View source for Cha Yun-hee

{{Short description|South Korean footballer (born 1986)}}
{{family name hatnote|Cha||lang=Korean}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Cha Yun-hee
| image = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1986|2|26|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[South Korea]]
| height = {{height|m=1.67}}
| currentclub = 
| clubnumber = 
| position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| youthyears1 = 2001-2003
| youthclubs1 = Gwangyang Girls' High School
| years1 = 2006–2017
| clubs1 = [[Goyang Daekyo Noonnoppi WFC|Goyang Daekyo Noonnoppi]]
| caps1 = 19
| goals1 = 10<!-- WK-LEAGUE STATS ONLY -->
| years2 = 2009–2010
| clubs2 = → [[SC 07 Bad Neuenahr]] (''loan'')
| caps2 = 19
| goals2 = 1
| years3 = 2017
| clubs3 = [[Gyeongju Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power WFC|Gyeongju KHNP]]
| caps3 = 
| goals3 = 
| nationalyears1 = 2004–2006
| nationalteam1 = [[South Korea women's national under-20 football team|South Korea U20]]
| nationalcaps1 = 13
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| nationalyears2 = 2004–2013
| nationalteam2 = [[South Korea women's national football team|South Korea]]
| nationalcaps2 = 63
| nationalgoals2 = 13
| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport   | [[Women's association football|Women's football]]}}
{{MedalCountry | {{KOR}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Asian Games]]}}
{{MedalBronze  | [[2010 Asian Games|2010 Guangzhou]] | [[Football at the 2010 Asian Games|Team]]}}
| pcupdate = 27 June 2011
| ntupdate = 24 July 2013
| manageryears1 = 2020-
| managerclubs1 = [[Gangwon FC|Gangwon FC Youth]]
| youthyears2 = 2004-2005
| youthclubs2 = [[Yeojoo Institute of Technology]]
}}
{{Infobox Korean name
| hangul  = 차연희
| hanja   = 
| rr      = Cha Yeonhui
| mr      = Ch'a Yŏnhŭi
}}

'''Cha Yun-hee''' ({{ko-hhrm|hangul=차연희}}, {{IPA|ko|tɕʰa.jʌn.çi}}; born 26 February 1986) is a [[South Korea]]n former [[football (soccer)|footballer]] and manager and coach who last played for [[Gyeongju Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power WFC|Gyeongju KHNP]] in the [[WK League]].<ref name="2018_interview"/>

== Early life ==
Born into a farming family in [[Haenam County]], as a child Cha was a talented [[track and field]] athlete, but she was forced to take a break from the sport as a middle school student due to injury.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=Eun-jung |date=8 August 2005 |title=한국여자축구 대들보 차연희씨 만나 |trans-title=Meet Cha Yun-hee, a pillar of Korean women's football |url=https://www.jsnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=58191 |access-date=27 March 2025 |website=Jangseong News |language=ko}}</ref> However, a coach noticed her potential when she took part in a friendly football match, and she started playing football seriously while attending Gwangyang Girls' High School.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=18 August 2003 |title=축구 꿈나무 차연희 양 국가대표 선수단 훈련에 합류 |trans-title=Hopeful young footballer Cha Yun-hee joins national team for training |url=https://www.jsnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=58044 |access-date=27 March 2025 |website=Jangseong News |language=ko}}</ref>

== Club career ==
In April 2009, she was loaned to [[SC 07 Bad Neuenahr]] for one year and two months, becoming the first female Korean footballer to play in Europe.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.naver.com/main/read.nhn?mode=LSD&mid=sec&sid1=001&oid=028&aid=0001991804& |script-title=ko:여자 축구 첫 유럽행 |publisher=[[Naver]] |date=2009-04-22 |language=Korean}}</ref> She wanted to stay in Germany longer but her parent club [[Icheon Daekyo WFC|Goyang Daekyo]] was struggling and recalled her to boost their performance.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Ee-jin |date=9 September 2022 |title=女축구 유럽땅 '외로운 개척자' 차연희 "축구, 남녀 모두의 것" |trans-title=Cha Yun-hee, the 'lonely pioneer' of women's football in Europe: "Football is for women, for me, for everyone" |url=https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20220908194100007 |access-date=27 March 2025 |website=[[Yonhap News Agency]] |language=ko}}</ref> After Daekyo's disbandment in 2017, Cha was part of the first squad of [[Gyeongju Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power WFC|Gyeongju KHNP WFC]] following its foundation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hong |first=Jun-seok |date=28 March 2017 |title=경주한수원 여자축구단 창단식 개최 |trans-title=Gyeongju KHNP WFC holds foundation ceremony |url=http://m.srbsm.co.kr/view.php?idx=26391 |access-date=27 March 2025 |website=srbsm.co.kr |language=ko}}</ref> She retired from football at the end of the 2017 season.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

