No Country for Young Men; Is FC Anyang too old? | OneFootball

Former Premier League defender Damien Delaney often says that when a player's legs go, they go overnight. And without warning. The root cause is almost exclusively age. Should Anyang be worried, given recent data confirms the Violets have the oldest squad in K League 1?

It probably comes as no surprise that FC Anyang have the oldest squad in K League 1. Korean managers have come under fire on social media for prioritizing experience over youth, but who can blame them? Professional sport is a results-based business. Win matches, the fans are happy, and the board will offer you a new contract. Lose matches, the fans will protest, resulting in your dismal by the board.

The CIES Football Observatory recently published a table showing the average age and number of playing minutes per age group of all K League 1 clubs.

Ryu Byeong-hoon is Anyang's manager. The 49-year-old would probably love to select a team of fearless but inexperienced young talent, swashbuckling their way around the green fields of Korean football. But the reality is very different. Ryu's mandate in February was to keep the club up after a first-ever promotion. After all, his immediate employment prospects depended on his team winning matches and climbing the table.

The best chance to achieve this was largely keeping the squad together from 2024, then adding a sprinkling of depth and experience in key positions. Recruitment in winter was solid. Bruno Mota took his K League 2 golden boot award from Cheonan. The unheralded but ultra-consistent Thomas Oude Kotte arrived from the Netherlands. And Kim Bo-kyung swapped another season toiling in K League 2 for the adventure of a lifetime with Anyang. Ryu will point to the current K League standings to justify his decisions.

The net result is a squad with an average age of 29 years old. Trailing Anyang are ACL Elite challengers Daejeon Hana Citizen with an average age of 28.3 years old. Ulsan, Gwangju, and Jeju make up the top five. Interestingly, the teams competing in Final B comprise 80% of those named. The main outlier is 10th-placed Suwon FC with the youngest squad in K League 1, at an average age of just 24.8. None of the 14 K League 2 clubs match Anyang's average, too.

One could argue that the investment in youth will increase your chances of winning. For established top flight teams like Ulsan HD, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, and Pohang Steelers, there is some merit in that. But Anyang are not playing by the same rules. They haven't had several seasons of top flight football or ACL qualification to bolster their squad with a higher caliber of player.

Another factor to consider is Anyang has a low market value of €7.65 million,according to transfermarkt. Total market value is the aggregated market value of all the players at a club. Two clubs are currently below Anyang - Gwangju FC and Gimcheon Sangmu. Gwangju's value presumably plummeted when Jasir Asani left the club for Iranian football. Sangmu, on the other hand, are the football club of the Korea Armed Forces. They can't purchase players, nor do they have foreigners. Ulsan, below Anyang in the table, are valued at €17.48 million.

Anyang's current value -if more data on transfermarkt is correct - is less than that of two clubs in the second tier, Suwon Samsung and Incheon United. This makes perfect sense when you look at the size of K League 2's big hitters, but as we're about to see throughout this article, it highlights the magnificent job Anyang have done to be in their current position. Chungnam Asan are just €200,000 shy of Anyang's value having invested heavily in a squad that is now struggling.

Like Gwangju, Anyang are a city owned club. Ryu can't dip into the market and hoover up the best under 23s across Korea and Asia. These clubs are run by local city halls. Transfer fees (if there are any) and wages must be justified. Not every resident of Anyang wants to see tax money redirected to pay the wages of an imported striker, a journeyman Korean midfielder, or S&C coaches from around the globe.

The match-day squad.

On Saturday, October 25, Anyang played the first of their five Final B matches in Gwangju. This was the starting 11 Ryu selected for the game.

FC Anyang would go on to lose a tight match, 1-0.

The ages of that lineup.

Goalkeeper: Kim Da-sol 36 years old.

Defender: Lee Chang-yong (c) 35.

Defender: Kwon Gyeong-won 33.

Defender: Lee Tae-hee 33.

Defender: Kim Dong-jin 32.

Midfielder: Thomas Oude Kotte 29.

Midfielder: Kang Ji-hoon 28.

Midfielder: Choe Gyu-hyeon 25.

Midfielder: Chae Hyun-woo 21.

Forward: Matheus Oliveira 28.

Forward: Bruno Mota 29.

A combined age of 329, meaning the average was 29.9 years old. The two youngest players who started against Gwangju were both removed at half-time, and replaced by Lee Min-soo (33) and Choi Sung-beom (23).CIES Football Observatory analyzed all clubs from 53 of the world's top divisions and found that the average age of any starting 11 is 27.2 years old. Different leagues operate under different circumstances, and factors affecting the age are numerous (such as tactical approach). There is no right or wrong way to select your team, but clearly Anyang's team is older than the norm.

In defense, Anyang have plenty of talent in the early-to-mid 30's category. One could argue the majority of the side is just within their peak years. But this varies between positions. As Damien Delaney often notes, the drop-off can come so sudden that players don't treat it seriously at first. This drop-off is often related to speed and response times. Anyang's squad is laden with players who are approaching post-peak territory, although the midfielders are all in what we call the prime years for a footballer; aged between 25 and 29.

Elsewhere in the wider squad, Kim Jung-hyun (32), Kim Bo-kyung (36), Kim Young-chan (32), and Kim Woon (30) have racked up significant minutes this season. From November 10, no-one in the entire squad will be 20 and younger.

