Leading champion Ulsan, ‘chew, bite, taste and enjoy’ delightful challenge
20 business days out of 365 days a year. I can’t help but feel reckless on the surface. Last season’s champion, Ulsan Hyundai, a famous player in the K-League tradition, took on a delightful challenge to break prejudice. At Munsu Soccer Stadium, the ‘tiger’s cave’, it was made possible to solve not only soccer but also entertainment and food.
Ulsan topped the league last season for the first time in 17 years. Ulsan, who embraced the third star, digested winter training in Ulsan and Portugal to keep their place as champions. After returning to Korea on the 12th, he returned to Ulsan and is doing his best to prepare for the K-League 1 home opening match against Jeonbuk Hyundai at 2:00 pm on February 25th.
Ulsan held the 2023 season launch ceremony and stadium open day at Munsu Soccer Stadium from 10 am on the 19th. 1,947 Ulsan fans who made advance reservations ran to see the players. Among them, the first 100 players were given the opportunity to see the players’ training directly at the touch line and corner flag in the ground. Fans gathered even before the event started, and a long line of over 200 meters continued, creating a rare scene.
One of the things to note on this day was the new canteen business that Ulsan ambitiously brought out. Ulsan is already a team with a reputation for fan-friendly promotion and marketing enough to win the ‘Fan-Friendly Award for eight consecutive seasons’.
Fans’ expectations are rising. Ulsan pulled out another card with the idea of ’there is no period to capture the desire of these fans, it is always in progress’. It is the introduction of food. 안전놀이터
Unlike the KBO league, where you can face fans all week, the K League has about 20 home games a year. There are the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League and FA Cup, but most of the games are played on weekdays, so it is not easy for many fans to gather. Even if the league includes two competitions, there are at most 30. This is the reason most companies are reluctant to enter the soccer field. For this reason, food before, during, and after the game at the soccer field is always a concern. The same goes for other K-League teams.
Ulsan employees put their heads together on how to quench this food thirst. Employees of the marketing team ran across the country to attract businesses to enter the tiger’s den. As a result, many businesses such as chicken, snack food, cafes, and convenience stores entered the market. They made their debut in front of fans on the 19th.