Give up the advantage of the Seoul metropolitan area and head to Busan? OK Savings Bank's extraordinary choice, will it be the first step to break down the regional imbalance → pioneering the blue ocean
Give up the advantage of the Seoul metropolitan area and head to Busan? OK Savings Bank's extraordinary choice, will it be the first step to break down the regional imbalance → pioneering the blue ocean
Blog Article
The men's volleyball OK Savings Bank is about to relocate. It has been 12 years since its foundation in 2013. Busan is already preparing for a "party."
He is heading to Busan after leaving Ansan, the capital city. It is a rare case in the Korean professional sports community, where people are shouting "to Seoul, to the metropolitan area."메이저사이트
OK Savings Bank will propose a plan to relocate its headquarters to Busan at the working committee of the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) on the 12th. If it is finally passed at the board meeting scheduled for the 24th, the relocation of the headquarters will be confirmed. On March 15, the Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance match will be the farewell match of OK Savings Bank in Ansan.
It will start from the upcoming 2025-2026 season. It is now time for the communion between Busan City and OK Savings Bank to bear fruit, which has been shared for a long time by both sides over the possibility of relocating their hometowns.
An official from OK Savings Bank said, "I wanted to make a case of leaving without blushing. There was no conflict with Ansan City at all. Since its inception, the bank has received good treatment in various ways, including using a gym. We also took the lead in sharing the sorrows of local residents during the Ferry Sewol crisis. We also have two wins and are full of special memories."
He then explained, "It is the result of the volleyball community, Busan City, and us confirming each other's will and forming a consensus on the cause of expanding the base of volleyball and resolving regional imbalances."
Nine of the 14 professional volleyball clubs are concentrated in Seoul and the metropolitan area. Men's volleyball is especially serious.
In the case of women's volleyball, there are two local clubs: Pepper Savings Bank (Gwangju) and Korea Expressway Corporation (Gumi, Gyeongbuk). On the other hand, if Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance in Chungcheong Province and Jeong Kwan-jang (Daejeon) and Hyundai Capital (Cheonan) are considered "general metropolitan areas," men's volleyball has been concentrated in the metropolitan area since KB Insurance moved from Gumi, Gyeongbuk to Uijeongbu in 2017.
It is clear why this structure is not broken despite repeated criticism. It has advantages in mobilizing spectators, including away team fans, as well as other activities such as practice games and joint training. Players also want a metropolitan team rather than a provincial team, which is advantageous for recruiting FA.
OK Savings Bank, however, is determined to leave the metropolitan area with a cause that cannot be resisted. Volleyball circles including the federation welcome the move.
From the perspective of OK Savings Bank, Ansan was in the periphery of professional volleyball except for Simone's heyday (2014-2015, 2015-2016). With the spirit of the youngest men's volleyball team, he seems to be expanding his horizons and pioneering the blue ocean.
In reality, it is difficult to expect a business synergy effect with the parent company. Busan is an area where OK Savings Bank does not have goodwill.
However, it is expected to quench the thirst of local fans who have been alienated from professional volleyball for a long time and find a potential fan base. In the end, there is supply where there is demand. Busan is not only guaranteed enthusiasm and population to enjoy sports, but also can expect the gathering effect of non-metropolitan fandom living far from the metropolitan area.
OK Savings Bank saw ample potential in Busan's volleyball infrastructure and its hidden enthusiasm. There are a total of 13 sports teams, including four high school teams (Sungji High School, Sungji High School, Gyeongnam Girls' High School). According to OK Savings Bank, more than 200 volleyball clubs registered with the Korea Sports Association are active, which is a quarter of the total. Local volleyball fans are already excited about OK Savings Bank's move to their hometowns.
There is also enough infrastructure to play professional volleyball. Currently, the use of Gangseo Gymnasium is likely, but other candidates are widely discussed.
If OK Savings Bank moves to Busan, Busan will have all four major professional sports teams, including baseball (Lotte Giants), soccer (Busan I'Park), basketball (Busan KCC Egis, BNK Sum), and volleyball. Except for Busan, only Seoul, Incheon and Suwon have all four major sports teams.
Of course, there are a lot of hardships to be experienced in the future, such as the departure of existing fandom, fatigue of the squad due to long travel distances, and lack of media coverage. There are also critical views within the group, such as "the struggle of self-claiming as a writer" and "Why should we go down a hard road?"
However, OK Financial Group Chairman Choi Yoon is an entrepreneur who pays much attention to the development of Korean sports, including serving as deputy head of the Korean team at the Hangzhou Asian Games and serving as the head of the Rugby Association. He explained that his desire to help develop professional volleyball led to his unexpected decision to leave the capital.
It is also in line with OK Savings Bank's announcement of a new start by appointing a new head coach Shin Young-chul and recruiting a veteran Jeon Kwang-in ahead of the new season.
Although it is difficult to set up a clubhouse in Busan right now, OK Savings Bank has made it clear that it will seek to secure local infrastructure from a mid- to long-term perspective after consultation with local governments.