== International career ==
Cha first trained with the national team in 2003 and was said to be in consideration for South Korea's squad for the [[2003 FIFA Women's World Cup]], despite only having played football for three years.<ref name=":1" /> She eventually made her debut for the team the following year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 April 2004 |title=여자축구대표-박은정,차연희, '첫 골 쏜다' |trans-title=Women's national football team: Park Eun-jung, Cha Yun-hee 'The first goal is ours' |url=https://news.kbs.co.kr/news/pc/view/view.do?ncd=1070790 |access-date=27 March 2025 |website=[[Korean Broadcasting System]] |language=ko}}</ref> Cha was part of the South Korean team that won the [[2005 EAFF Women's Football Championship]].<ref name=":0" />

== Managerial career ==
After retiring as a player, Cha took a year away from football and trained as a barista, but returned to the sport as a youth coach after being encouraged by a friend.<ref name=":2" /> At first, she volunteered at a local youth futsal team in Icheon, before joining [[Gangwon FC]] as manager of the youth academy and women's futsal team.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kwon |first=Jae-min |date=2 October 2022 |title='여자축구 유럽파 1호' 차연희 강원 감독, "여자축구 저변확대 지속기원" |trans-title=First women's footballer in Europe, Manager Cha Yun-hee: "I hope to keep expanding the scope of women's football" |url=https://sports.news.nate.com/view/20221002n09759 |access-date=27 March 2025 |website=Sports Dong-a |language=ko |via=Nate Sports}}</ref>

== Honors ==
===Club===
;Icheon Daekyo
* [[WK League]]: [[2011 WK-League|2011]],<ref name="2018_interview">{{cite web|url=https://post.naver.com/viewer/postView.nhn?volumeNo=12864281&memberNo=17035333&vType=VERTICAL|publisher=Korea Football Association (KFA)|date=8 February 2018|accessdate=31 August 2018|script-title=ko:[은퇴 3인 인터뷰] ③ 차연희 "아쉬움도 고마워, 미안해"|language=Korean}}</ref> [[2012 WK-League|2012]]<ref name="2018_interview"/>

=== International ===
* [[EAFF E-1 Football Championship (women)|EAFF Women's Football Championship]]: [[2005 EAFF Women's Football Championship|2005]]
* [[Asian Games]] Bronze medal: [[Football at the 2010 Asian Games|2010]]

===Individual===
* [[WK League]] MVP: [[2011 WK-League|2011]], [[2012 WK-League|2012]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kfa.or.kr/archive/league.php?act=wk_league&div=d2tfbGVhZ3Vl|publisher=Korea Football Association (KFA)|date=|language=Korean|accessdate=31 August 2018|title=WK 리그}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110719081918/http://www.sc07badneuenahr.de/pages/de/bundesliga/kader.php?playerID=168 SC 07 Bad Neuenahr Official website profile] {{in lang|de}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110722141126/http://www.kfa.or.kr/koreateam/km_player_content.asp?k_unique=&k_team_type=10&p_unique=200752161358&p_gbn=P&l_gbn=A National Team Player Record] {{in lang|ko}}
*{{cyworld|56301391}}

{{Navboxes
|title=South Korea squads
|bg=#C21E2B
|fg=#FFFFFF
|bordercolor=#2E20BF
|list1=
{{South Korea squad 2006 AFC Women's Asian Cup}}
{{South Korea squad 2008 AFC Women's Asian Cup}}
{{South Korea squad 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cha, Yun-hee}}
[[Category:1986 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:South Korean women's footballers]]
[[Category:South Korea women's international footballers]]
[[Category:SC 07 Bad Neuenahr players]]
[[Category:Frauen-Bundesliga players]]
[[Category:WK League players]]
[[Category:Expatriate women's footballers in Germany]]
[[Category:South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Germany]]
[[Category:Footballers at the 2010 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Asian Games bronze medalists for South Korea]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Women's association football forwards]]
[[Category:South Korea women's under-20 international footballers]]
[[Category:South Korean expatriate women's footballers]]
[[Category:21st-century South Korean sportswomen]]
[[Category:Asian Games bronze medalists in football]]