SNU Women’s football club is playing against a FC Sookmyung

Seoul National University Women’s Football Club (SNU WFC) played the opening match for the Republic of Korea vs Costa Rica friendly game on October 14 in Seoul. SNU WFC played against Sookmyung Women’s University’s FC Sookmyung. The result was a friendly 0-0 tie. (The Korean national team, with notable players such as KI Sung-yueng and SON Heung-min, suffered a 3-1 loss against Costa Rica).

The opening match took place in the Seoul World Cup Stadium, also known as Sangam Stadium. The stadium, the second largest in South Korea, was built in 2002 when the nation was hosting the FIFA World Cup. With a seating capacity of over 65,000, the venue demonstrated the scale and importance of the match that was to be held.

SNU WFC members had an opportunity to warm up on the official training grounds as well as use the changing rooms where national football legends such as LEE Young-Pyo and PARK Ji-Sung had changed and prepared in before. The Korea Football Association (KFA) officially invited SNU WFC to participate in the opening match against FC Sookmyung. In the first half of the match, SNU WFC showed domination and possession of the ball, but in the second half, FC Sookmyung responded with a sturdier defense and more aggressive plays.

Players are entering

The match against FC Sookmyung was shown live on television channels with official sportscasters giving a running commentary of the game. The sportscasters showed great interest in the fact that more than half of SNU WFC members are from non-sports related majors, such as medicine, food and nutrition, and business administration. This is due to the fact that SNU is different from other Korean universities such as Yonsei or Korea University, which have an admissions quota for students with exceptional athletic ability. In general there is much less funding and attention given to sports teams at SNU, making it difficult to obtain successful results. In addition, SNU is renown for its academic prowess rather than its athletic feats and achievements. However, SNU WFC is one of the most successful university women’s football teams in the country. Furthermore, in Korean society, women are traditionally not linked to playing sports, least of all with playing football. However there has been an increase women’s participation in various sports in recent years.

The captain of SNU WFC, BAE Su Bin (Department of Physical Education) stated, “This opening match was significant for two reasons. The first is directly related to SNU WFC and the university. A post was uploaded on the school’s community portal SNULife for the recruitment of students who would come to the match to cheer for SNU WFC. There were many students who came to watch the match. Many of these SNU students learned for the first time of the existence of the women’s football club. They showed great interest and support for SNU WFC, which made our team members feel proud and very motivated. In addition, another area in which the opening match was significant is in the area of amateur women’s football. The event provided much needed publicity towards amateur women’s football, demonstrating the existence and increasing popularity of the sport.”

The invitation and participation of SNU WFC in this event is symbolic for various reasons. It demonstrates the Association’s acknowledgment of the increasing popularity of university-level women’s football. It is also an important event because it demonstrates the support for women’s football in general. It is a well-known fact that the national women’s football team in Korea faces various challenges, such as lack of financial support. Women’s football is oftentimes overlooked, with a preference given to the men’s national football team. Thus the invitation of a university women’s football team to open a men’s national football friendly match holds great value.

The game ended 0-0

The match is also an acknowledgment from the KFA’s perspective that women’s football in general is becoming increasingly popular in Korea. Women’s football generally worldwide has faced financial difficulties. But in recent years it has become more popular, and SNU is a leading example.

Captain BAE expressed, “The influence [of the match] may be small but I believe in the butterfly effect. Slowly, with the aid of the football association, and our continuous efforts, amateur women’s football will develop in the near future to a state that will astound many people.”

Written by OH Jung Eun, SNU English Editor, josefinaoh@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies, eps7257@snu.ac.kr
Proofread by Melora Brett Briana Johnson, SNU English Editor, morningcalm2@gmail.com