Soccer is not a sport that is played every day. Each team in the K League 1 plays 38 regular league games per season. 18 to 20 matches will be held at home depending on the split process. FC Seoul has changed the landscape of Korean professional sports. It became the first K-League team to surpass 500,000 spectators in a single season since the tally of paid spectators in 2018. It opened the door to the public at its last home game. On Thursday, its opponent was Ulsan HD, which won the K-League 1 title for three consecutive years. The cumulative total of spectatorship at 18 home games reached 501,091. The average number of spectators per game is 27,838. Although direct comparison is impossible due to the size of stadiums, the average attendance of LG, the most popular pro baseball team, is 19,144 (1,397,499; 73 games). Seoul has opened a new chapter with an unprecedented record among pro sports teams.
Professional baseball players without fans have no value for existence. People are more important than performance. This is why Seoul’s moves are all the more eye-catching. Seoul surpassed 400,000 spectators (430,29) for the first time in the last season. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Seoul’s return to Seoul. Seoul has set a new milestone by attracting 400,000 spectators for the second consecutive year, as well as 500,000 spectators for the first time. Seoul has attracted 50,000 spectators twice this season. 51,670 people gathered at the home opening match against Incheon United on March 10, and 52,600 people visited Sangambeol this season against Ulsan on May 4. Seoul has swept the ranks of spectators from first to eighth.
Jesse Lingard, a former member of the U.K. and the English national team, has enjoyed immense benefits. Ahead of the upcoming season, Seoul has transfused Lingard, who is considered one of the best foreigners in the history of the K-League. The Lingard effect has also been demonstrated numerically. “A whopping 77 percent of the spectators who visited for the first time to watch the home game said they would like to see Lingard play. As many as 90 percent of the respondents saw the opening match against Incheon.” With the entry of spectators who did not normally enjoy the K-League, the trend has not only expanded their fandom but also sparked an era of 500,000 spectators.
With the influx of overseas soccer fans represented by those in their 20s and 30s (25-34) years old, the number of fans revisiting has also increased. Seoul explained that the ratio of those aged 25-34 years old to attend the event was about 33 percent of the total number of visitors. Also, the rate of revisiting increased by about 12 percent, establishing a virtuous cycle.
The team’s sweat also shone. The team carried out various activities to enhance the convenience of spectators. It has built a “field navigation system,” which used to be the most uncomfortable factor for first-time visitors. It also drastically improved the food industry, reducing the rate of unfavorable responses by using F&B in stadiums by more than 15 percent. The support and interest of GS Group, the parent company of Seoul, were also supportive. Customized marketing activities have been completed through collaboration with 52g (5pen 2novation GS), an innovative organization of GS Group, for the purpose of establishing and stable operation of the customer data system. A unique customer data system danced in the K-League. 먹튀검증
Seoul, which advanced to the Final A in five years, has only one more game to play. After a two-week A-match break, it will have a final match with Kim Cheon-mu on the road on Sunday. Seoul is currently struggling to advance to the Asian stage. Seoul, which is ranking fourth with 55 points, can increase its chances of advancing to the AFC Champions League only if it maintains its current position.
“Thank you and sorry always coexist with fans,” Seoul coach Kim Ki-dong said. “I was able to come this far thanks to your trust and support. I am not satisfied, but I think that is the driving force behind the result. I am always grateful. I will continue to work hard for the soccer fans want.”