[Official] Gangwon FC confirms 'Gangneung' as home venue for two years... Chuncheon fails to meet mandatory conditions

*This content was translated by AI.

On the 24th, K League 1 club Gangwon FC announced that it has officially selected Gangneung as its home venue for the 2027–2028 seasons.

Gangwon FC stated, "We received expressions of intent from relevant local governments until 10 a.m. on the 21st regarding their willingness to host home games in 2027–2028. While Gangneung City submitted an expression of intent that fully accepted all mandatory conditions, Chuncheon City submitted one that failed to meet those conditions. As a result, Gangwon FC's home games for the next two years will be held in Gangneung."

Since June, Gangwon FC has been conducting the venue selection process through continuous consultations with Chuncheon City, Gangneung City, and relevant institutional investors to ensure stable hosting of home games in 2027–2028. On July 9, the club held separate discussions with both local governments, and on July 21, a joint meeting was held involving four parties: Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, Chuncheon City, Gangneung City, and the club itself. Further meetings were held afterward to align opinions.

Gangwon FC explained, "Before formal submissions began, we first gathered opinions on expressions of intent. We received the first round of expressions by the 19th and the second round by the 21st. Gangneung City submitted expressions in both rounds, while Chuncheon City submitted an expression only in the second round that failed to meet the mandatory conditions."

In consultation with Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, Gangwon FC revised this year's selection method by reflecting opinions raised during last year's home game hosting process. Instead of having local governments each propose amounts and awarding the second-half hosting rights to the one offering the higher amount, the club adopted a new approach: presenting identical basic conditions to all relevant local governments and confirming their acceptance or rejection.

Considering that both Chuncheon City and Gangneung City had expressed interest in hosting during the second half of the season, the agreement period was set for two years. This arrangement would have allowed each local government to host home games once during the second half.

However, since Chuncheon City failed to meet the mandatory conditions, Gangwon FC will now hold all home games over the next two years exclusively in Gangneung.

Gangwon FC clarified, "As a club representing the entire province, we must uphold the principle of maintaining fairness among relevant institutional investors and consistency in legal procedures. Therefore, we have officially selected Gangneung City, which fully accepted all mandatory conditions, as the home venue for 2027–2028."

The club further stated, "While respecting Chuncheon City's administrative and institutional circumstances, we determined that it would be difficult to apply separate conditions exclusively to one region, given that this expression of intent confirmation process was conducted uniformly across multiple local governments based on the same criteria."

Gangwon FC also reported that "Chuncheon City had previously requested a formal apology from Director Kim Byeong-ji (CEO) prior to discussions on hosting home games, as well as an expression of gratitude for cooperation in organizing the 2025–2026 AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE). Both requests have now been fulfilled."

The club also addressed the recently contentious issue of commercial naming rights for stadiums. According to the club, stadium naming rights were not a newly introduced condition in this selection process. The club has been promoting stadium naming rights since early 2025 to strengthen its self-sufficiency as a provincial club and establish a stable revenue base. This was already included as a basic condition in last year's August public bidding for home game hosting.

Gangwon FC stated, "Naming rights are directly linked to existing main sponsorship agreements. Without securing them, we cannot currently determine the financial impact on future sponsorship terms and scale, which would create significant financial uncertainty for the club."

The club added, "We regret that home games will not be held in Chuncheon during 2027–2028. However, this venue selection was not a decision to exclude or prioritize any specific region; it is simply the result of applying the same pre-announced criteria and following the established procedures."

Furthermore, "We will work closely with Gangneung City to stably prepare for home games over the next two years. Regardless of the venue, we will continue to expand communication within the province and fan services so that all Gangwon residents, including Chuncheon citizens, can support Gangwon FC together."

Meanwhile, Gangwon FC is currently conducting detailed negotiations with Gangneung City and plans to officially begin preparations for the 2027 home games.

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*This content was translated by AI.