811 players registered for 2018 S. Korean pro football league

Published : Mar 30, 2018 - 11:59 Updated : Mar 30, 2018 - 11:59

A total of 811 players will be eligible to play in South Korea's pro football leagues this year, its operator said Friday.

The K League said that 442 players registered for the top-tier K League 1 and 369 for the second division K League 2 this season. The player registration for the 2018 season ended Thursday. There are 12 clubs in the K League 1 and 10 clubs in the K League 2.

Daegu FC had the most players among K League 1 clubs with 44 players, while military football club Sangju Sangmu only registered 31 players. In the K League 2, Daejeon Citizen FC topped with 58 players, while Seoul E-Land FC had the least number of players at 32.

The players from 12 K League 1 clubs pose for a photo at a media event in Seoul on Feb. 27. (Yonhap)

The K League said 69 players are from overseas -- 41 in the K League 1 and 28 in the K League 2 -- and 12 of them are from Asian Football Confederation member nations.

In the K League, teams are allowed to have three foreigners, in addition to one player from an AFC member country, also known as the "Asian quota."

The K League said 221 players are under the age of 23, up from 175 in 2017. The K League rule states that teams must put two players under 23 on the match roster and at least one of them must start the match. For the K League 2, the age limit is set at 22. (Yonhap)