This is the third in a small series of articles which give a bit of an overview of some K League Classic Football (soccer) teams for the 2013 season, fixtures, squads, stadiums, links and ticket prices. In the past we’ve posted about the a few stadiums as well as other K League Classic related themes and we hope to expand on those this coming 2013 season.
In this third part we’ll look at Suwon Bluewings; if you’re interested in starting from the beginning here are links to Part 1 – Incheon United. & Part 2 – FC Seoul.
Who – The Team and Key Players for the 2013 Season
FC Seoul have an impressive history having won the K League 4 times as well as finishing runners-up twice. They have also won the Korean FA Cup 3 times plus the AFC champions league twice. Suwon Bluewings are owned partly by Samsung.
During the 2012 season Suwon started strongly and were in the title hunt for most of the season, sadly a run of 8 games with only 1 win killed any hopes of catching FC Seoul and they finished the season in 3rd place. However this season they’ve improved in a few areas and should once again be in the title hunt.
Here are our 3 key players to watch out for this 2013 season:
Eddy Bosnar – A former Australian Youth international, Bosnar breaks the K League trend of foreign players being forward as he is a solid centerback. He has previously played 2 seasons in Japan as well as in various leagues in Europe, including a disappointing spell at Premier League side Everton. This will be his second season playing for Suwon and he’s always interesting to watch.
Kim Do-Heon – The current captain of Suwon Bluewings and a South Korean International with over 60 caps to his name. He previous played in English for West Brom before returning for a second spell with the Bluewings. For the past 2 seasons he’s been playing for the Police Team as a part of his military service.
Jong Tae-Se – A current North Korean international with 28 caps and 15 goals to his name. He is maybe the most famous current North Korean player and before Suwon he was playing in Europe for VfL Bochum and 1. FC Köln. He joined Suwon just this Spring for a fee of around $300,000 and it expected to have an impact in the K League Classic this 2013 season. Although a North Korean International Tae-Se was born and raised in Japan by his North Korean Parents. His Official Blog ameblo.jp/jongtaese9/ (in Japanese)
Where – The Suwon World Cup Stadium / Big Bird Stadium
Previously we wrote an article detailing the different parts of the Suwon “Big Bird” World Cup Stadium as well as directions – INFORMATION HERE. A few tiny things have changed regarding ticketing (details below) however the directions and general information is still current.
When – Suwon Bluewings 2013 Fixtures
The 2013 K League Classic Season for Suwon Bluewings started on Sunday March 3rd and the regular season will finish on Sunday September 1st. After that depending on their league position they will play a further 12 games either in the championship or relegation section (unlikely but it may happen), this will conclude at the end of November. This will also play in the Korean FA Cup (fixtures not yet drawn). Also they will compete in the 2013 AFC Champions League this season (games mainly on Tuesday evenings)
Here are the 2013 fixtures, they are subject to change:
PDF Download of the Suwon Bluewings Fixtures for 2013 English
September 21st 2013 Update:
These are the reminding home games this 2013 K League Classic Season:
Sunday Sept 22nd vs. Incheon United (2pm)
Wednesday Oct 9th vs. FC Seoul (2pm) * This game will be packed as it’s a national holiday and these are the 2 biggest K League teams, arrive early *
Sunday November 10th vs. Pohang Steelers (1pm)
Saturday November 23rd vs. Ulsan Hyundai (3pm)
Wednesday November 27th vs. Jeonbuk Motors (6.30pm)
How – Ticket Prices and Supporter Details
Tickets are available on Match Days or can be purchased in advance (₩2,000 discount). *please note* like most K League teams Suwon Bluewings rarely (maybe never) sell out of tickets, however popular games can result in long lines of tickets.
The ticket pricing system for the 2013 season has 3 options. The cheapest option is ₩12,000 and you can sit in either the North or East stands, also ₩12,000 is the South Stand which is reserved for away fans. The third option is the West Stand ₩20,000, we’re not quite sure why it’s 40% more expensive so unless you really want to sit there we’re advise sitting in the East Stand as it has the best view.
Online – http://sports.interpark.com/Ticket/Goods/GoodsInfo.asp?GoodsCode=13001699
Most of the hardcore fans sit (but most stand) behind the goal in the North Stand. Many other regular fans sit in the same stand or in the East Stand, in both cases in the lower tier.
There are a good number of regular foreign Suwon Bluewings fans. Currently there aren’t any popular Facebook Groups, Suwon Bluewings & Grand Bleu are the only two. If you’re looking for people to go to a game with these groups are a good start. Also there are occasional Facebook Events and meetups to go to games, we will link them if and when they are created. Also Facebook Group Suwon Newbies maybe a good place to find other interested people.
Suwon Bluewings Event Links
Coming soon, sadly we’ve not seen any publicly listed. If you are hosting an event let us know and we’ll list it here.
FC Seoul Related Links
Here are a few more useful links:
Suwon Bluewings Homepage – In English and provides current information about Suwon Bluewings. Sadly it can be a little out of date.
Suwon Bluewings Facebook Page / Twitter Page – These are more in Korean but it still useful.
Suwon Bluewings on Soccerway – This link provides the latest results and fixtures for FC Seoul, as well as the rest of the K-League.
also our K League Classic and K League 2013 Predictions
Sign Off
This is the last part of this football/soccer series. In the future we’ll look into doing some for local baseball, basketball and volleyball teams.
If you have any questions and comments relating to Suwon Samsung Bluewings or just the K League Classic in general please do so below.
Tim Modern Seoul tim@modernseoul.org
Modern Seoul 