One of Kaya FC-Iloilo’s new signings for the ongoing campaign, Park Yiyoung arrives in the Philippines after gaining plenty of experience playing against some of the top clubs in Germany.
Born in Seoul, the defender took the brave decision to move to the Philippines aged 18 back in 2013 and the Southeast Asian nation has become his home away from home in the truest sense.
“Everything was new for me. The first impression was that it's hot and humid. It was my first time playing abroad, so it was unfamiliar and difficult in terms of food, culture and language.
“To be honest, football is football, but I believed that the first priority was to quickly learn about the Filipino culture and language (English),” said Park in an exclusive chat with ASEAN United FC.
A year later, Park went on to feature in the United Football League, the then-top division of club football in the Philippines for Team Socceroo FC.
He eventually went on to score two goals against future employers Kaya FC-Iloilo in his final appearance of the season and his tenacity meant that greater things would soon follow.
Park was soon on the flight to Europe in Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg where he put pen to paper on a deal for 2. Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli and after an initial couple of years honing his skills in the lower tiers, he finally got his big chance in 2017.
“I still vividly remember my debut opponent: Stuttgart, who were at the top of the league table at that time. To be able to play against such teams was very interesting and a valuable experience for me. Playing against high-level teams and individual players every weekend has been a great blessing in my football career,” recalled the Korean native.
It was a baptism of fire with Park playing the full 90 minutes at centre-back with St. Pauli narrowly losing the game 1-0 to Stuttgart, who went on to win the league and earn promotion to the Bundesliga and even finished above Bayern Munich in second spot in the recently concluded season.
“It was my dream to play in a packed stadium every week at a high level, but I must mention that as a foreigner, I always had to fight to survive. I learned a lot about football.
“Especially important are tactical understanding, organisation, analysis, duels, and respect for football. I learned a lot about the strengths of German football and was able to grow as a footballer and a person,” acknowledged Park on the importance of German football philosophy in his career.
Fast forward six years and St. Pauli have earned promotion to the Bundesliga after 13 years away while Park is back in his happy ‘home’ in the Philippines after signing for the champions Kaya FC-Iloilo.
Before last season, Kaya had notably reached the Round of 16 in the AFC Cup in 2016, had won two Copa Paulino Alcantara titles and was only one of two Filipino clubs to have played in the AFC Champions League.
Kaya, who are named after legendary musician Bob Marley’s 1978 studio album, ushered in a new era in Philippines club football when they completed the domestic double in 2023 including their maiden Philippines Football League title.
“I felt like I needed something new in my football journey. Kaya is the most stable club in the Philippines, the defending league champion and cup winner, and is a team participating in continental competitions.
“After a meeting with club president Paul (Tolentino) and head coach Yu (Hoshide), we were able to make a quick decision. I was confident that I could help the team, and above all, it was not a difficult decision because Kaya’s target was to protect the league title, so the club and I had the same goal. I felt at ease returning to the Philippines,” admitted Park.
The ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ is another competition Kaya will be eyeing as the club is once again ready to fly the Philippines flag on the international stage.
The tournament is set to feature clubs from six different nations in the group stage with teams from a further four more ASEAN countries to kick off the Qualifying Round Play-offs on July 17.
“The Shopee Cup seems to be a competition that can provide fun to many passionate Southeast Asian football fans. It's not easy to see the top teams from each country competing like this. On a larger scale, it will be helpful for the development of football in Southeast Asia and throughout Asia.
“It's a great international experience for the players as well. The football style and the top level of each league can be showcased on the Shopee Cup stage. And exchanges between clubs from each country are likely to become more active.”
Park has featured in all but one match since returning with Kaya FC-Iloilo in fantastic form in the league, sitting top of the table with an unbeaten record and will now aim to replicate that form in the Shopee Cup.
The Filipino champions are placed in Group B where they will take on Thailand’s Buriram United, Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur City, Cong An Ha Noi FC from Vietnam, Indonesia’s Borneo FC Samarinda and Singapore’s Lion City Sailors.
Meanwhile, Group A will feature BG Pathum United of Thailand, Malaysia’s Terengganu FC and Vietnam’s Dong A Thanh Hoa FC. They will be joined by two winners of the qualifying round play-offs, Young Elephants FC of Laos versus Cambodia’s Svay Rieng FC and Kasuka FC of Brunei DS versus Myanmar’s Shan United FC.
“We’re all excited to play in the Shopee Cup and face these teams. Personally, I am happy to play against strong teams. I’m familiar with Buriram, having seen them frequently, especially in the AFC Champions League. I’ve also heard good things about KL City, Cong An Hanoi, Borneo FC and Lion City Sailors.
“These are clubs where some Korean players have played before, and it’s exciting to play against these top teams. I’m looking forward to learning more about the other teams and challenging them on the field. We will focus on our own style of football and our goal is to demonstrate our performance and capability in the Shopee Cup.”
Philippines football is currently going through a period of transformation after the national team reached the AFF Championship semi-finals in 2018 and qualified for their first-ever AFC Asian Cup in 2019 while Park was away in Germany.
The 30-year-old, who recently visited the Kaya FC Academy and had a training session with the club's Under-13 team, is already noticing major changes since when he first landed there more than a decade ago, and the Shopee Cup could well be the stage for the beginning of another successful new era in Filipino football.
“There are more good local young players now. While 10 years ago, there was more focus on foreign players, now it seems that there are more local young players coming to the professional stage after receiving better coaching from their school teams.
“And while there's still work to be done, the progress so far has been remarkable for the development of Philippines football,” the Kaya defender signed off.
Photos: Kaya FC-Iloilo
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