Gimpo perched on edge of top tier two years after going pro

K League 2 side Gimpo FC may soon make history with a chance to play in the top division after just two seasons as a fully professional team.

Gimpo made it to this year's promotion-relegation playoffs after managing a third-place finish in the K League 2 and winning the second-division playoffs against Gyeongnam FC on Saturday. The recent amateurs may now go all the way to the K League 1.

Founded in 2013, Gimpo competed in the depths of the K3 system until the end of the 2019 season. The club turned semi-pro that year, playing in the more formally organized K3 League until 2021 when they were turned fully professional and joined the K League 2 ahead of the 2022 season.  

Gimpo have made gradual improvements since then, finishing eighth in their debut season and managing a third-place finish this year.  

The third-place finish earned the club a chance to play in the playoffs against fourth-place Gyeongnam, which ended with a 2-1 victory for Gimpo on Saturday.  

Gimpo’s success in the K League 2 this season is partly thanks to the team’s solid defense that conceded just 25 goals in 36 games — the fewest across all teams in the second division.

Gimpo will now play the two-game series promotion-relegation playoffs against K League 1 side Gangwon FC on Wednesday and Dec. 9.  

“We will work to elevate our cohesion and analyze Gangwon well for the next two days,” Gimpo manager Ko Jeong-woon said on Saturday after the 2-1 win against Gyeongnam. “The possibility for the promotion is 50-50. We will show the football that we have shown without pressure.”  

A maximum of three K League 2 teams can advance to the K League 1 every year, although only one spot is guaranteed. The winner of the K League 2 is automatically promoted to the K League 1, whose 12th-place team is sent down to replace them. The second-place team in the K League 2 plays the 11th-place team in the K League 1, with the winner of that game playing the next season in the top tier.

The fifth- and fourth-place K League 2 teams then play each other, with the winner then facing the third-place finisher. The winner of that game plays the 10th-place K League 1 team in yet another playoff, with the winner of that game also playing the next season in the top tier.  

Gimpo’s first promotion-relegation playoffs match against Gangwon will kick off at Gimpo Solteo Football Field in Gimpo, Gyeonggi on Wednesday at 7 p.m., and the second match will take place at Gangneung Sports Complex in Gangwon on Dec. 9.  

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]