WK League News

The 25th National Women’s Football Championship took place last month in Chungju, with 59 youth teams taking part in the competition across four youth age groups, and several additional teams participating in the KWFF’s first U-14 ‘football festival’.

This year, for the first time since the NWFC began in 2002, there were no senior teams competing, due to the establishment of the W Korea Cup. Hwacheon KSPO lifted the trophy at last year’s NWFC on their way to achieving a domestic treble, though the final was marred by controversy over what many perceived to be serious refereeing errors.

Issues with the NWFC in recent years have not been limited to the action on the pitch. The KWFF has also faced criticism regarding tournament organisation and venue suitability. In recent years, the NWFC was held at Changnyeong Sports Park. Players and match officials complained that bathroom and changing facilities were unsuitable, leading the Korea Pro Footballers’ Association to speak out. The KPFA also highlighted insufficient emergency medical provision as a major issue after the 2024 edition of the championship.

Despite promises from the KWFF and the Chungju Football Association that health and safety provisions for the tournament would be strengthened compared to previous years, young players at this year’s NWFC had to contend with extreme heat conditions. During the tournament, several youngsters were transferred to hospital by ambulance to receive treatment after displaying heat-related symptoms. Venue suitability was again questioned, particularly by spectators who found themselves sitting on plastic garden furniture by the side of a busy road, watching the action through a fence, due to a complete lack of seating at some of the pitches used for the tournament.

Clearly, the KWFF and local football associations have more work to do to improve the conditions for domestic tournaments. The National Women’s Football Championship is a major event in the Korean women’s football calendar, with the country’s brightest upcoming talent on display, and plenty of family, friends and followers keen to witness it. Look back at the youth career of any big name player in the WK League or South Korean national team, and you are likely to find trophies and accolades from the NWFC and other KWFF tournaments.

That said, these tournaments are not all about the winning teams and top players. Alongside the long-established football academies lifting their umpteenth trophy are newer teams, clubs with barely any resources, and youngsters making their first foray into competition. A standout story from this year’s NWFC is that of Seoul Nokcheon Middle School.

Unlike many other competitors, Nokcheon is not home to an elite football academy — in fact, they only registered their players with the federation in June after deciding to enter the NWFC for a first taste of tournament football. The team has just 16 players, only 11 of whom were available for this competition.

With no substitutes, Nokcheon’s main aim was to make it through the tournament with no injuries. In their first ever competitive match, Nokcheon faced Gangneung WFC, who beat them 29-0. In their second they faced Ulsan Hyundai Chungeun, an elite side with a bench full of substitutes, never mind several youth internationals. Against the eventual tournament champions, Nokcheon lost 15-0. It may not look like it, but all things considered, this was a positive result. The team forfeited their third and final group stage match, prioritising player welfare over football for football’s sake.

Nokcheon’s players displayed immense resilience in the face of scorelines that would be demoralising even to the most experienced professional athletes, and what is more, they were still smiling afterwards. Seoul Nokcheon Middle School won a lot of hearts at this tournament, demonstrating the importance of grassroots programmes and opportunities for young girls to get into football. They will surely have plenty of people rooting for them at their next competitive appearance.

Whether they have progressed through the elite athlete track since junior school, or found the sport a little later, among this year’s award winners are the stars of the future — it is essential that the organisation of these competitions improves year-on-year for Korean women’s football, and perceptions thereof, to continue to grow and develop.

2025 National Women’s Football Championship results