Incheon Seo-gu’s New Pro Football Team: How Huh Jung-moo Plans to Revitalize Korean Football

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[The Public=Reporter Oh Doo-hwan] Former South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo is leading an effort to establish a professional soccer club based in Seo-gu, Incheon. Shifting from coaching to club management, Huh aims to strengthen the grassroots of Korean soccer and develop young talent.

At a press conference at Incheon City Hall on the 21st, Huh said, “I am preparing to establish a professional soccer club in Incheon’s Seo-gu to secure the future of Korean soccer and to develop young, talented players.”

He noted that Seo-gu is home to a 50,000-seat stadium that has seen declining use since the 2014 Asian Games. “We plan to use that venue as a base to build both a youth development pipeline and a competitive first team,” he said.

The club would be anchored in Seo-gu, centered on the large stadium built for the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Long criticized for underuse, the facility would be repurposed around the new soccer club.

The organizers have outlined a clear timetable: they aim to secure approval from the Korea Professional Football League this year and launch the club, targeting a spot in K League 2 next season. Given the compressed schedule, building the organization and recruiting players are among the biggest challenges.

Local officials signaled they are open to support. Seo-gu District Chief Kang Beom-seok said forming a club as a foundation-style nonprofit is common, but would place too much burden on the local government. “We are considering a corporate structure that includes private participation,” he said, adding that the goal is to minimize public cost while creating a sustainable operating model.

Huh’s reputation and network should provide initial momentum, but significant hurdles remain: securing funding, growing a fan base, and competing with existing Incheon-area clubs.

The project’s emphasis on youth development will be the decisive factor in its success. Observers will be watching to see whether Huh Jung-moo’s plan can take root as a new model of a community-focused club.