"Now Ulsan is the best," a young fan says, and he keeps coming back! Hope sprouting in a baseball desert: The three-year persistence of the city of Ulsan that nurtured the KBO International Fall League

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

An international educational league where baseball prospects from South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, and China gather in one place. Behind the fact that the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) concept for an international educational league has continued for three years lies the sustained interest and solid support of Ulsan Metropolitan City.

The "2026 Ulsan-KBO Fall League," which concluded at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium on the 31st of last month, is an international educational league hosted by the KBO and sponsored by the city of Ulsan and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. This year, a total of 12 teams, including eight domestic teams and four overseas teams, competed over 17 days. The Long Beach Coast, a combined team from the American independent leagues, won the championship, while the Ulsan Whales, based in the host city, finished as runners-up.

The role of the city of Ulsan was significant in the tournament's steady growth over three years. A senior KBO official met at the Ulsan site on the 31st of last month explained, "The total operating budget is approximately 900 million won, of which about half is covered by the KBO and the city of Ulsan provided support of nearly 500 million won."

This kind of support was not limited to this year. Since the first tournament in 2024, the city of Ulsan has backed the hosting of the international educational league alongside the KBO. Ulsan is a city that holds professional soccer and basketball teams but also harbors a great thirst for baseball, with approximately 200 amateur baseball teams. The senior KBO official looked back, saying, "From the very beginning, the city of Ulsan was very interested in baseball. They wanted to show their sincerity, and they offered to sponsor it on the premise of starting with an educational league, which is how it began."

He added, "The city of Ulsan showed its sincerity by actively cooperating in various aspects. That was also the reason we judged that the first Futures League citizen-owned team could start in Ulsan."

In fact, the city of Ulsan has also been working to expand baseball infrastructure. Even when the NC Dinos had to find a temporary home stadium due to a safety incident at Changwon NC Park last year, Ulsan provided Munsu Baseball Stadium and cooperated in operating the professional baseball schedule. Previously, the city of Ulsan spent 1.7 billion won to renovate the artificial turf and outfield fences at Munsu Baseball Stadium.

The city of Ulsan's persistence in sprouting hope in a baseball desert led to the founding of its first professional baseball team. The Ulsan Whales, the KBO's first Futures League citizen-owned team based in Ulsan, rose to first place in the Southern League from their inaugural year and advanced to the championship game in the Fall League. A team that citizens of Ulsan could directly cheer for has emerged from the international educational league that the city of Ulsan has supported.

The regional promotional effect gained by overseas teams visiting Ulsan cannot be overlooked. For this tournament, related programs were also arranged so that foreign players could experience Ulsan's tourist attractions and culture.

KBO Commissioner Heo Gu-yeon (75) explained, "Players are informing people via social media about where they went and what they ate after coming to Korea," adding, "It also has the effect of introducing regions, including Ulsan, to overseas audiences."

However, to connect these effects to actual regional economic revitalization, continuous investment and program operation are necessary. A senior KBO official said, "It serves as an opportunity to introduce Ulsan, and there are aspects that help Ulsan baseball players and various sports activities. Not only the international educational league, but also for amateur and recreational baseball, the KBO is providing support and hosting tournaments; ultimately, there must be something that returns to the citizens."

The reactions of Ulsan citizens met on site were positive. At the Fall League semifinal held at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium on the 30th of last month, approximately 250 fans came to cheer for the players despite it being a free-admission game. For the championship game, twice that number of spectators came to enjoy their final baseball in Ulsan.

Wang Jun-seong (49), who resides in Seonam-dong, Nam-gu district of Ulsan, visited the baseball stadium with his family. Although it is a distance of 10 minutes by car and about an hour by public transportation, he headed to Munsu Baseball Stadium every weekend. Mr. Wang, who enjoys recreational baseball, was originally a fan of the Lotte Giants, but after the Ulsan Whales were founded this year, he began to develop affection for his local team as well.

Mr. Wang Jun-seong said, "At first, I came out of curiosity that a Ulsan team had been formed, but as their performance was good and an atmosphere of citizens cheering together was created, I became even more interested."

He also directly led people around him to the baseball stadium. Mr. Wang shared, "I once brought about 24 acquaintances from a gathering at once. But after that, they came to watch games on their own without me. I heard many stories saying they enjoyed watching it."

Mr. Wang welcomed the fact that the international educational league is being held even after the regular season ends. He said, "Ulsan is actually a city strong in soccer, and baseball was somewhat in the background," adding, "As someone who plays baseball, it is really good that we can consistently watch baseball in Ulsan like this."

Young fans who also visited the stadium followed along with the cheer songs to boost the morale of the Ulsan players. The sisters Wang Si-woo and Wang Seo-woo, who named catcher Alex Hall and Choi Ji-min as their favorite players, answered, "It's fun that a baseball team has been formed in Ulsan," and "It's really great that there is a baseball stadium near home. Since we definitely come often and see them a lot, now Ulsan is the best."

Ulsan Whales manager Jang Won-jin (57) also expressed gratitude, saying, "Little fans who came to cheer from the season came to the Fall League as well. The fans' cheers are a great strength for the players."

The KBO is giving top priority to considering ways to continue the international educational league in Ulsan in the future. KBO Secretary-General Park Geun-chan (53) stated, "Ulsan is close to Gijang-gun in Busan, so multiple stadiums can be utilized. It is a good environment for holding tournaments with more than 10 teams participating," adding, "We are thinking of continuing to host it in Ulsan as our top priority."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original