Gangwon FC

The stadium itself is older than the club by a generation, built in 1984, and holds 22,333 people. For years the team split its home fixtures between here and the Chuncheon Songam Sports Town. From the 2026 season, though, every home match moves to Gangneung.

That provincial identity goes back to the club's creation. Gangwon FC was set up on 18 December 2008 at the initiative of the province's governor, Kim Jin-sun, and it remains run by a body tied to the provincial government rather than a private owner. It played its first match in March 2009 and beat Jeju United 1-0.

Orange runs through everything the club does, a nod to Gangwon province itself, and it has given the team its nickname, the Oranges; some English-language coverage also calls them the Bears, after the animal on the crest.

Relegation to K League 2 came in 2013, with a return to the top flight in 2016. Kim Byung-soo took charge in 2018 and built an attacking approach fans still call Byung-soo ball. A first major trophy has so far eluded them.