"The president who understands soccer best, I hope he will lead to improvement of infrastructure and strengthening of self-reliance." One voice in the soccer community
"The president who understands soccer best, I hope he will lead to improvement of infrastructure and strengthening of self-reliance." One voice in the soccer community
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The soccer community has expectations for the first-ever professional soccer K-League "a former owner" president.
President Lee Jae-myung, who was inaugurated as the 21st president, played a key role in converting Seongnam Ilhwa, a professional soccer team based in Seongnam, into Seongnam FC, a civic club in 2013, when he was the mayor of Seongnam. He was reborn as the first owner of Seongnam, a civic club. Since then, Seongnam has contributed to enjoying its second heyday as a civic club through dense regional marketing and extensive support. In the 2014 season, Seongnam openly criticized the K-League, saying it suffered "damage to the judgment." Seongnam Club House, which was completed in 2021, was promoted by President Lee while he was the owner of Seongnam.
As much as he has experienced soccer, attention from the soccer community is also focused on Lee. The K-League is now in its spring season. It has attracted more than 3 million spectators for two consecutive years. The national soccer team is the most popular in all sports in Korea. However, the infrastructure remains the same. One can only select a new stadium that has been built since the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan. The World Cup Stadium has been deteriorating for 20 years and is exposing various problems.
The majority of soccer members hoped to improve facility infrastructure with the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration. "Several soccer facilities including the World Cup Stadium have deteriorated. The Middle Eastern country, which is already banking on its oil money, is attracting global attention with its outstanding soccer infrastructure," an official said. "I hope the new government will help improve infrastructure. Facilities are an important factor not only for clubs but also for spectators. If more spectators visit soccer fields, it will help vitalize the economy."
Another official said, "As you have experience as a team owner in the K-League, I think you will understand soccer the best among the previous presidents," adding, "If the infrastructure is further expanded through the government's interest, soccer will become a 'leisure' in the lives of the people."
It also mentioned the institutional support to strengthen "self-reliance." "Most teams have difficulty using stadiums. This is where the "landscape" issue also comes from. The management of the facilities cannot be managed by the team. It will be much easier if the team gets the right to operate the stadiums for a long time," a source said. "We need legal and institutional support to strengthen our self-reliance. We hope the government and the private sector will deliberate and carry out various tasks to industrialize professional sports, including consignment operation of the team's home stadium and revitalization of sports betting."
Shortly after the inauguration of the new administration, Kwon Oh-gap, president of the Korea Professional Football Association, said, "The K-League has surpassed 3 million paid spectators for two consecutive years and is loved by many people. We will continue to do our best to give hope and pleasure to the people, expand the soccer base, and raise our status on the overseas stage," adding, "We hope that the government will consider various policies such as improving stadium facilities, renting long-term clubs, 안전놀이터 and advancing the youth development system. In addition, we will look forward to seeing you often at the stadium on the weekend when professional sports games are held."