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Headline: Ulsan, the only ‘baseball outskirt’ among domestic metropolitan cities without a professional baseball team, took its first steps toward becoming a baseball city.
Key Points:
* New Team: Ulsan City has officially launched a citizen-owned professional baseball team named “Ulsan Whales.”
* League: The team will compete in the Korea baseball Association (KBO) Futures League (second division). This is the first time a local government in Korea has directly founded a second-tier professional baseball team.
* Name Origin: The name “Whales” was chosen through a public contest, receiving 4,772 votes out of 9,176 participants. The whale symbolizes the city’s industrial and maritime character.
* Stadium: The home stadium will be Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium. Plans are in place to expand the stadium to 20,000 seats and build a youth hostel and training facilities.
* Management:
* Head Coach: Jang Won-jin (former Doosan Bears coach)
* General Manager: Kim Dong-jin (former Lotte Giants management support team leader)
* Team Size: Approximately 50 people,including 35 players,coaches,and staff.
* Tryouts: Public tryouts will be held on January 13th and 14th to finalize the roster, including foreign players.
* Budget: The city plans to invest 5-6 billion won for the establishment and first year of operation. The team will be directly managed by the city for the first three years, then transition to a joint operation with citizens and companies.
* Motivation: Ulsan has a strong baseball fanbase (many travel to support the Busan Lotte Giants) but lacked a local team. The city aims to elevate leisure, the economy, and its brand image with the new team.
* League Expansion: The Futures League will expand to 12 teams with the addition of Ulsan Whales.
images:
* Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium (with caption: “Ulsan munsu Baseball Stadium, home stadium of Ulsan Wales. Photo ulsan City”)
* Panoramic view of Ulsan City Hall (with caption: “[연합뉴스]”)
Contact Information:
* Yunho Kim: [email protected]
In essence, this article announces the exciting development of a new professional baseball team in Ulsan, South Korea, and details the plans for its launch and future development.