Caption: Spectators watch the match at the Ulsan Munsoo Football Stadium, where the opening match of the K League 1 2023 was held on May 25
Photo credit: Korea Football Association
This season, the K-League, Korea’s top football league, has drawn a record number of spectators. The 2023 K-League season exceeded all previous records with an average of 11,039 spectators per game. This is a notable 38% rise over the pre-pandemic attendance figures for 2019 and even outperforms the KBO League, South Korea's most adored baseball league.
The season's first eight rounds had seen an average of 11,305 spectators per game. This represents a tremendous 41.1% increase over the previous season, which set the previous milestone for an average attendance of 8,013 fans ever since the league started keeping track of ticketed spectators.
Despite the fact that only 20% of the season's games have been played to date, this year's match attendance has already surpassed last year's total by 48%. This impressive increase isa far cry from the K-League's earlier reputation as a "pet sport" for powerful politicians and corporations, or as a league supported by taxes.
This new, offensive strategy was best demonstrated by Daejeon Hana Citizen's recent 2-1 triumph over Ulsan Hyundai, the league's dominant squad with a six-game winning streak. Even in the final five seconds of stoppage time, Daejeon persisted in trying to score another goal and kept up their defensive posture.
Active marketing has also made an impact on boosting soccer's popularity. Earlier, Seoul hosted South Korea's most popular singer, Lim Young-woong, and filled all 45,007 seats.
The K-League has developed a positive feedback loop among its players, clubs, and supporters that has cultivated a cooperative environment. The league has supported their players and clubs by attending games in person, while players and clubs provide them with enjoyable matches in return. There are no immediate signs that this burgeoning passion for the K-League will wane.
The K-League's 2023 campaign will serve as evidence of how far the league has come in recent years. The K-League is securing its position as a top-tier football competition not only in South Korea but also on the international stage as fans continue to pour into stadiums in record-breaking numbers.
Written by Seunghyuk Han| Staff Writer
Revised by Soram Hong|Managing Editor
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