Ulsan Wales Cruising with Strong Standing and Box Office Success, Facing Challenge of Financial Independence as Citizens' Club

[Anchor]

Professional baseball team Ulsan Wales is taking time to regroup amid an unexpected "heat wave break." Although it is their inaugural season and they are achieving better-than-expected results in both performance and box office success, they also face numerous challenges to survive as a citizens' team.

UBC reporter Sung Ki-won has the story.

[Reporter]

Ulsan Wales is the first-ever citizens' professional baseball team in the 44-year history of professional baseball.

The team started with clear limitations as a Futures League (minor league)-only club with no possibility of promotion.

[Jang Won-jin / Manager, Ulsan Wales (last February): Just as Ulsan has led the growth of South Korea's industry, we promise to show a style of baseball that takes South Korean baseball to the next level.]

Cumulative home attendance surpassed 50,000 last month, and the team is achieving clear results by leading the Southern League.

However, producing their first player transfer to the first team, which was one of their major goals, has been postponed to next season.

Not a single official recruitment offer for Ulsan players was received by July 31, the transfer deadline for the KBO League.

Some clubs considering Asian quarter replacements were linked with Japanese pitchers, but the discussions failed to lead to actual negotiations amid a debate over transfer fee regulations.

Establishing a foundation for the club's financial independence also remains a pending task.

The establishment of a corporation proposed during the founding agreement has not even taken its first steps yet, and because it is currently an organization under the city's sports council, it is virtually impossible to generate independent revenue such as advertising fees.

Amidst this, Mayor Kim Sang-wook stated that he met with KBO Commissioner Huh Koo-youn last month and demanded a concrete plan for the club to operate independently without financial support from Ulsan City.

[Kim Sang-wook / Mayor of Ulsan (July 26): We cannot continue to pour massive city finances into it. It must secure self-sustainability as soon as possible. I demanded a concrete plan on how to secure self-sustainability. If our Wales baseball team is to continue to survive, wouldn't a first team ultimately be necessary?]

The club plans to hold follow-up working-level meetings with Ulsan City and the KBO this month to continue discussions.

(Photo: Yonhap News)

(Video by Lee Jong-ho / UBC)

Sung Ki-won, UBC
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.