| National League |
|---|
| Founded |
| 2003 |
| Nation |
 South Korea |
| Number of Teams |
| 14 |
| Higher Division |
| K-League |
| Lower Division |
| K3 League |
| Promotion/relegation |
| Only promotion |
| League system |
| Two stages of thirteen matches each. The two stage winners play off on a home and away basis to decide the overall league champion. |
| Cups |
| FA Cup National Championship |
| Current Champions (2007) |
| Ulsan Hyundai Mipo Dolphin |
| Website |
| Official |
The Korea National League is an amateur football league, below the level of the K-League in South Korea, consisting of twelve member clubs. The season is comprised of two sections with the 14 member clubs playing each other once in each section. The two section winners then play off home and away at the end of the season to decide the league champion. In the event of the same team winning both sections, then that team is pronounced champion without the need for a play off.
Contents |
League History
The league was officially founded in 2003 to raise the level of competition at amateur level in Korea. Prior to that, various cup competitions were run by the governing body of semi-professional football. Amateur competitions under the present body can be traced back to 1990, with the participants being mostly works sides of the major industries in Korea (banks, construction companies and the like).
Ever since the creation of the league, hopes had been high that a system of promotion and relegation would be implemented between the league and the K-League, the professional football league in Korea. In 2006, it was agreed that, subject to meeting certain financial requirements, the National League champions would be eligible for promotion. Goyang Kookmin Bank, who triumphed over Gimpo Hallelujah to win the 2006 title, were the first side eligible for promotion, however they controversially rejected the chance to return to the professional ranks. The team received several threats from the National League ranging from being thrown out of the competition, to fines, to point deductions for the upcoming 2007 season. In the end the side received a points deduction penalty, to be split into ten point deductions in the first and second stages of the 2007 season. Following the case involving Goyang, teams in the National League signed agreements indicating whether or not they would seek promotion to the K-League if they win the National League in 2007. Ulsan Mipo Dolphin, who won the championship in 2007, also rejected the chance to move up to the K-League despite previously indicating they would seek promotion.. The gap between the National League and K-League is massive in terms of the finances needed to run a team which may continue to cause problems for the league in coming years.
2008 League Participants
- Ansan Hallelujah
- Busan Transportation Corporation
- Changwon City FC
- Cheonan City FC
- Daejeon Hydro & Nuclear Power
- Gangneung City
- Gimhae FC
- Goyang Kookmin Bank
- Icheon Hummel Korea
- Incheon Korail
- Seosan Omega
- Suwon City
- Ulsan Mipo Dolphin
- INGNEX FC
All-time Member Clubs
There have been a total of 16 member clubs since the league was founded as the K2 League in 2003. Seoul City replaced Hallelujah for the second stage of the 2003 season after protests by radical Wonbuddhists forced the Christian club out of Iksan. Hallelujah returned to the league in 2004 after moving to Gimpo. Sangmu B withdrew their team from the league at the end of 2005 in order for the team, essentially the reserve side of K-League team Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix, to compete in the K-League reserve league. Teams are listed with present-day names in the case of sides that have changed names or locations previously:
- Goyang Kookmin Bank (2003-present)
- Ulsan Mipo Dockyard (2003-present)
- Ansan Hallelujah (2003 first stage; 2004-present)
- Sangmu B (2003-2005)
- Incheon Korail (2003-present)
- Suwon City (2003-present)
- Seosan Omega (2003-present)
- Gangneung City (2003-present)
- Icheon Hummel Korea (2003-present)
- Daejeon Hydro & Nuclear Power (2003-present)
- Seoul City (2003 second stage)
- Changwon City (2005-present)
- Busan Transportation Corporation (2006-present)
- INGNEX FC (2007-present)
- Cheonan City FC (2008-present)
- Gimhae FC (2008-present)
Winners (year by year)
| Year | Winner | Runner-up |
| 2003 | Kookmin Bank FC | Sangmu B |
| 2004 | Kookmin Bank FC | Gangneung City Hall |
| 2005 | Incheon Korail | Suwon City Hall |
| 2006 | Kookmin Bank FC | Gimpo Hallelujah |
| 2007 | Ulsan Hyundai Mipo Dolphin | Suwon City Hall |
See also
External links
- (Korean) National League Official Homepage
- (English) National League at ROKfootball.com
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
