Wolves Academy will represent the club in South Korea at the start of next month, with an under-17s group set to compete in the K League’s inaugural International Youth Cup.
It marks the academy’s second visit to Asia in the last four months and the club’s first ever trip to South Korean soil in its 146-year history.
Following on from May’s under-19 success in the Premier League’s Next Generation Cup in India, Wolves’ youngsters are once again preparing for a significant milestone and an exciting opportunity, as the club continues to expand its global reach and engagement with fans in a new market.
Led by under-18s head coach Richard Walker, Wolves are one of 12 clubs in the K League competition – a first of its kind hosted by South Korea’s professional football league to commemorate their 40th anniversary.
The city of Incheon will stage all 36 tournament fixtures at four different venues, including Incheon Munhak Stadium, which hosted matches at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
FC Seoul, Suwon Samsung, Jeonbuk Hyundai, Pohang Steelers, Incheon United and Bupyeong Highschool are among six Korean teams participating, while Wolves are one of four European clubs alongside RSC Anderlecht, Real Sociedad and Valencia CF. Tokyo Verdy (Japan) and Chonburi FC (Thailand) are two clubs representing the rest of Asia.
The youngsters in Old Gold will play five group stage matches in six days before each team from the two groups of six go head-to-head in a play-off fixture on the last day of the competition to determine the final standings.
Fixtures will be broadcast live on the K League Youth YouTube channel, with kick-off times scheduled for 5.00pm (9.00am UK time) and 7.30pm (11.30am UK time) local time.
Wolves’ full schedule of Group B fixtures:
03/09/23 | 5.00pm local time | Real Sociedad vs Wolves | Incheon Asiad Main Stadium
04/09/23 | 5.00pm local time | Wolves vs FC Seoul | Incheon Namdong Stadium
05/09/23 | 7.30pm local time | Wolves vs Suwon Samsung | Incheon Munhak Stadium
07/09/23 | 5.00pm local time | Wolves vs Tokyo Verdy | Incheon Namdong Stadium
08/09/23 | 7.30pm local time | Bupyeong Highschool vs Wolves | Incheon Munhak Stadium
Russell Jones, Wolves’ general manager of marketing and commercial growth, said: “We’re delighted to confirm our participation in this tournament, which will ensure there is still Wolves presence on South Korean soil this summer.
“We were all hugely disappointed not to be able to visit back in July with the first-team unfortunately having to withdraw from their pre-season tour, but we have been provided with another fantastic opportunity for our young players to compete in Asia and experience one of our key markets.
“It is vital for us to make up for lost time as a result of July’s withdrawal and we are immensely looking forward to engaging with the South Korean culture, incredible people and our ever-growing supporter base over there.
“One of our first-year scholars, Minkyu Ji, is South Korean and will be travelling out for the tournament. He is excited by the prospect of welcoming his teammates into his country and we hope his influence, on and off the field, can spike further interest and engagement throughout the duration of our stay in Incheon.”
Academy manager for football, Jon Hunter-Barrett, said: “This is another once in a lifetime opportunity for our players, coaches and support staff to experience a different country and culture.
“We are thrilled and really excited to be able to take one of our groups to Asia for the second time in recent months. For us to have the opportunity to go to Mumbai in May was a no brainer and it proved an extremely successful and memorable trip, but to be able to do similar in South Korea really does highlight the outstanding opportunities available at Wolves.
“I have no doubt that our players and staff will fully embrace their time both on the football pitch, but also away from the pitch when they are able to sample the Korean culture. Across all ages in the academy, we are consistently seeing the benefits of overseas travel and the progress our individuals are making as people – we see this tour no different, but it provides an even bigger opportunity for us to represent the Wolves brand and its values in the best possible way.
“I look forward to following the progress of the group throughout the tournament as they come up against a variety of opposition, both Asian and European, and wish them well in what will be an action-packed but unforgettable time away.”
