The goal of the K-League’s B team (minority league) is ideal. A team can nurture young players as future resources by allowing them to play in the semi-professional league of K3 and 4 (division 3 and 4), and the Korea Football Association (KFA), the operator of the K3 and 4 leagues, can also expect to strengthen the league’s competitiveness from a long-term perspective.
Kangwon FC is the first K-League club to have Team B join the semi-professional league. Previously, professional teams had been worried about the extra cost of running Team B, but Kangwon sent Team B to the K4 League in 2021. Through cooperation with local governments, the team has reduced operating costs by holding Team B matches in Cheorwon County and Donghae City, where Gangwon’s first-team matches are not held.
When Gangwon opened its doors, Jeonbuk Hyundai, Daejeon Hana Citizen, and Daegu FC B teams joined the K4 League in 2022. The following year, Busan I-Park B teams also participated. There were as many as five professional B teams in the 2023 K4 League.
However, it will be reduced to two teams next year. The Gangwon and Busan B teams disbanded last year. It has been two years and a year since their establishment, respectively. This year, Daejeon Hana suspended the operation of Team B indefinitely in October after the A team (first team) was ranked at the bottom of the K League 1. “Only after Team A’s performance stabilizes, Team B will be able to resume its operation,” a club official said. Currently, only Daegu and Jeonbuk are pro teams remaining in the K3 and 4 leagues.
Team B’s survival or failure should not depend on Team A’s situation. This is especially true if Team B’s original purpose of operation is to foster promising players and to improve the performance of players who have been eliminated from the first division. If K-League clubs are not attracted to Team B as they are now, the development of the K3 and 4 leagues, which are the waist of the integrated division system of the 1st to 7th divisions, which the KFA is planning, is also expected. 메이저놀이터
The biggest stumbling block in the management of Team B is costs. Most professional teams judge that it is better to spend the club’s budget on recruiting players for Team A than on maintaining Team B. Therefore, in addition to realistic measures to reduce the B team’s operating expenses as much as possible, support measures are needed to encourage the club to operate Team B. Considering the situation in which it is burdensome to go on an expedition to an area far away due to a small budget, it is also worth considering whether to proceed with K3 and 4 leagues by region, or to provide subsidies to teams that continuously operate Team B by the KFA.