The recent hit drama “Stove League” has given us a glimpse into the work carried out by the front office personnel of a professional baseball club. Most people concentrate on the game, which is the main reason for watching professional sports. That's why there were many people who didn't know exactly what the front office was doing behind the scenes. However, through the drama, The Pharos was able to learn a little bit about their work. On the strength of the popularity of the drama, the Pharos had an interview with Kim Geurim, who is working for the soccer club Suwon FC.

Please introduce yourself.

Hello, I am Kim Geurim, majoring in public administration and physical education at Kyonggi University. I am currently working as an intern in the front office of Suwon FC.

Explain the structure of the Suwon FC front office.

The front office consists of four teams: the Operation Planning Team, the Marketing Communications Team, the Team Support Team, and the Power Enhancement Team. The Operation Planning Team plans the entire budget for the operation. The Marketing Communications Team plans press coverage, video planning, and is in charge of the University Management Team. The Team Support Team manages everything related to training and is especially responsible for ceremonial events. The Power Reinforcement Team is responsible for the youth team, player input, and power analysis.

Is there a reason why you joined Suwon FC?

Watching the 2017 U20 World Cup, I discovered that I wanted to work in the sports marketing industry. First of all, I worked as a security guard for Suwon Samsung, Suwon FC, and soon, and developed an affection for soccer teams. After that, I prepared to join the club by taking a double major in physical education. Since then, I have become attached to Suwon FC through the activities of JOVENES, a university student management group of Suwon FC. Although JOVENES is a part of Marketing Communication Team, it has become attractive to me because I can develop various capabilities by working with other departments.

Explain the history of Suwon FC.

Suwon FC is a professional soccer team in Korea, and is based in Suwon. On March 15, 2003, it was founded under the name of the Suwon City Hall Soccer Team. We joined the National League, a now-defunct league. We participated in the K League Challenge from 2013 and then were promoted after the 2015 season and joined the K League Classic in 2016. However, there was the pain of being demoted after one season (ha,ha). Still, we have some regrets because we scored the most points among the teams that have been demoted so far.

Tell us about the marketing strengths and weaknesses of Suwon FC.

Suwon FC's marketing advantage is its citizens’ club because a close relationship between the players and citizens of Suwon has been more strongly established than at other large corporate clubs. I personally think it's good to communicate with the players to maintain this close connection. The weak point of Suwon FC is that there are more financial difficulties than at the clubs that have the sponsorship of large companies. Therefore, there is the disadvantage that aggressive player acquisition is difficult and this makes the team harder to market. To overcome this, we focus on family-unit customers with elementary school children and use the marketing strenght of the citizens’ club. Recently, we have also been marketing our products to girls in middle school, high school, and university.

Have you had any rewarding moments at work?

After joining the company, I was involved in the composition of the university’s management group, JOVENES. Originally, members were recruited in February and started their first activities in March, but this time they were recruited in January and we send athletes to Jeju Island in February. It was rewarding to see the University Management Team unite. In addition, our mascot finished fourth in the K-League's mascot voting, outperforming the top-tier mascot. Despite the small number of fans compared to those of the first-division teams, I was grateful and proud of the fans who contributed to this result.

Please say a few words to alumni hoping to close the sports industry.

The sports industry is a very trend-sensitive industry that must be constantly studied to avoid being left behind. In a way, your life it can be busier and harder after you enter the company, but by working for your favorite team, you can live a life where you look forward to going to work like a successful fanatic.

The interview we conducted with Kim Geurim showed us her life. Also, she gave the latest information on the sports industry. The Pharos hopes it was an interview that can help many students who want to get a job as a front-runner of a professional sports club.

74th Cub Reporter•KIM GANGTAEK•rkdxor753@naver.com

74th Cub Reporter•YOO HYUNGJIN•yoo9428@naver.com