Team Spotlight: Freedom Football Club

Freedom FC was founded in early 2023 in Dongducheon, a city once known for its U.S. military base but now home to many African immigrants. The team began when Park Hyewon, director of the Gyeonggi Northern Migrant Center, realized that the community lacked both organized recreation and a sense of belonging. Together with activist Lee Kyungryul, electrician Sung Yongjae, and a group of African residents—mostly Nigerians, Liberians, and Ghanaians—they formed a Sunday morning team named Freedom FC after their church, Free Church.

For many of the players, this was their first chance in years to play on a real field with goalposts and boundary lines. They rented a futsal court when stadiums were booked, saving every won to buy uniforms and balls. The players balance factory jobs, visa uncertainties, and language barriers, yet show up faithfully at dawn every Sunday. Their first official match, held at Dongyang University’s artificial turf field, ended in a 4–0 victory. Their joy was more than about winning; it was the proof that even in a foreign country that often views them as outsiders, they had built something of their own.