This year, professional baseball reached 10 million fans, an unprecedented milestone for Korean professional sports. The increase in attendance is attributed to a cheering culture that has attracted younger generations to the ballpark, as well as a fierce mid-table battle that made it difficult to know which teams would advance to the fall baseball season until the very end.
The other mainstay of professional sports, the K-League, is also attracting more fans than ever before, with fierce championship and relegation battles. The season isn't even over yet, and it's already on pace to surpass last season's attendance record.
■This weekend's attendance will surpass 3 million... Which clubs stand out?
Looking at the attendance trends of the 12 K League 1 clubs this season, after 34 rounds, six clubs (Seoul, Jeonbuk, Incheon, Pohang, Gangwon, and Gimcheon) have already surpassed their total attendance records from last season. (See the yellow shading in the table below.) Looking at average attendance, all 11 clubs except Daejeon have increased their attendance from last season. (See the blue shading in the table below.)
Seoul surpassed the 400,000 mark for the second consecutive season, last year and this year. Notably, last season was Seoul's highest attendance since 2018, when the K League began tracking all paid attendance, and they've already surpassed that mark this season.
Seoul's crowd mobilization is also evident when you line up all the matches played in K League 1 this season by attendance. The first through sixth highest attendance matches in K League 1 are all at Seoul's home ground, 메이저사이트 with the top spot going to the May 4 match between Seoul and Ulsan, which drew a whopping 52,600 fans. While the arrival of Lingard is undoubtedly the biggest factor in the increase in attendance, the leadership and performance of Kim Ki-dong at the helm this season has further increased the loyalty of Seoul fans.
The three clubs at the top of the championship race after 34 rounds are also seeing significant attendance growth. Ulsan, which is seeking its third consecutive K-League title, has surpassed 300,000 single-season home attendance for the second consecutive season, while Gangwon, which is close behind, has averaged more than 10,000 fans per home game from Round 18 to Round 34, thanks in large part to the play of “high school rookie” Yang Min-hyuk. Add to this the fact that Gimcheon, who were promoted last season and are contending for the title, have seen their average attendance increase by over 2,000 fans.
In total, the cumulative attendance of K League 1 and K League 2 so far is 2.98 million people. Even if only 10,000 fans attend this weekend, the cumulative total will exceed 3 million. Last season, the league reached the 3 million mark in the last 38 rounds, and there is a good chance that the record will be broken in the 35th round.
■'I don't know' if I'll win or get relegated...18.2% chance 'survival king' Incheon, will they avoid relegation this time?
After 34 rounds of play, only 12 points separate first-place Ulsan (62 points) and sixth-place Suwon FC (50 points) in Final A (top split). While it's not realistic, it's possible that Ulsan could lose all four of their remaining matches and Suwon FC could win all four of their remaining matches to tie on points, allowing Suwon FC to overtake Ulsan on goal difference.
The situation is the same for Final B (lower split). The goal difference between 7th place Gwangju (44 points) and 12th place Incheon (32 points) is also 12 points. While this scenario is not likely to materialize in reality, if Incheon wins all four games and Gwangju loses all four, the risk of relegation could immediately be on Gwangju's doorstep. The relegation battle is tighter than ever, especially considering that the point differential between 7th and 12th place at the same time last season was 25 points.
It's instructive to look at the first and 12th place finishers after 33 regular rounds of play, and who were the championship-direct relegation clubs at the time.
In seven of the last 11 seasons, the team in first place at the end of the regular rounds has gone on to win the title - a 63.6% chance. (See the blue shading in the table.) Relegation is a little clearer. In nine of the 11 seasons, the 12th-place team at the end of the regular round has avoided direct relegation, an 81.8% chance. (See the red shading in the table.)
While Incheon has had a difficult time escaping the relegation zone this season, it's interesting to note that in 2018 and 2020, it was Incheon that made up that 18.2% of cases where the 12th-place team in the regular round avoided direct relegation. In the 2018 season, Incheon truly showed their 'survivor' side, winning four of their final five games to finish with 42 points. In the 2020 season, there was only one direct relegation team, as the then-managing director moved to Gimcheon the following year, and Incheon beat Busan in the last minute to avoid relegation with 27 points and 11th place.
Despite the precedent, the K League 1 championship-relegation battle is still unpredictable. With fans likely to head to the stadiums in droves, Round 35, which takes place this weekend, will also feature a variety of matchups, including a second-place showdown between Gangwon and Gimcheon, the fourth east coast derby of the season between Pohang and Wolsan, and a one-point relegation battle between Daejeon and Daegu.