To catch female soccer players leaving... Give hope and broaden your horizons
Women's soccer leader who returned as a businessman said, "There is no place that treats them as well as Korea..."
The leader who went to Germany with Son Heung-min said, "Would there be any parent in today's reality who would let his daughter play soccer?"
"Do you know what most players do these days after quitting? I'm a caddy.
I need to keep them involved in soccer." 카지노사이트탑
Kim Seong-hee, CEO of Igyeol Sports Agency, worked as a coach for 10 years at Yesung Girls' High School in North Chungcheong Province and the women's soccer team at Internet High School in South Chungcheong Province.
It was in 2022 that he wrote his master's thesis using the lives of high school athletes as his research subject.
The students we met outside the stadium complained of anxiety about their future as female soccer players.
He quit his job after witnessing first-hand how low popularity and a narrow base were causing frustration among students.
Instead, she returned to women's soccer as a businesswoman.
She started a company dedicated to nurturing female athletes in August last year with CEO Lee Gye-re, who studied sports management at the Cologne University of Sport in Germany, known as Europe's leading physical education university.
In Korea, it is difficult to find a precedent for a management company that narrows its focus to women's soccer and focuses on discovering promising talent and nurturing players.
Representative Kim, who led the founding of the Busan Dongmyeong Technical High School women's soccer team in September last year, plans to launch elite teams for under-15s (U-15) and under-12s (U-12s) within the year.
His intention is to create an efficient system that ties together all age groups.
This is a welcome attempt considering the reality that the number of registered professional players has decreased by about 15% compared to 10 years ago in 2014 (1,765) and will remain in the 1,500 range (1,570) in 2023.
CEO Kim recently met with Yonhap News at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul and confessed that he was at a loss because he had started a “business that doesn’t make money.”
However, he emphasized that his goal is to create a culture in which female athletes are willing to choose soccer-related careers even after retirement.
In the opinion of CEO Kim, a former representative player for each age group, it is difficult to obtain motivation to succeed as a female soccer player in the current sports and business team system where food, clothing, and shelter are provided.
So, when she finds it difficult to earn money or recognition, she often gives up on her career as a soccer player and becomes a caddy.
It is said that it is relatively easy to adapt because he has developed the physical and mental strength required as a caddy to some extent through his career as a player.
However, caddying is a professional occupation in the golf industry.
His concern is that there is a net outflow of manpower outside the sports ecosystem as it has nothing to do with soccer.
There is no official record of what percentage of retired players become caddies.
However, CEO Kim and other officials testify that many of their acquaintances are leaving the field forever and working as caddies.
Kang Soo-ji, CEO of Segaro Football Club, which has an all-female instructor staff and frequently encounters retired players, also said, “I think 30% of the retired players I know have gone on to become caddies.”
It is known that among players who have played dozens of games for the national team, there are cases where they make a living as caddies rather than as soccer players.
Representative Kim believes that in order to prevent defection, an environment must be created where female players feel that they can succeed as ‘soccer players.’
He argues that unlike male athletes who have various experiences related to the soccer industry and dream of various occupations such as coaches and administrators, female athletes are forced to have a 'narrow perspective'.
In this respect, CEO Kim pointed out that female athletes should be encouraged to advance overseas so that they can experience the world outside the current system.
In fact, goalkeeper Kang Soo-hee from Busan Se High School and defender Lim Hyun-seon from Busan Information High School, both affiliated with the agency, are about to join a team in the National Collegiate Sports Association (NCAA).
Only some of Korea's top players, such as Ji So-yeon (Seattle) and Cho So-hyun (Birmingham City), have built stable careers overseas.
If you don’t have that level of skill, living abroad is a thorny path.
When asked about the 'possibility of success overseas', CEO Kim answered that it is time for athletes, including children and adults, to start preparing in earnest with the determination to endure difficult challenges.
He said, "As far as professional teams go, there are not many places in the world that treat players as well as our country.
However, without these hardships, there will be no growth of Korean women's soccer."
Former coach Kim Jong-gun, the 'last leader' of the women's soccer team at Oju Middle School in Seoul, also agreed with the suggestion that overseas expansion should be encouraged for the development of women's soccer.
Oh Joo-joong is the alma mater of women's soccer star Ji So-yeon.
Ojoo Middle School's women's soccer team, once considered the most prestigious, disappeared in 2022 due to difficulties in supplying players due to the education authorities' policy of abolishing training camps.
In men's soccer, many schools have athletic departments, so it is easy to find a team to play without having to live in a dormitory.
For women's soccer, where it is difficult to find a sports team, if training camp is banned, the burden of commuting to school will be high, making it difficult to continue playing as a player.
Former coach Kim sighed, “I heard from my students that they have many friends who caddy.
Under these circumstances, what parent would want their daughter to play soccer?”
He said that the association must take an active role in resolving pending issues in youth soccer, such as the ban on training camps, and help players advance overseas.
This is because I saw how Son Heung-min (Tottenham) grew into a leading figure in Korean soccer and the envy of dreamers.
Former coach Kim, who went to Hamburg, Germany with Son Heung-min as part of the 'Excellent Players Study Abroad Study Abroad' project in 2008 when he was a full-time leader of the Association, said, "Of course, not everyone who goes abroad is successful.
Like Son Heung-min, you have to have the attitude of trying to improve somehow." He added.
Ji So-yeon, who has been active in the women's soccer team since middle school, is the only one that survived among her alma mater's sports team, Dongsan High School in Seoul.
Hanyang Women's University's women's soccer team also disappeared for the last time in 2019 due to financial difficulties.
Even Dongsan High School had only 14 players last year.
If three or four people were injured, the game itself was difficult.
FIFA is also said to be aware of the reality of Korean women's soccer, which is struggling on a narrow base.
Sanjivan Balasingam, FIFA's regional director for Asia and Oceania, said in an email interview, "We are aware of the difficulties faced by Korean women's soccer," adding, "In particular, there are few registered players.
Other countries in Asia are experiencing similar problems." revealed.
He refrained from making specific evaluations of Korean women’s soccer administration.
Instead, he pointed out that various associations are coming up with various promotion measures suited to each situation, and that the Philippines and Vietnam in particular have achieved notable results by seeking to develop women's soccer.
The two teams reached the finals for the first time at the FIFA Australia-New Zealand Women's World Cup held last year.
In the 2022 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup, they advanced to the semifinals and quarterfinals, respectively.
