Yongin City to Establish Citizen Professional Football Club 'Yongin FC'

Mayor Lee Sangil: "Application for K League 2 Membership by June, Aiming to Join Next Year"
City Football Center to Be Restructured into Professional Club... Home Stadium Will Be 'Yongin Mir Stadium'

Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province has announced the establishment of a citizen professional football club.

On the 6th, Mayor Lee Sang-il of Yongin held a press conference at the city hall convention hall and announced the founding of Yongin FC (tentative name), a citizen professional football club of Yongin City, to join the Korea Professional Football League (K League) and participate in the K League.

Lee Sang-il, Mayor of Yongin, is announcing the plan to establish the citizen professional football club 'Yongin FC' at a press conference on the 6th. Photo by Yongin City

The mayor explained the background, saying, "Yongin FC plans to apply for K League membership before June 30, aiming to participate in the K League in 2026. This decision was made to meet the aspirations of 1.1 million citizens who have long awaited the establishment of a professional football club and to promote the development of Yongin and enhance the city's brand value."

If the establishment proceeds as planned, Yongin FC will initially participate in K League 2 according to the K League club regulations that "all newly participating clubs join the K League 2 clubs."

The mayor explained, "Based on the results of the 'Basic Plan Research Service for Establishment' conducted in the second half of 2022, which confirmed that more than 70% of citizens support the establishment, I believe there is sufficient consensus among the citizens."

The city plans to operate Yongin FC as a non-profit foundation corporation. To this end, the city intends to change the existing affiliated organization, 'Yongin City Football Center Foundation,' to 'Yongin City Citizen Professional Football Club Foundation (Yongin FC).' Currently, the Yongin City Football Center already operates U12, U15, and U18 clubs, which are mandatory requirements for club membership as stipulated by the K League.

Yongin City has established a citizen professional football club, 'Yongin FC,' which will participate in K League 2 starting next year. A panoramic view of 'Yongin Mir Stadium,' which will be used as Yongin FC's home stadium. Yongin City official website

Yongin FC will use the 37,155-seat 'Yongin Mir Stadium' as its home ground. The mayor emphasized, "Yongin Mir Stadium was evaluated as having excellent facilities through the 2026 FIFA North and Central American World Cup Asian third qualifying match held by the men's national football team last October, as well as numerous professional team matches."

The city estimates that the annual cost required to operate the club will be around 100 billion KRW and plans to raise funds through its own contributions and partner sponsorships. The mayor explained, "Of the necessary funds each year, the city will contribute 7 billion KRW, and the remaining budget will be covered by partner sponsorships, Gyeonggi Province support funds, and revenue-generating projects."

The city plans to apply for membership in the Korea Professional Football League in June after going through related procedures such as forming an establishment preparation committee, changing the foundation corporation, and organizing the secretariat.

The mayor said, "Yongin is the center city of South Korea's semiconductor industry and the most dynamic city," adding, "the establishment of a citizen professional football club will be another significant step toward the development of Yongin and enhancing the city's brand value."

If Yongin FC joins the K League, K League 2 will have 15 teams. Among these, Suwon FC, founded in 2003, participates in the K League, and Hwaseong FC, founded in 2013, is active in K League 2 as professional football clubs in special cities with populations exceeding 1 million.