The Beginning
Suwon Samsung Bluewings FC was founded in 1995. And since then The Blue-White-Red Corps have become one of the best Korean teams.
Kim Ho, who is a former manager of South Korea, was the first head coach of the team in their very first season in The K-League. He helped Suwon Bluewings finish as runners-up in the championship playoff in 1996.
The Stadium
The club can also be proud with its stadium, because Suwon Stadium was used during The World Cup 2002. It’s called ‘The Big Bird Stadium’. The capacity of the facility is 43 288. About 41 000 people on average are visiting every single home game of Suwon Samsung Bluewings!
The Emblem
Suwon Samsung Bluewings’ emblem is made of three colours – blue, white and red, which are the main in the team’s kits. The Suwon Castle is included in the emblem, which is a symbol of the cultural treasures of the city. The wings above the castle are the symbol of the energy and the strive for glory in the future.
The Mascot
The Mascot of Suwon Samsung Bluewings is Aguileon, who is a Griffon (legendary animal from the Greek mythology). The meaning of Aguileon is Eagle-Lion. The mascot is the symbol of the harmony and friendship between the team members and the fans.
The Trophies
The club’s real domination in the league started in 1998 when they won The K-League. Suwon Samsung Bluewings retained the title in the next season. Suwon are also successful at international level. They won the Asian Club Championship twice in two consecutive seasons (2001 and 2002). They also lifted the Asian Super Cup trophy on two occasions.
But maybe the best season for The Blue-White-Red Corps was 1999 when they achieved a ‘treble’ – winning the K-League Championship again, the League Cup and The Super Cup. Suwon Samsung Bluewings also showed great performance in the Asian Champions League, finishing in 4th position.
Other major trophies, won by Suwon Samsung Bluewings, are The Korean FA Cup (3) and The Korean Super Cup (3).
In 2009, the club won the prestigious Pan-Pacific Championship. They won the semi-final against the Chinese side Shandong Luneng 1-0. Cho scored the only goal in the 81st minute. Then, Suwon Bluewings won on penalties against Los Angeles Galaxy (1-1 in the regular time) in the final match.
Suwon Samsung Bluebirds are synonymous with success. Since 1998, they have won 22 trophies in total. So, the club is an example to follow for all the teams in the world. The last time The Blue-White-Red Corps won a trophy was in 2010, but they became runners-up in The K-League in seasons 2014 and 2015. And 2016 looks like the right season for getting back to the old glory!
The Records
The total record of the team in its 21-year history is very impressive. The Blue-White-Red Corps have won 305 of 653 games and have lost 177 matches.
They won their first league victory on 30th March 1996 against Ulsan 2-1. The first ever goal was scored in the same game by Park Kun-Ha. They managed to achieve their 100th, 200th and 300th win in the shortest period ever (16 years). That’s why Suwon are a model for rapidly developing football club.
The Yugoslavian Sasa Drakulic scored 23 goals in the K-League in 1999, which is the biggest number of goals scored by Suwon’s player in the league for a season.
Seo Jung-Won is the top goal-scorer in the club’s history. The former South Korea international forward has scored 46 goals in 185 matches for The Bluewings. He is currently the manager of Suwon!