Gimcheon Sangmu FC
South Korean Sangmu FC is a club that has no worries when it comes to transfers. They are not, however, the only club on the list with such uniqueness. We have already mentioned Altinordu and Chertanovo who do not buy, but only “produce” players. Well, Sangmu FC doesn’t even do that. So how on earth do they get players to play for them?
Well, very easily. South Korean laws stipulate that every man aged 18 to 28 must spend a year and a half to two in the army, serving military service. And that’s where Gimcheon Sangmu FC comes in. When a professional footballer comes to serve in the military, they make sure that the footballer has somewhere to train and play during his stay in the army.
You probably remember that in 2018 there were many stories that Son Heung-min could leave Tottenham for two years to serve in the military. In the end, he won the Asian Games with the U23 national team and thus gained an exemption from the obligation to serve. If the national team had not won the title, Sangmu FC would have received a great reinforcement because Son would have played for them during those two years.
The greatest successes of this club are two K2 league titles (second South Korean league) in 2013 and 2015. As a great success, we can add a fourth place in the K1 league in 2020, but that did not help them stay in the first league. Due to moving to another city this season, they are again participants in the K2 league.
