K League to discuss introducing spousal maternity leave and bereavement/celebration leave... Players' Committee re-established after four years, with Chairman Kim Ho-nam recalling the consideration shown by the late Coach Yoo Sang-chul

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The Players' Committee, which conveys the voices of professional football K League players to the league association, has been re-established after four years.

The Korea Professional Football League announced on the 11th, "We held the '2026 First Players' Committee Meeting' at the Football Association building on the 10th."

Last year, the league conducted interviews with each club's captain group to listen to players' opinions and gather suggestions for institutional improvements. During this process, it was noted that an official channel was needed to communicate systematically and continuously with the players.

Accordingly, at a board meeting held in June of this year, the league appointed Kim Ho-nam, a former K League player, as the Players' Committee Chairman. The committee consists of five members: Chairman Kim Ho-nam, Lee Myung-ju (Incheon), Lee Chang-min (Jeju), Lee Chang-yong (Anyang), Joo Min-gyu (Daejeon), and Han Guk-young (Daegu).

The Players' Committee will operate as a permanent official communication body for protecting players' rights and improving institutional systems.

The league explained, "It is responsible for gathering the opinions of K League-affiliated players to reflect them in league policies, particularly serving the role of conveying the voices of rookie and low-year players."

Additionally, it plans to contribute to enhancing the social value of the K League by discussing social contribution activity plans.

At the first meeting of this year, appointment letters were presented to the members, and discussions were held on ▲introducing spousal maternity leave and bereavement/celebration leave for players, ▲enacting operating regulations for the Players' Committee, and ▲social contribution activity plans. The league plans to share the discussion content with relevant departments and review the possibility of institutional improvements.

The Players' Committee plans to hold regular meetings twice a year going forward, and will convene ad hoc meetings as needed to gather players' opinions.

Players' Committee Chairman Kim Ho-nam expressed his thoughts on the appointment through the league, stating, "It is an honorable and grateful position. At the same time, I feel a great sense of responsibility." He added, "I intend to create a channel where as many players as possible can comfortably voice their opinions."

The role Chairman Kim considered most important is helping players understand the K League market so they can propose realistic alternatives. He stated, "Currently, things often end with just raising issues. But what is truly important are the alternatives," emphasizing, "For players' voices to carry weight, they must first understand the clubs and the league." He believes that for the K League to grow and for players' rights to be protected, the alternatives proposed by players must also benefit the fans.

The committee has decided to keep meeting records for the sake of junior players. Chairman Kim said that after being appointed in June last month, he looked into the activities of past Players' Committees but found almost no referenceable records. He stated, "Starting with this Players' Committee, we will meticulously record the content of meetings and leave the discussed alternatives and actual improvements on the Players' Committee page."

Regarding spousal maternity leave and bereavement/celebration leave, which were agenda items for the first meeting, he said, "I believe these are systems that should be fully guaranteed."

He then recalled the day his twins were born while he was playing for Incheon in 2019. Chairman Kim reflected, "Even though the team was fighting against relegation, the late Coach Yoo Sang-chul granted me maternity leave. I saw my children being born healthy in the morning and returned to the team in the afternoon for training. And that year, we succeeded in staying up."

He added, "From the club's perspective, it may look like an immediate loss. But the difference between a day when loyalty to the club increases and a day when it does not is significant. The important point is that football does not end in a single day."

Plans are being made to establish a separate suggestion channel for rookie and low-year players. According to Chairman Kim, players with few playing opportunities find it difficult to voice their opinions first in settings where all team members are gathered. He stated, "I plan to create a page where they can calmly organize parts they feel are unreasonable and submit suggestions in writing," adding, "While accepting suggestions under real names, we will ensure that the name and content of the player who made the suggestion are not disclosed externally."

Finally, Chairman Kim conveyed to the players, "There are truly many people who nurture their dreams by watching our players, and many who find comfort in them." He continued, "We can provide society with value beyond just football. If this message is well conveyed to the fans, we will be able to create the self-sustaining K League that we dream of. I will also do my best on the ground."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original