Full name | Busan IPark Football Club 부산 아이파크 축구단 |
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Founded | 1983 1979, as Saehan Motors FC (Original) |
, as Daewoo Royals
Ground | Busan Asiad Stadium |
Capacity | 53,769 |
Owner | Hyundai Development Company |
Chairman | Chung Mong-gyu |
Manager | Cho Jin-ho |
League | K League Challenge |
2016 | K League Challenge, 5th |
Website | Club home page |
Busan IPark (Korean: 부산 아이파크) is a South Korean professional football club based in Busan, South Korea that currently competes in the K League Challenge. Its current home ground is Busan Asiad Stadium. The team was one of the original five members of the Korean Super League and continuously competed in the first division from 1983 to 2015, when they were relegated. Initially, the club was simply called Daewoo in reference to the company that originally owned and financed it.
After being at the top of the league for most of the 1983 season, Daewoo finished second in its league debut conceding the title to Hallelujah FC by a single point after a goalless draw against Yukong Elephants (now known as Jeju United FC) in the Masan Series. In its sophomore season, the club turned professional, renamed itself as Daewoo Royals, and clinched its first league title after defeating Yukong Elephants by an aggregate score of 2–1 in the 1984 K-League Championship playoff. The Royals reached the playoff after winning the second stage of a league which now included the likes of Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso (now known as FC Seoul) and Hyundai Horang-i (now known as Ulsan Hyundai).
Daewoo Royals headed into 1986 K-League season as continental champions after clinching the 1985 Asian Club Championship, becoming the first Korean side to accomplish this feat, on January 29, 1986 defeating Al-Ahli 3–1 at extra time in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Despite continental success, the team suffered a dismal season and failed to reach the 1986 K-League Championship playoff after finishing fourth in the first stage of the league and third in the second.