Gwangju Sangmu FC
 |
|
| Full name | Sangju Sangmu Football Club 상주 상무 프로축구단 |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Bulsajo (Phoenix) |
| Founded | 2011 as Sangju Sangmu Phoenix 1984 as Sangmu FC (Original) |
| Ground | Sangju Civic Stadium |
| Capacity | 15,042 |
| Owner | Sangju Government and Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps |
| Chairman | Mayor of Sangju |
| Manager | Kim Tae-wan |
| League | K League Classic |
| 2016 | K League Classic, 6th |
| Website | Club home page |
| Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps |
|---|
|
Sangju Sangmu FC (Korean: 상주 상무 프로축구단) is a professional football club that competes in the K League Classic. The club is based in Sangju, South Korea. Sangmu (상무, 尙武) means martialism and is the sports division of the Military of South Korea. The club officially removed the word "Phoenix" in its name in 2013. Their mascot is the Bulsajo, which translates to "Phoenix" in English. The club's hometown moved from Gwangju to Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do after the city of Gwangju founded the new professional club Gwangju FC in 2011.
Sangmu's playing staff is made up of young South Korean professional footballers serving their compulsory two-year military duty. Fifteen players join up at the start of every season and spend two years with the side before returning to their previous professional club. Sangmu are not allowed to sign any foreign players because of their military status.
There were ROK Army FC, ROK Navy FC, and ROK Air Force FC until 1983 in South Korea. ROK Marine Corps FC became ROK Navy FC in 1973. The three military football clubs were consolidated into one football section of the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps in January 1984.
Sangmu FC was founded on 11 January 1984, as the football side of Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps. Although Sangmu squad was composed of professional players from K League clubs, Sangmu FC competed in the semi-professional league (now Korea National League). Sangmu joined the K League for the 1985 season, but spent only one year in the league before dropping out.
The reserve side, Sangmu B, competed in the K2 League from 2003 to 2005 before joining the K League reserve league. Sangmu B was based in Icheon and finished as the runners-up in the 2003 K2 League season.
After establishing a home base in Gwangju, the team participated in the Reserve League. The club has rejoined the K League at the start of the 2003 season as Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo. Between 2004 and 2010, the club has been known as Gwangju Sangmu FC.
...
Wikipedia