“Weekend games sold out → No. 1 in average attendance” Will the volleyball fever in Busan explode again! OK Savings Bank to give away uniforms to all attendees at home opener

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The OK Savings Bank Ummen volleyball team, which set box-office records in its first year after relocating to Busan with sold-out weekend home games and becoming the only men’s or women’s team to surpass an average attendance of 3,000, has prepared a more spectacular home opener for its second season. The club will give away cheering uniforms to all spectators who visit the arena and operate various experience events from before the game begins.

OK Savings Bank will face Our Card at the Busan Gangseo Indoor Gymnasium on the 7th for the HK Hunkook Financial 2026-2027 V-League home opener.

This year marks the second season since the relocation to Busan. OK Savings Bank moved its home base from Ansan to Busan last year. It was a change after 12 years since the team’s founding in 2013. The record in the first year of the relocation was 17 wins and 19 losses, with 50 points, placing sixth. Although they failed to advance to the spring playoffs, the box-office success in Busan exceeded expectations.

Last season, the team attracted a total of over 60,000 spectators across 18 home games, with an average attendance of 3,334, ranking first among the 14th teams in the men’s and women’s V-League. In particular, all weekend home games were sold out. Their home record was also strong at 13 wins and 5 losses. At their first home game in Busan against Korean Air on November 9 last year, 4,270 people attended. The sellout streak continued thereafter, and for their contribution to the successful relocation, they received a Merit Award at the 2025-2026 season V-League awards ceremony.

For the second season, the goal is to achieve both competitive success and box-office popularity. OK Savings Bank held a departure ceremony on the 17th of last month at the Busan Gangseo Indoor Gymnasium with 1,077 fans in attendance. At the time, they played an open match against KEPCO to check their strength for the new season.

There have also been significant changes to the roster. The team signed Kyle Russell (33) as the No. 1 overall pick in the foreign player draft and selected Mehran Fazelmamdoost (25, registered name: Feiz), a 200cm tall middle blocker, through the Asian quota. In addition, Noh Jae-wook (34), Kim Jung-ho (29), Kim Do-hoon (28), and Kim Jun-ho (24) have newly joined. Head coach Shin Young-cheol (62) focused on refining the coordination between the new setter lineup and attackers through a training camp in Hiroshima, Japan.

Jeon Gwang-in (35), who will wear the captain’s armband this year, also expressed his determination at the departure ceremony to repay fans with better results than last year.

The club has significantly increased entertainment options both inside and outside the arena for this home opener. First, all entering spectators will be given baseball-style cheering uniforms. Outside the arena, performances and photo times with the Jinhae Base Command honor guard, volleyball air bounces, spike speed measurements, a large Ummen photo zone, and food trucks will be operated. A tattoo sticker booth in partnership with Green Umbrella will also be set up.

In the arena lobby, experience programs such as “SIZE ME UP,” where fans compare their height and palm size to the players’, “Find the Jump King,” which measures jump height, and “Photoism,” where fans can take photos with the team, will be conducted. For young fans, a cheering sign drawing zone, a self-photo zone, and “OK Patch Customizing,” where fans attach patches to create their own merchandise, will also be operated.

An “Ummen Stage Tour” allowing fans to get close to the players through high-fives on the team’s way in, court experiences, and escort kids has also been prepared. At the official opening ceremony, a player introduction performance utilizing lasers, fog, and a mobile mirror ball will be staged. The season slogan will be projected onto the court using laser mapping, and fireworks will be added to the declaration of opening.

During the game, various events such as dance times, video quizzes, key times, and group singing sessions will take place. Winners will receive prizes including round-trip international air tickets on Parata Airlines, round-trip cruise tickets on Panstar Cruises, and Mediheal cosmetics. The viewing environment has also been improved. Second-floor general seats have been completely replaced, and premium table seats, high-table seats, and suite boxes have been newly created.

A club official stated, “Since the first season of our relocation to Busan, many fans have visited the arena and sent us passionate support,” adding, “This season, we have prepared to repay that love by providing various joys and special experiences not only in the game but also inside and outside the arena.”

Tickets for the home opener can be reserved on the official website of the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO).

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original