1] but moved to Hwacheon County ahead of the 2015 season.
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| Full name | Hwacheon Korea Sports Promotion Foundation Women's Football Club | ||
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| Founded | 2011 | ||
| Ground | Hwacheon Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 3,000 | ||
| Owner | Korea Sports Promotion Foundation | ||
| Chairman | Kim Seong-taek | ||
| Head coach | Kang Sun-mi | ||
| League | WK League | ||
| 2025 | Regular season: 1st of 8 Playoffs: Champions | ||
| Website | https://www.kspo.or.kr/kspo/main/contents.do?menuNo=200409 | ||
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History
The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO) launched its women's football club in March 2011, signing an agreement with the Sports Council of North Jeolla Province (Jeonbuk) to base the team there and play as Jeonbuk KSPO.[2] Kang Jae-soon was appointed as head coach, working with a small coaching staff and a squad of 23 players in the club's first season. Upon its foundation, Jeonbuk KSPO became the seventh team to join the WK League. The club also hosted friendly matches and football coaching sessions with the aim of promoting grassroots football among girls and women.[3] At the time, there were football programmes for school-age girls in Jeonbuk but with no university or works teams in the province, it was hoped that establishing a semi-professional team would offer a career path for young local talent.[4]
In 2015, when the WK League first started using the home-and-away system, KSPO accepted bids from various sports councils to become the home base of its women's football team.[5] The foundation accepted the bid of Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province and the team relocated, also citing frequent long-distance travel as a reason for players' recent poor performance.[6] KSPO initially signed a five-year agreement with the county, securing their home base until 2019. They renewed their ties in 2019 and again in 2024, ensuring KSPO's presence in Hwacheon until at least 2029.[7]
In 2024, Hwacheon KSPO finished in first place in the regular league season for the first time in the club's history.[8] However, in the two-legged championship final against Suwon FC, they lost 3–2 on aggregate, becoming WK League runners-up for the second time.[9] After their regular league victory, head coach Kang Jae-soon had stated that he would step down at the end of the 2024 season to take on the role of general manager at the club, with Kang Sun-mi replacing him as head coach.[10][11]
Hwacheon KSPO had another successful year in 2025, staying at the top of the WK League table for much of the season and claiming the regular league title for the second year in a row.[12] This time they faced Seoul City Amazones in the championship final, beating them 7–5 on aggregate to lift the club's first ever WK League trophy and qualify for the 2026–27 AFC Women's Champions League.[13] By winning the league title, KSPO also became the first South Korean women's team to complete a domestic treble, having already won the National Women's Football Championship and the National Sports Festival.[14]
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Backroom staff
Coaching staff
- Manager:
Kang Sun-mi - Goalkeeping coach: Im Jong-guk
- Coach: Lee Sae-um
- Technical director: Kang Jae-soon
- Trainer: Park Su-min
Source: Official website[16]
Honours
Season-by-season records
| Season | WK League regular season | Playoffs | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | ||
| 2011 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 17 | 46 | 6 | 7th | Did not qualify |
| 2012 | 21 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 3rd | Semifinals |
| 2013 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 28 | 38 | 30 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2014 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 26 | 43 | 16 | 7th | Did not qualify |
| 2015 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 34 | 28 | 34 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2016 | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 35 | 32 | 33 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2017 | 28 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 45 | 50 | 46 | 3rd | Runners-up |
| 2018 | 28 | 13 | 5 | 10 | 52 | 45 | 44 | 5th | Did not qualify |
| 2019 | 28 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 49 | 39 | 44 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2020 | 21 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 32 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2021 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 5th | Did not qualify |
| 2022 | 21 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 36 | 25 | 34 | 4th | Did not qualify |
| 2023 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 18 | 41 | 2nd | Semifinals |
| 2024 | 28 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 49 | 27 | 56 | 1st | Runners-up |
| 2025 | 28 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 56 | 23 | 57 | 1st | Winners |
Continental record
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026–27 | AFC Women's Champions League | Group B |  April 25 |
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 East Bengal |
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 Hồ Chí Minh City |
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