Daegu FC

History

Daegu FC was established in 2002 as a community club (generally in South Korea, a "community-club" means that the club issues shares) based in the city of Daegu. The city is a key shareholder, and the current mayor is chairman of the club. Following their foundation, the club entered the 2003 season of the K League under manager Park Jong-hwan. Park had previously managed the national side for a number years in the 1980s and 1990s. The club's entry, together with that of Gwangju Sangmu, brought the number of teams participating in the league to 12.

The K League structure for 2003 required each team to play a staggering 44 matches, making for a long drawn out season. Daegu ultimately finished their first season 11th (out of 12 teams) in the league, winning seven games, and drawing 16. In the 2003 Korean FA Cup, Daegu reached the quarterfinals, where they were defeated 1–0 by Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i. Daegu improved in 2004 to tenth place in the league, which due to Incheon United's entry, now boasted 13 clubs. The format of the league had changed following the long 2003 season, and now required each club to play home and away matches in two stages (each club playing 12 matches in each stage) against the other participating clubs; the winners of each stage qualifying for a playoff phase along with the top two teams from the overall table. This meant that only 24 regular season games were played. In the FA Cup, Daegu were knocked out in the round of 32 by National League side Ansan Hallelujah. In the Samsung Hauzen Cup, a new cup competition run as a league competition specifically for K League clubs (thus excluding National League and lower tier clubs) during the K League's mid-season break, finished eighth out of 13 teams. The following season saw Daegu placed eighth place in the league and seventh in the Samsung Hauzen Cup. In the FA Cup, after defeating University and National League sides, Daegu were knocked out in the quarterfinals in a 2–1 loss to another K League side, the Chunnam Dragons.

Prior to the start of the 2006 K League season, Daegu participated in the Tongyeong Cup. The Tongyeong Cup was a four-team invitational tournament held in Tongyeong, South Korea. As well as Daegu and fellow K League club Incheon United, A-League side Queensland Roar and Beijing Guo'an were also part of the tournament. After beating both Incheon and Beijing, Daegu drew 0–0 with Queensland, winning the Tongyeong Cup and thus the first piece of silverware for Daegu's trophy cabinet.

However, Daegu's Tongyeong Cup form did not continue into the 2006 K League season proper, and the club had a disappointing first stage. Winning only 2 games, they placed joint llth, alongside Gwangju and debutant club Gyeongnam FC. However, as had happened in 2005, the club's performance improved for the second stage, with six wins, four losses and three draws. This saw the club place seventh overall in the league. The club placed 13th in Samsung Hauzen Cup and again reached the quarterfinals of the 2006 edition of the FA Cup. However, they lost (again) to the Chunnam Dragons.

Following completion of the 2006 season, Park Jong-hwan stepped down as manager after four years with the club. On 1 December 2006, Byun Byung-joo was appointed as the new manager. A former South Korean international, Byun had no previous K League management experience prior to his appointment as Daegu FC's manager. The K League revamped its format for 2007, with the season now simply consisting of a conventional league, with the top six teams qualifying to the championship phase. This didn't help Daegu much, and after their mid-table finishes of the previous two seasons, their performance slipped, and the club placed 12th, winning six games. The club failed to get out of the group stage in the 2007 Samsung Hauzen Cup and achieved a similar level of performance in the FA Cup, where Daegu lost to Incheon United in the round of 16.

In 2008, Daegu became notable with their extremely aggressive football, becoming the joint equal top-scoring team of the K League, alongside Suwon Samsung Bluewings. However, they also conceded the most goals in the league. Nonetheless, because of their offensive approach, their style of play was nicknamed "Bullet Football", for its speedy and attacking focus. An 11th place in the K League standings was the eventual outcome, winning a reasonably impressive eight games, but drawing only two, both against Daejeon Citizen. For the first time in its history, Daegu reached the semi-finals of the Korean FA Cup, by defeating Ulsan in the quarterfinals, following a win in the round of 16 over Ansan Hallelujah. However, they then lost to their opponents Pohang Steelers in a 2–0 loss. The club placed fifth (out of six teams) in their group in the Samsung Hauzen Cup.

The 2009 season was one of the worst in the club's history. In a now expanded league of 15 clubs, thanks to new entrant Gangwon FC, Daegu would place in the last, 15th place, winning only five games. In the FA Cup, Daegu made it to the quarterfinals, beating Gyeongnam FC in a penalty shootout in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, against Daejeon Citizen, the game finished with a 1–1 scoreline. For the second consecutive match, the result would come down to a penalty shootout. This time, Daegu lost out. In the league cup, now known as the Peace Cup Korea 2009, the club finished third in their group, one point away from qualifying for the knockout phase of the cup. Later in the year, Lee Young-jin was appointed as manager for the 2010 season. Lee, who has previously coached FC Seoul, replaced Byun who had resigned after being embroiled in a scandal involving a player's agent and payoffs for selecting specific players.

On field, Daegu repeated their dismal performances of the previous season, finishing 15th in the K League standings, equal with Gwangju Sangmu on points. Daegu conceded the most goals of any club in the league, losing 19 games out of 28 games, with five wins and four draws. In the FA Cup, Daegu lost 1–0 after extra time to the National League side Suwon City. Better results were achieved in the League Cup, with Daegu progressing out of their group to the knockout stage, thanks to wins over Daejeon Citizen and Busan, before losing to FC Seoul after a penalty shootout.

Stadium

Daegu Stadium (Blue Arc, formerly Daegu World Cup Stadium) is a sports stadium in Daegu, South Korea. It was opened on 28 June 2001, and it is owned by The Daegu Metropolitan City. The stadium was one of the venues for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, hosting three group games, as well the 2002 FIFA World Cup play-off game for third place between South Korea and Turkey. It was the biggest stadium in South Korea at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Daegu FC was founded at the end of 2002, and since then, the stadium has been the venue for the club's home games. The stadium has 66,422 seats, and it is covered by natural grass. The name was changed to Daegu Stadium on 5 March 2008. Occasionally, home games are played at Daegu Civil Stadium.

Daegu FC have been one of the better supported clubs of the K League, with average attendance numbers at home (prior to their 2009 season) around 15,000 to 17,000. However, the club's poor performances in 2009 resulted in a decline in attendance to 8,500.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Retired number(s)

12 – Club Supporters (the 12th Man)
24 – Park Jong-jin

R-League

From 2008 to 2011, Daegu FC fielded a team in the R-League, established in 2000 for the reserve squads of the professional K-League clubs. The National Policy Agency also entered a team in the league. The league format provided for two groups of teams (six to eight in each group), each group member playing the others in the group, three or four times, depending on the number of teams in the groups. The top two teams in each group moved onto a playoff round although from 2010, the title was shared between the winners of each group.

In 2008, Daegu placed 7th out of the 8 teams in their group, winning three of 18 games. They fared little better in 2009, finishing last in their group of five teams. In 2010, Daegu's reserve squad contrived to only win one of their group games, while they drew two, and lost 11 times. Their meager return of 5 points ensured they finished 8th and last in their group. In 2011, the club improved to place 5th in its group, with eight wins. It did not enter the 2012 edition of the competition.

U-18 (Hyunpung High School) squad

In 2008, Daegu FC established an under-18 side, to act as a development squad for the men's team. This is essentially Hyunpung High School's senior football team, and as of 2009, plays in the U-18 Challenge League. The side is managed by former Daegu FC player Kim Hyun-soo.

Club officials

Managers

Information correct as up to 2011 Season. Only competitive K-League matches are counted.

League

Friendly competitions

Records

Sponsors

Kit Supplier