FC Seoul, one of the most popular clubs in professional soccer, has reached the 400,000 spectator mark for the first time in the era of paid attendance in the K League.
On the 25th, the Seoul World Cup Stadium, where the 2023 K League 1 Round 37 match between Seoul and Suwon Samsung was held, drew 36,700 spectators according to the official count.
This brings Seoul’s total attendance to 432,29 in 19 home games this season.
This is the first time a club has surpassed 400,000 home attendance in a single season since the 2018 season, when the K League started counting only paying fans.
The previous high was Seoul’s 324,162 in 2019 (an average of 17,061 per 19 games).
Seoul also surpassed the 2019 figure in terms of average attendance, recording 22,633 fans, marking the first time in the era of paid attendance that the club reached the 20,000 average mark.
The average of 22,633 is also the highest average attendance for a season in Korean professional sports, surpassing the previous record of 21,901 set by the Lotte Giants in 2008.
Seoul previously held the record for the highest average attendance in a single season in Korean professional sports with an average of 28,758 in the 2010 season (536,397 for all 19 games), but the significance of that record has faded somewhat since the release of paid attendance figures.
Seoul has reaffirmed its reputation as a “top box office club” this season, drawing over 30,000 fans four times, including 45,700 in the sixth round against Daegu FC on April 8, the highest attendance for a single professional sports game since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
On May 5 against Jeonbuk Hyundai, 37,088 fans attended; on October 8 against Jeonbuk, 33,103 fans attended; and on April 22 against Suwon, 30,186 fans attended.
Seoul has already clinched seventh place, the highest finish in the Final B this season, while Suwon is fighting tooth and nail to stay out of the relegation zone in every game, so the moods of the two teams were distinctly different on the day, but the enthusiastic supporters braved the sub-zero temperatures to show their support for both home and away.
Seoul fans used snow spray to create a wintry atmosphere to enjoy the last home game of the year and the ‘Super Match’, while Suwon fans who filled the away section expressed their eagerness with a ‘blue and white card section’.
With more than 25,000 tickets sold on the first day of pre-sale, a ‘cloud crowd’ was predicted, so Seoul Subway Line 6, which runs through the stadium, was extended on the day, and mobile base station vehicles of the three major mobile operators were set up around the stadium.
Seoul invited fans who have attended many home games this season to be the ceremonial flag bearers and organized a halftime performance by boy group Treasure to reward their support. 토토사이트