男 Volleyball OK Savings 銀…Leaving Ansan, "Train to Busan."
男 Volleyball OK Savings 銀…Leaving Ansan, "Train to Busan."
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The men's professional volleyball OK Savings Bank will move to Busan 12 years after its establishment in Ansan in 2013, marking a turning point in the club's history. With all professional sports clubs trying to move their hometowns to the metropolitan area, they are taking on the challenge of going against the trend.
OK Savings Bank's relocation will be finalized when an agenda is presented at the working committee of the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) on Wednesday and passed at the board meeting scheduled for Monday. If this happens, the team will play a home game in Busan, not Ansan, from the 2025-2026 season.온라인바카라
He is not leaving because of conflicts with Ansan, his hometown. Since its foundation, OK Savings Bank has established itself as "Ansan's team" by striving for regional marketing. With Ansan fans' enthusiastic cheering, the team won the championship game in its second year, and OK Savings Bank comforted local residents during the 2014 Ferry Sewol incident.
In addition, nine out of 14 professional volleyball teams are located in the Seoul metropolitan area, which is advantageous in all aspects, including crowd mobilization and practice games with other teams. Moreover, Busan does not have a branch of OK Savings Bank, so it does not have the business effect of the parent company. Nevertheless, the relocation of OK Savings Bank's headquarters is an adventure for the "great intention" of expanding the base of volleyball and resolving regional imbalances.
Currently, there are 13 elite volleyball teams operating in Busan. Twenty-five elite volleyball teams are training aspiring volleyball players including those in South Gyeongsang Province, but there were no professional teams to utilize the teams. Once OK Savings Bank is relocated, Busan, Korea's second largest city with population of 3.26 million, will become a local government with four major professional sports clubs, including baseball (Lotte), soccer (iPark), basketball (KCC, BNK), and volleyball. It is the fourth city after Seoul, Incheon, and Suwon.