What doprime years mean anyway? It is important to remember there isn't a one-size fits all explanation. But experts commonly agree on the following:

Here's a comparison with the Gwangju team from the weekend just gone by. Gwangju also lined up with a 4-4-2.

Goalkeeper: 33 (going on 34).

Defense: 23, 24, 23, 32.

Forwards: 33, 32.

Combined 308 years for an average of exactly 28.

Gwangju's match-day 11 is younger than Anyang's but, oddly, has some peculiarities. They started a very young defense, and an older attack. Prime age is just one way of looking at the composition of your squad, after all.

Time on the pitch.

Goalkeeper Kim Da-sol leads the way on 2,694 minutes played. Kim is getting better with age, enjoying a truly fantastic season in the top flight, and rapidly becoming a legend in the city. Just behind the well-traveled keeper is Thomas Oude Kotte on 2,659, captain Lee Chang-yong 2,642, Lee Tae-hee 2,475, Bruno Mota 2,249, and finally Matheus Oliveira 2,188.

Chae Hyeon-woo takes on Daegu FC.

21-year-old Chae Hyeon-woo is 11th on list, but he's joint-2nd for most squad appearances in 2025. Youth isn't being completely overlooked. Moon Seong-woo has featured in 16 matches, aged 22., although Choe Gyu-hyeon, meanwhile, is the only player in the vital 24-27 category with over 600 minutes to his name this season. The rest of the game time is effectively shared by the playing staff over 28.

But what makes this even more fascinating in examining the amount of minutes the Anyang squad has accumulated in K League 1 versus K League 2. And if any critics of Ryu still exist, these prove the immense job the manager and his backroom staff have done of turning this squad into a K League 1 force. Take Bruno Mota. The Brazilian striker began his Korean career playing K3 football for Cheonan City, before two impressive seasons with Cheonan when they moved to K League 2. At the time of writing, Mota has 13 league goals and made the Team K League lineup for the glamour friendly against Newcastle United.

32-year-old full back Kim Dong-jin is a firm fan favorite, and one player I've always enjoyed watching. Kim bombs up and down the left wing, contributing with four assists in an injury-curtailed season. He accumulated 225 K League 2 appearances before earning promotion. With his 20 matches this season, his K League 1 total is still below 60. Striker Kim Woon, born in 1994, was playing in the National League as recently as 2019. He spent the 2023 season in K4 with Dangjin Citizen. As of today, he has been part of the most number of Anyang match-day squads, and featured 27 times.

Kim Da-sol, aging like a fine wine.

Kim Da-sol is another great story. Before arriving in Anyang, Kim had been part of four Korea Cup winning squads, and even has a K League 1 medal at home. He's worn the jersey of Pohang Steelers, Incheon United, Suwon FC, Suwon Samsung, and Jeonnam Dragons. Prior to the 2025 season opener in Ulsan, Kim had accumulated 39 top flight appearances. The majority of his career to that point had been as an understudy in the first division, or as a starting goalkeeper in K League 2. It is entirely possible the Changwon-born stopper thought his days at the highest level were over.

Never give up. In total, the current Anyang squad comprises 27 players with K League 2 experience, for a grand total of 131,000 minutes, and 1,821 appearances. 31 of the squad have K league 1 experience, but the total number of minutes played is 93,000, or 1,351 total appearances.

In other words, Anyang are doing remarkably well as a city-run club to remain so competitive at the highest level.

What happens next?

Well, Anyang have no reason to apologize to anyone for building a squad with the oldest average in the league, and the coaching ticket also need not apologize for picking the oldest starting eleven on a weekly basis, even if online detractors bemoan the lack of investment in youth. If the club can prolong their stay in the first division, that status will help them attract a better quality of player, both domestically and internationally. Then, they can address some of those issues.

[READ: "I don't want to just survive in K League 1. I want to be playing at the top of the table."]

The bigger concern, however, is the gradual squad regeneration that is needed to keep the team competitive. There are no obvious candidates within the squad to replace some of their aging stars. Anyang will have to dip into the market. Acquiring a new goalkeeper to learn from - but not displace just yet - Kim Da-sol should be looked at. Two new full backs would also be high on the agenda. Anyang like to advance their fullbacks high up the field in offensive situations. Whilst senior players can perform this role, planning the near future would be beneficial.

Kim Dong-jin is one of K League's most underappreciated players.

Midfield is another area that needs some attention. Kim Bo-kyung has the legs for another season, but Kim Jung-hyun will attract attention from some of the more established teams in the division. Anyang will presumably brace themselves for offers for Thomas and Oliveira. Up top, Kim Woon's rags-to-riches story is worthy of a short documentary, but there's no doubt Kim has struggled at this level.

Over the winter, we'll compile a list of potential targets, but Anyang will likely have a spreadsheet with hundreds of names on it already. Keeping hold of their foreign players will be crucial, as is adding a bit of depth to their attack and defense. Anyang have cobbled together a very good squad with experience, former Korean internationals, and one of the best foreign rosters in the league. From a journalist point of view, their matches this season - especially at home - have been tremendous fun. The atmosphere is electric and the club is very helpful with interview requests.