Seoul Sports Council launches men's sepak takraw team

The Seoul Metropolitan Sports Council has launched a men's professional sepak takraw team.

The council announced Wednesday that it had completed the formation of a five-member squad — head coach Yu Dong-yeong and four players — and signed employment contracts with all members, following the Seoul Metropolitan Government's approval of the team's founding project plan in March. One additional player is set to join next year.

The team was established to strengthen the men's open division, which has struggled over the past five years due to inconsistent participation and a lack of developed players. While Korea National Sport University has maintained a stable presence in the women's open division, the men's division has faced difficulties from the absence of a professional club.

Through the launch, the council aims to prevent talented athletes from moving to other cities and provinces and to complete a four-tier competition structure spanning the men's high school division (Songgok High School), women's high school division (Changmun Girls' High School), women's open division (Korea National Sport University) and men's open division (Seoul Metropolitan Sports Council). The goal is to maximize Seoul's competitive strength at the 107th National Sports Festival.

Yu, who served as national team head coach and assistant coach from 2018 to 2021, was named the team's inaugural head coach. The roster features veteran Park Chul-hee, a bronze medalist at the 2025 Asian Cup; Oh Ju-mong, who took first place at the 106th National Sports Festival; and rising players Min Gyeong-hyeon and Lee Ji-won.

The team will make its official debut at the 27th National Men's and Women's Sepak Takraw Championships, to be held at Yeongcheon Gymnasium in North Gyeongsang Province on July 11.

Seoul Metropolitan Sports Council President Kang Tae-sun said the founding "will serve as a cornerstone of a virtuous cycle that broadens the base of a less popular sport and keeps Seoul's talented athletes from leaving for other regions."