Ulsan Hyundai, a traditional K League club celebrating its 40th anniversary, is set to make history with its spectator mall.
Ulsan will host Daegu FC in the 35th round of the 안전카지노사이트 Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 and the second match of the Final A at Munsu Soccer Stadium at 2 p.m. on April 29. After reaching the top of the league for the first time in 17 years last season, Ulsan will be looking to become the first franchise to win back-to-back league titles. At the same time, they set a significant record and are still in the process.
Since the implementation of the K League’s paid attendance policy, the club is on pace to reach the 300,000 home attendance mark for the second time in a single season. This season, Ulsan played 16 games at home. A total of 281,473 fans attended, second only to FC Seoul (17 home games, 382,384). With 18,527 fans in attendance against Daegu, the club will reach the 300,000 mark.
A monumental achievement. The K League introduced paid attendance in the 2018 season. That season, Jeonbuk Hyundai set the K League home attendance record with 226,224, and in 2019, Seoul set the record with 324,162. Ulsan drew 142,944 and 184,148 fans in those two seasons, respectively.
The 2020 and 2021 seasons saw limited attendance due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic (reduced games, partial crowds). It was only in the 2022 season, when Ulsan received its third star, that the franchise began to take off again.
Ulsan has become the center of attention in the K League. In the 2022 season, 166,114 fans visited the Tiger’s Den. It ranked second, with 820 fewer visitors than Seoul (166,934). The 2023 season was even more exciting. With the fans’ continued support, the club is on the verge of reaching the milestone of 300,000 home fans for the first time. This is a valuable achievement for a non-metropolitan club that has a harder time drawing crowds than its metropolitan counterparts.
It has already broken its own record. Ulsan’s previous home attendance record was 254,164 in the 2011 season. Twelve years later, it was 281,473 in the 2023 season.
The dramatic increase in home attendance has led to quantitative and qualitative growth in the club’s marketing business. About 15,000 Ulsan jerseys have been sold this season in eight different colors. That’s about three times the number of jerseys sold last season. After an ambitious start to the season, Ulsan‘s self-operated food and beverage (F&B) business is also significantly exceeding its targets. With the season not yet over, it has generated KRW1.35 billion in revenue, well above its target of KRW1 billion.
Considering that about 17% of the total revenue from these businesses is attributable to the club, the increase in attendance is helping to create a new revenue structure for the club beyond direct gate revenue.
Average attendance history is also a work in progress. Ulsan achieved its highest average home attendance (11 games) in the 1998 season with 19,926. It hasn’t been broken yet. With three more home games remaining, the average attendance for the 2023 season (16 games) is 17,592. Ulsan aims to reach the long-awaited average attendance of 20,000 by inviting around 98,000 people to the stadium in the remaining three home games, or 32,000 per game.
Ulsan will attempt to reach the club’s goal of an average of 20,000 fans in its three home games against Daegu on Sept. 29 at 2 p.m., Pohang Steelers on Dec. 12, and Jeonbuk on Dec. 3.