The K-League, which is enjoying popularity, surpassed 3 million spectators for two consecutive seasons with the help of 'Lingard + Suwon Effect'
Oct 27, 2024
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The K-League surpassed 3 million of the total paid spectators in the first and second divisions. At 2 p.m. on the 26th, 9,383 spectators entered the match between Gangwon FC and Gimcheon Sangmu in the 35th round of 'Hana Bank K League 1 2024' and 2,399 spectators entered the match between Jeonnam Dragonzen and Cheonan FC in the 36th round of the K League 2 at the same time. As a result, 2,211,845 cumulative K-League 1 paid spectators and 788,943 cumulative K-League 2 paid spectators this season totaled 3,007,788.
As a result, the K-League will record 3 million spectators for the second consecutive year, after surpassing 3 million spectators for the first time since 2018 when it began counting paid spectators last season.
In particular, a total of 3,011,509 people entered last season at the end of the 38th round, the last game of the K League 1, and this season, it exceeded 3 million spectators in 35 rounds of the K League 1. In terms of the number of games, it is a record for only 416 games (205 K-League games and 211 K-League games), 48 shorter than 464 games (228 K-League games and 236 K-League games) last season.
As of the end of the game at 2 p.m. on the 26th, the average attendance per K-League 1 game this season was 17,789, and the average attendance per K-League 2 game was 3,739, which increased the average attendance in both leagues from the previous season. The average attendance per game in K League 1 last season was 10,733. It is certainly a surprising figure that the average audience exceeds 10,000, especially considering that only paid spectators are counted, except for free spectators. Compared to other countries that still include free votes in the tally, it is not far behind in competitiveness. The K-League ranked 20th in the world last year.
By team, the K-League has been very popular across all clubs this season, with 11 out of 12 K-League 1 teams and 11 out of 13 K-League 2 teams increasing their average attendance from last season. It means that there has been a K-League boom across the country, not depending on the popularity of one or two clubs.
FC Seoul is the driving force behind the popularity of the K-League. Seoul, which achieved the average attendance record of 22,633 in a single season of professional sports with a total of 432,029 spectators last season, surpassed 400,000 spectators with 'Lingard Effect' again this season. In particular, 52,600 spectators visited Ulsan HD in May before, breaking the record for the largest number of spectators in a game after a paid tally. Ulsan, which is showing an unusual success for a local club, also surpassed 300,000 spectators at home games for two consecutive seasons.
In K League 2, the Suwon effect fluctuated. Suwon Samsung was the only team in the K League 2 with an average crowd of 10,000 (10,330). In particular, Suwon contributed to the league's success by mobilizing cloud supporters in each away game.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
