"Immediate victory is less valuable than proper growth": Onsaemiro FC, a rising youth powerhouse, and Coach Song Hyun-sik's philosophy of fundamentals

*This content was translated by AI.

There is a team currently causing a fierce stir in the youth soccer world. It is the Onsaemiro FC soccer classroom led by Coach Song Hyun-sik (45). Starting with a perfect record victory at the 2024 Manse Boryeong Mud Cup JS Cup U11, the team has gone on to win the Hwarangdaegi tournament with a perfect record, secured a perfect record victory across all seven regions of the 2025 National Elementary League, won the 2026 Hongcheon Mugunghwa Cup Spring Youth Festival with a perfect record, and claimed a perfect record victory in the U12 preliminary selection for the Gyeonggi-do Dream Youth Sports Festival, boasting a dazzling record.

This year, the team's firepower was even more impressive. On the Gyeonggi-do stage, where 154 registered Class 1 (professional soccer) teams face the fiercest competition nationwide, a club in only its second year of existence achieved the unprecedented record of winning the first and second rounds of the Dream Youth Soccer Tournament in an integrated victory. Behind this dazzling performance record lies Coach Song Hyun-sik's firm philosophy, which excludes "result-orientedism" and prioritizes the proper growth and fundamentals of children.

Frequent injuries and early retirement... The 'protection' coaching philosophy born from pain

Coach Song Hyun-sik first put on soccer cleats in the sixth grade of elementary school. He continued his playing career through Kwandong University, but major and frequent injuries, including torn ACLs and cartilage tears, held him back. After undergoing surgery multiple times, he was forced to end his playing career at an early age. After retirement, he worked at a general company and experienced an ordinary social life, but it was far from his active nature. After wandering, he began coaching toddlers and hobby classes for children around the age of 29 by chance, which became the starting point of his coaching career.

Now a veteran youth coach with 18 years of experience, including 11 years as an elementary school coach, he has not forgotten the pain of the injuries he endured. "Until university, I suffered major and frequent injuries to my ACLs and cartilage. After numerous surgeries, I eventually had to take off my soccer cleats at an early age," he revealed. He uses his own painful experiences as a mirror to teach his students. This is why he focuses intensely on "player protection" to prevent children from getting injured or suffering from burnout at an early age.

The importance of solid fundamentals, glimpsed through classmate Park Ji-sung

Coach Song Hyun-sik's firm "fundamentals philosophy" is also connected to his relationship with his classmate Park Ji-sung, with whom he played soccer together for three years at Suwon High School. Having been friends with Park Ji-sung since high school for over 30 years, he recalled, "Ji-sung was small in stature even in elementary school, but his skills were so exceptional that no one among his peers in Gyeonggi-do was unfamiliar with him."

He praised Park Ji-sung's growth into a world-class player, stating, "Building a very solid foundation of fundamentals from his youth was a major factor."

The eye for discovering 'promising sprouts' like Yoon Do-young, and the teacher's affection

Another example showcasing Coach Song Hyun-sik's exceptional eye is his story with Korean soccer prospect Yoon Do-young, who joined Brighton in the English Premier League (EPL) last year and is currently on loan at Dordrecht. During his time as a coach at Pungdeok Elementary School, Coach Song first discovered Yoon Do-young in a first-grade soccer tournament for the hobby class. At the time, Yoon was unusually small in stature, and his recruitment was almost derailed by his parents' stubborn opposition, but through Song's persistent persuasion, he was able to bring Yoon into the professional class.

The teacher's affection for his student remains special even today. Coach Song, who had a phone conversation with Yoon Do-young before he left for Brighton, said, "The player himself wanted to challenge the British stage immediately, but from a teacher's perspective, I think it might have been better to further enhance his completeness as a player on the domestic K League stage before taking on a bigger stage."

The times have changed... Coaches must become 'carriages' instead of using oppressive training

In the early 1990s, when Coach Song Hyun-sik played for an elementary school soccer team, the concept of club teams was virtually non-existent. Boarding life, oppressive training by coaches, and corporal punishment were common occurrences. However, the times have changed. School soccer teams nationwide now account for less than one-tenth of the total, with the majority transitioning to club teams like Onsaemiro FC.

Coach Song Hyun-sik continuously emphasizes the "essence" of a coach amidst these changes. The team name "Onsaemiro" itself is derived from a pure Korean word meaning "without dividing or splitting, always unchanged." He explained, "Just as the etymology of the word 'coach' originates from a carriage, a coach must be someone who guides children in the right direction."

He strongly criticized the behavior of coaches who, steeped in a sense of authority, abuse parents outside the field or scold children. "The attitude of teaching children with sunglasses on, wearing long padded coats with hands in pockets, or forcing adult-level treatment on youth players must be absolutely avoided," he stated as his firm conviction.

"Fundamentals and attitude are everything"... The power of age-specific training

The principle he does not compromise on beyond soccer skills, both inside and outside the field, is "attitude." Coach Song Hyun-sik said, "No matter how well you kick the ball, a messy attitude is unacceptable. I strictly correct behaviors such as intentionally playing without manners to waste time when winning, using rough language, or performing perfunctory greetings by merely nodding the head." He added forcefully, "Having the courtesy to respect opponents is the foundation for growing into a truly excellent player."

Onsaemiro FC's greatest competitive edge is its thoroughly segmented "age-specific training manual." Instead of obsessing over immediate victories and overworking children, they insist on a step-by-step approach. Second graders only undergo coordination training to develop physical adjustment abilities three times a week. Third graders focus on foot sensation training, while fourth graders concentrate entirely on habituating passing and control skills.

Especially, participation in tournaments is limited to a certain number of times until the fourth grade, and players are made to experience all positions in rotation. Only when they reach fifth grade are they assigned the position that best suits them. This means putting effort into building a solid framework for the distant future rather than flashy tactics.

The blind spot of Korean youth soccer, and the dream of a 'mentor'

Coach Song Hyun-sik has not forgotten to offer sharp criticism of the Korean youth soccer system, which is immersed in "result-orientedism." He pointed out that "in our country, soccer is rampant where players with large and fast physiques are given long passes and told to run aimlessly to secure an immediate win," which stands in stark contrast to the Japanese youth system that focuses thoroughly on fundamentals such as passing, control, and situational awareness.

He also remarked, "The coach training and licensing education system in our country, which ends with short-term acceleration, must be significantly improved in quality to consistently produce excellent players." This means that for children to grow correctly, coaches must grow systematically.

Although he has swept up numerous perfect record victory trophies, Coach Song Hyun-sik's gaze is directed toward the children's future beyond the immediate results.

"In the future, if my students grow up to be wonderful adults and remember me not just as a coach who taught soccer skills, but as a 'mentor' who provided a positive direction in life, I would be more than happy."

Onsaemiro FC, led by solid fundamentals and correct character. We look forward to their relentless sprint becoming a heavy message thrown into the Korean youth soccer world, going beyond simple victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.