Formed In: 1983
Based In: Busan, Republic of Korea
Play In: Korea Professional Football League (K League)
Many of the top English teams have changed their official club name over the years, perhaps most notably the current Premier League champions Manchester United, who started life as Newton Heath.
None however have switched titles quite so often as the first of our pre-season opponents from The Republic of Korea.
Since forming in 1983 their team has been known variously as Daewoo, Daewoo Royals, Busan Daewoo Royals, Pusan I’Cons, and more recently Busan I’Cons. They finally settled on their current name of Busan I’Park in 2005.
The club got off to a tremendous start, finishing as runners up in the first ever K-League in 1983. They then went one better and were crowned champions the following year. This was the first of the 4 K League titles that the club have since gone on to win.
Like most of the top teams in the K-League, the club have always been owned by a major national corporation. At first Busan were backed by Daewoo, an industrial giant involved in many different areas of business including electronics, construction and vehicle manufacture.
Such companies are known in Korea as ‘chaebols’ and one of the most successful and famous of these are the current Fulham shirt sponsors LG.
In the 1990s the team passed into the hands of I’Park, a construction firm ran by Hyundai. They are also connected to our other Korean pre-season opponents Ulsan.
After a few poor years on the pitch the fortunes of the team were revived under the guidance of a British manager called Ian Porterfield. He had previously enjoyed a spell as manager of Chelsea.
In 2004 Porterfield led Busan I’Park to the Korean FA Cup and the following year they won the 1st Stage of the League Championship. The K League used to operate a system where the league championship was split into two halves.
Since then the K-League has expanded and altered to a more traditional format. It is one which we are used to here in England. Team now play each other twice, once at home and once away.
However, the rules of the Korean league do differ from our division in one significant respect. At the end of the season the top 6 sides all enter a knock out Play-Off competition, which is similar to the one currently used in The Coca-Cola Championship.
The gruelling season finally ends with a dramatic two-legged Play-off Final to decide the eventual Champions.
A number of English players have pulled on the distinct quartered red and white jerseys of Busan over the years, including Jamie Cureton. He used to play a little closer to SW6 - at Loftus Road - the home of our near neighbours QPR.