Let's play together. The director who leads the youth restaurant and the growth who sings with his students

Jul 25, 2025

 Let's play together. The director who leads the youth restaurant and the growth who sings with his students
◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association



 Let's play together. The director who leads the youth restaurant and the growth who sings with his students
◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association
"Wow~!!!"

Cheonan Football Center on the 24th. Coach Choi Kwang-hee (41), who won the 2025 K League U-18 Championship, took off his glasses ahead of the championship ceremony. On the way to the podium, there was a bottled water bottle in the hands of the students. Coach Choi took off his glasses with a smile as if he had foreseen 'fate', and as he ran to the podium with coach Yoon Dong-min to receive the Best Leader Award, he was greeted with a big smile by his disciples. It was a thrilling privilege for the winning leader. Director Choi said, `I want to say thank you to the children. The seniors said to try to make the team go to a higher place based on the foundation, but they followed me well and worked hard." Laughing about his relationship with his unsparing disciples, he explained his teaching style, "'They tend to clarify what they shouldn't do rather than be strict in the training ground and in the stadium.'"

Gaeseong High School scored 17 points (four goals) in five matches from the group stage to the semifinals. He also showed off his overwhelming performance in the final against Incheon United U-18 team, Daegun High School. He finished with a 4-0 victory, taking the lead for most of the time in the first and second half. Choi said, `The system such as formation and play tried to take ours as it is. I think the players showed our performance by adapting quickly to the opponent's style and coping with it", and credited his students with the victory.




 Let's play together. The director who leads the youth restaurant and the growth who sings with his students
◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association
The K-League Youth Championship is a competition in which youth teams under K-League 1 and 2 participate. Unlike general high schools and clubs, it is significant in that it is a place to compete for each team's development system. In particular, the Korean Professional Football Federation has become the most awaited competition for players and parents as it operates the competition in a pro-like system such as TV broadcasting and data provision. Coach Choi also said, `I think the K-League Youth Championship is the biggest competition in the Under-18 tournament. I'm so grateful to win this competition, and I'm proud of our players. "The operation of this competition itself is different for the team and the players. As the atmosphere and environment are different from other competitions, the concentration seems to be greater. I think it leads to a good appearance because the players want to do better and pay attention to preparation." Also "Most of the players who did well in this competition are successful in the profession. Based on the standard of professional success, I think this competition will allow us to evaluate players and gauge their growth", he commented.

Choi, who made his professional debut with Ulsan Hyundai (now Ulsan HD) in 2006 and moved to Jeonbuk Hyundai the following year, played for Busan from 2008 to 2017. After retiring professionally, he began his leadership career when he took over as a coach at Kaesong High School. Except for 2022-2023, when he was appointed as a professional team coach, he has been coaching the youth team and raising dream trees. Director Choi said "It's quite special. It is a team that retired from professional and gave the opportunity as a leader for the first time. I spent most of my time with my children except I went to a professional team for a while. In a way, I've grown up with these players as well,' he said with a smile.

Busan has attracted attention by developing numerous talents in the youth team as much as the club's long tradition. Coach Choi said "Busan is not as full of players as Seoul, Suwon, Jeonbuk and Ulsan. We have a lot of players who are likely to be in the distance at the latest right now. Our club wants to manage and grow such players well. In that sense, I think good players are coming out consistently."






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.