U-League

The U-League, officially KUSF College Sports U-League (Korean: KUSF 대학스포츠 U-리그), is operated by the Korea University Sports Federation (KUSF), the organization which oversees college sports in South Korea. The KUSF U-League operates in six different sports which students from member institutions participate in.[1]

The U-League's intended purpose is:[1]

  • Guarantee the right to learn and improve performance through the operation of the university sports league
  • Creating a culture of participation by university members and raising awareness of university sports by hosting home and away games on university campuses in a league system

Sports

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  • Baseball — men
  • Basketball — men & women
  • Football — men
  • Ice hockey — men
  • Soft tennis
  • Volleyball — men & women

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Competition format

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The U-League operates in a league format which mirrors the leagues in domestic professional sport. The season follows the academic calendar, starting around February or March and ending in November.

Member institutions

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The following member institutions participate in the U-League. Some institutions may also sponsor other sports which compete in KUSF-sanctioned competitions outside the U-League system, or sponsor a below-mentioned sport but only as an extracurricular club.[2]

Institution Location Type Sports
Baseball Basketball Football Ice hockey Soft tennis Volleyball
Ajou University Suwon Private No No Yes No No No
Busan University of Foreign Studies Busan Private No No Yes No No No
Chodang University Muan County Private No No Yes No No No
Chosun University Gwangju Private No Yes[a] Yes No No Yes[a]
Chung-Ang University Seoul Private Yes Yes[a] Yes No No No
Chungbuk National University Cheongju Public No No No No Yes No
Chungnam National University Daejeon Public No No No No No Yes[a]
Dankook University Seoul Private Yes Yes Yes No No Yes[b]
Dong-a University Busan Private Yes No Yes No No No
Dong-Eui University Busan Private Yes No Yes No No No
Dongguk University Seoul Private Yes Yes[a] Yes No No No
Gangdong University Eumseong County Private No No Yes No No No
Gwangju University Gwangju Private No Yes[b] Yes No No No
Gyeongsang National University Jinju Public No No No No No Yes[a]
Hankyong National University Anseong Public No No No No Yes No
Hanyang University Seoul Private Yes Yes[a] Yes No No Yes[a]
Hongik University Seoul Private Yes No Yes No No Yes[a]
Howon University Gunsan Private Yes No Yes No No No
Incheon National University Incheon Public No No Yes No No No
Inha University Incheon Private Yes No No No Yes Yes[a]
Jeonju University Jeonju Private No No Yes No No No
Keimyung University Daegu Private Yes No No No No No
Konkuk University Seoul Private Yes Yes[a] Yes No No No
Kongju National University Gongju Public No No No No Yes No
Korea University Seoul Private Yes Yes[a] Yes Yes No No
Kunsan National University Gunsan Public No No No No Yes No
Kwangwoon University Seoul Private No No Yes Yes No No
Kyonggi University Suwon Private No No Yes No No Yes[a]
Kyung Hee University Seoul Private Yes Yes[a] Yes Yes No Yes[a]
Mokpo National University Mokpo Public No No No No No Yes[a]
Myongji University Seoul Private No Yes[a] Yes No No Yes[a]
Pai Chai University Daejeon Private No No Yes No No No
Pusan National University Busan Public No Yes[b] No No No No
Sangji University Wonju Private No No Yes No No No
Sangmyung University Seoul Private No Yes[a] No No No No
Sehan University Yeongam County Private Yes No No No No No
Seoul National University Seoul Public Yes No Yes No No No
Soongsil University Seoul Private No No Yes No No No
Sunchon National University Suncheon Public No No No No Yes No
Sun Moon University Asan Private No No Yes No No No
Sungkyunkwan University Seoul Private Yes Yes[a] Yes No No Yes[a]
University of Suwon Hwaseong Private No Yes[b] Yes No No No
University of Ulsan Ulsan Private No Yes[b] Yes No No No
Woosuk University Wanju County Private No No Yes No No Yes[b]
Yeoju Institute of Technology Yeoju Private No No Yes No No No
Yeungnam University Gyeongnam Private Yes No Yes No No No
Yong In University Yongin Private No No Yes No No No
Yonsei University Seoul Private Yes Yes[a] Yes Yes No No
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Only men's team
  2. ^ a b c d e f Only women's team

[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

KUSF Club Championship

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The U-League is considered to be the "elite" competition, with the majority of participating student-athletes turning professional and often appearing for the South Korea national team at international competitions. The KUSF runs a separate tournament for college sports club teams composed of students who wish to play sports but not at the elite level. The KUSF Club Championship is contested in four team sports: baseball, basketball, volleyball and football (soccer).[11]

History

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The KUSF U-League was first established for football in 2008 before being expanded to other sports and becoming the present-day U-League system. It streamlined college competitions into a league/play-off format mirroring professional leagues. The U-League's establishment also meant that member institutions were required to provide academic support for their enrolled student-athletes and shifting admissions policies to include academics, instead of admitting a student based solely on athletic performance while ignoring academic results.[12]

The KUSF U-League system was established during a period of time when there was much criticism over enrolled students (especially middle and high school students) being forced to choose between their studies and athletic pursuits, with students either graduating with bare minimum grades or dropping out altogether.[12] The criticism was particularly directed towards the lack of coordination between their educational institutions and sports administrators, the lack of academic support for student-athletes and the fact that the existing system in place failed to uphold students' "right to learn" or practically prepare student-athletes for life outside of sports.[13]

The abuse of the "student-athlete" status by Choi Soon-sil to benefit her daughter Chung Yoo-ra and Ewha Womans University's involvement shed light on the KUSF. At that time, it became known that the KUSF issued a new rule for its member institutions regarding academic performance, known as the "C⁰ rule" (under Article 25 of the University Sports Regulations). It refers to the rule that athletes cannot participate in the upcoming semester if their GPA for the previous two semesters was below C⁰, which is a 2.0 GPA on a 4.3 or 4.5 scale depending on institution. The KUSF came under criticism for allegedly enacting the rule as a knee-jerk response to the Choi Soon-sil/Chung Yoo-ra controversy, to which the KUSF countered with a statement that the rule had actually been discussed and announced to member institutions from 2012 to 2015 and C⁰ was the agreed minimum grade.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "KUSF University Sports U-League: Introduction" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation.
  2. ^ "회원대학 (Member Institutions)" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation.
  3. ^ "KUSF U-League member institutions — baseball" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation.
  4. ^ "KUSF U-League member institutions — football" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation.
  5. ^ "KUSF U-League member institutions — men's basketball" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation.
  6. ^ "KUSF U-League member institutions — women's basketball" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation.
  7. ^ "KUSF U-League member institutions — men's volleyball" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation.
  8. ^ "KUSF U-League member institutions — women's volleyball" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation.
  9. ^ "KUSF U-League member institutions — soft tennis" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation.
  10. ^ "KUSF U-League member institutions — ice hockey" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation.
  11. ^ "KUSF 클럽챔피언십" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation.
  12. ^ a b "대학스포츠의 오늘을 향해 온 발자취, 내일을 향한 발걸음" (in Korean). Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. December 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "공부 못 하는 학생선수 전국대회 못나간다". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). May 3, 2010.
  14. ^ "[NEWS] 제대로 알자, C⁰룰" (in Korean). Korea University Sports Federation. October 30, 2017.
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