Gimcheon mayor scraps plan to convert military football club into civic pro team

Plans to convert Gimcheon Sangmu Pro Football Club into a civic professional football team have fallen through.

Gimcheon Mayor Bae Nak-ho held a press conference at the city hall Tuesday afternoon and said he had "made a final decision not to pursue the conversion into a civic pro football club."

Gimcheon Sangmu Pro Football Club has been based in Gimcheon since 2021, but with its home agreement set to expire Dec. 31, the city had been gathering public opinion on the possibility of converting the club into a civic team.

A face-to-face poll of 800 residents conducted from Aug. 26 to Sept. 9 found 37.7 percent in favor, 31.7 percent opposed and 30.7 percent undecided.

On the question of fiscal support from the city, 25.4 percent said the proposed level was appropriate, 47.3 percent said it was excessive and 27.3 percent were unsure.

A public hearing attended by about 150 residents was then held Sept. 18 to gather a wider range of views on the conversion.

Gimcheon city subsequently reported the polling and public hearing results to the Gimcheon City Council and sought its input.

After weighing public acceptance, fiscal soundness, sustainability and broader impact, the city concluded that pursuing a civic pro football club was not feasible under current conditions.

"It was a painful and difficult decision, but as the mayor responsible for city administration, I had no choice but to make a comprehensive judgment in the best interest of Gimcheon," Bae said. "I ask for the understanding of those who had hoped for a civic football club."

He added, however, that "even without a civic pro football club, we will continue without interruption to build football infrastructure in Gimcheon, expand the sport's grassroots base and particularly maintain support for existing youth squads."

Earlier, the Gimcheon City Council had sent the city a formal letter of opposition Monday — after the Chuseok holiday — citing fiscal concerns and insufficient public consensus as grounds for rejecting the proposed founding of the Gimcheon civic pro football club.