These are the words of Su-yeon Jin (31, living in Incheon), whom we met ahead of the SSG-Hanwha match held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 6th. Mr. Jin is an ‘Incheon native’ who was born and raised in Incheon. For Jin, SSG Landersfield is a place to relieve stress accumulated during the day. From his SK days to his current SSG baseball team, he visits the baseball stadium with his friends at least 2-3 times a month. He ‘intuited’ that he won the Korean Series last year. Mr. Jin said, "Unlike in the past, these days there are many young fans in their 20s and 30s. Of course, the number of fans coming with their families has also increased. There are special cheering tools such as LED light sticks and even a Starbucks at the baseball stadium. I also like baseball, but SSG Landers “The field is truly the best baseball stadium,” he said, giving a thumbs up.
SSG's home game against NC held at Incheon SSG Landers Field on the 4th had 8,006 spectators, exceeding the cumulative attendance of 1 million (1,005,662). Last year, it became the first Incheon-based club to record first place in KBO League attendance (981,546), and this year it surpassed 1 million spectators for the first time since its founding. SSG achieved 1 million spectators in 2012 (1,069,929) and 2018 (1,037,211) during its predecessor SK.
What has recently attracted attention at Incheon SSG Landers Field is the proportion of home spectators in their 20s and 30s this year. An SSG official said, "There have been many changes at Incheon SSG Landers Field over the past three years, and the most noticeable change is that young fans in their 20s and 30s can be easily seen around. In the past, so-called 'old man' sports “The young fan base at the baseball stadium, which used to have a strong image, has increased significantly in recent years, and this change can be clearly seen through related data,” he said. In fact, the proportion of customers in their 20s and 30s who made reservations through the SSG Landers application increased by 24.8% in the 2022 season compared to the 2019 season, and not only that, it increased by 34.2% this year compared to last season. The fact that the number of people in their 20s and 30s is continuously and significantly increasing can be interpreted as the fandom becoming younger.
The increase in female fans is also noticeable. According to the club's own fan survey, 60% of new fans introduced after SSG was founded were women. The club is also actively using this. We received a great response by holding events preferred by female fans, such as the Romance Day meeting event, pre-game ground photo time, and Amazing Road (player high-five event). The proportion of female participants in these events is very high at 70%.
As young baseball fans visit Incheon SSG Landers Field, various marketing activities targeting the young fan base played a significant role. SSG is introducing a variety of goods through various collaborations to stimulate young fans' desire to purchase and to lead them to become loyal fans of the club. A representative example is the uniform of Starbucks, the representative brand of the parent group. In addition, a so-called SNS-friendly attraction targeting young people was installed at SSG Landersfield and received a great response. In particular, we operated a self-photo studio near third base and released special frames for each event to verify our visit to the baseball stadium. In addition, the emotion of last year's championship was created as content, including an actual display of the championship trophy and ring.
SSG Landersfield’s high level of satisfaction is also evident in various data. According to the 2023 Korea Professional Sports Association professional sports spectator preference survey, among SSG fans' viewing satisfaction, bathroom convenience (84.4 points) and food and beverage taste and hygiene (83.4 points) received higher scores than the batting average.
Kim Jae-woong, head of the SSG marketing team, said, "We have expanded the interpretation of the club's service area to include not only the time customers spend watching the game at the baseball stadium, but also 'the point of smooth return home', and additional dedicated personnel have been deployed to provide cooperation in dispatching traffic police, traffic control, and signal control. “We are continuing to make various efforts to improve the system,” he emphasized.
