'Busan 4,005 → Jangchung 3,218': Woori Card Draws Volleyball Fans to Every Match! From the Club Owner Taking Action to a "Fan-First" Approach → Largest Home Opening Day Attendance in Seven Seasons

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

In Busan, 4,005 people; in Seoul Jangchung, 3,218. Woori Card of the men's professional volleyball league continues to draw passionate fan interest wherever it goes. Having experienced the pain of no-fan games during the COVID-19 pandemic, Woori Card is once again heating up Jangchung Gymnasium through owner Jin Sung-won's special love for volleyball and the club's consistent efforts to engage with fans.

On the 11th, at Seoul Jangchung Gymnasium, Woori Card defeated Korean Air in the home opening match of Round 1 of the men's division of the 2026–2027 V-League, winning 3-2 in sets (18-25, 25-22, 25-16, 22-25, 15-12).

With this victory, Woori Card has maintained its sole lead with a three-game winning streak since the opening of the season (8 points). They also avenged the shutout loss they suffered in the KOVO Cup semifinals on the 24th of last month. Although main scorer Raphael Araujo (35) had to leave from the second set due to right knee pain, Han Seong-jeong (18 points), Kim Dong-young (16 points), Park Jin-woo (12 points), and Kim Hyeong-geun (12 points) performed evenly, gifting home fans a thrilling comeback victory.

As eye-catching as the victory on the court was the spectator seating. On this day, 3,218 people entered Jangchung Gymnasium. This is the highest attendance for a Woori Card home opening match in the last seven seasons since the 2020–2021 season. According to official statistics from the Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO), among the 20th men's and women's V-League matches held as of the 11th this season, it ranks fifth in attendance. It was the third-highest attended match in the men's division.

Interestingly, Woori Card was also present in this season's highest-attendance match. On the 7th, 4,005 people attended the match between OK Savings Bank and Woori Card at Busan Gangseo Indoor Gymnasium. It is the only match this season across both men's and women's divisions to surpass 4,000 spectators. Of course, mobilizing fans for a Busan away game is a box-office success for home team OK Savings Bank, but it is noteworthy that the two matches involving Woori Card both ranked in the top five for season attendance.

The trend of increasing attendance at Jangchung is also clear. Due to the impact of COVID-19, Woori Card held its home opening match without spectators in the 2020–2021 season. The following year, home opening day attendance was only 456 people. However, it increased to 2,520 in the 2022–2023 season, 3,073 in the 2023–2024 season, and 3,105 in the 2024–2025 season. Last year, it slowed to 2,546, but this year it rose to 3,218, an increase of 672 people (26.4%) compared to the previous year.

Last season, Woori Card's total attendance for 19 home games was 54,846, with an average of 2,887 per game. This year's home opening match saw 331 more fans visit the arena than that average. For Woori Card, which recorded a sold-out crowd of 3,510 three times last year, this has set a starting point to continue the heat at Jangchung once again.

Behind this trend lies the active interest of Woori Card owner Jin Sung-won and the club's fan-friendly operations. Owner Jin directly invited the head coach and assistant coaches to his office at headquarters on the 13th of last month, ahead of the KOVO Cup, to encourage them. On the 10th, the day before the home opening match, he made a surprise visit to the team's official practice and "Open Training" event for fans, cheering on the players and greeting the fans. It is truly a fan-first approach where the owner takes action.

At the home opening match on the 11th, he took part in the ceremonial first serve alongside a fan representative. By conducting the home opening day ceremonial serve with a fan for two consecutive seasons, the club put into practice the "fan-first" spirit it has emphasized.

Owner Jin's interest does not stop at the arena. Recently, Woori Card collaborated with KOVO to launch "Card of Principle 2 SPIKE," the first volleyball-fan-specialized card in professional volleyball history. It is a product designed so that fans of all 14 men's and women's division clubs can benefit, not just Woori Card fans. When purchasing professional volleyball tickets online, it offers a 50% billing discount for credit cards and a 30% cashback benefit for check cards. Discounts are also available in daily life situations such as restaurants, convenience stores, and transportation. It is an attempt with the expansion of the entire professional volleyball base in mind.

Communication with fans is also consistent. The self-produced cheering broadcast that started in the 2020–2021 season when games were played without spectators due to COVID-19 has continued even after spectator entry resumed. Last season, it recorded a cumulative 1.58 million viewers and an average of 2,400 concurrent connections per game. The effort to allow fans who cannot visit the arena to cheer together online has borne fruit.

Of course, the increase in home opening day attendance cannot be explained solely by the club's marketing. However, a positive atmosphere is forming as the team led by head coach Park Cheol-woo adds a three-game winning streak since the opening to the club's efforts to broaden its connection with fans.

Woori Card will challenge for a four-game winning streak against Hyundai Capital at Jangchung Gymnasium on the 15th. Attention is also focused on what box-office results Woori Card, which recorded an average home attendance of 2,887 last year, will achieve this season.

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

*This content was translated by AI.View Original