Park Jung-moo, Group Leader of Nexon, is giving an acceptance speech for the Appreciation Award at the 'Hana One Q K League 2022 Awards Ceremony.' (Photo by Nexon)
[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Nexon is taking the lead in the development of the domestic football ecosystem.
According to the IT industry on the 20th, Nexon launched the youth football support project ‘GROUND.N’ earlier this year in partnership with the Korea Professional Football League. Through this project, Nexon has been operating an integrated program covering U11 to U18 age groups by implementing support measures tailored to each age group starting this year.
In July, Nexon participated as the title sponsor of the 'K League Youth Championship,' which has produced promising K League players. The 'K League Youth Championship' is a tournament in which all youth clubs affiliated with K League teams participate, started in 2015 and held its 8th edition this year.
Nexon was recognized for its contribution to expanding the base of youth football in Korea and received a commendation at the K League awards ceremony last October. At the time of receiving the award, Park Jung-moo, Nexon Group Head, who went on stage, said, "Many young club owners (users) encounter football through ‘FIFA Online 4’. Therefore, although Nexon is a game company, it is also a partner who will share the future of Korean football."
Nexon's sincerity toward football does not end there. In November last year, Nexon signed a joint business and cooperation agreement with the Korea Professional Football League to launch the ‘eK League Championship’. The purpose was to gather interest in the K League and support its popularity through ‘FIFA Online 4’. The championship is the top domestic regular league of ‘FIFA Online 4’, where skilled professional teams, promising new teams, and teams representing K League clubs compete together, and it is linked to international tournaments.
The collaboration with the K League led to the success of the game league. The finals of the ‘eK League Championship Season 2’ held at Busan BEXCO were sold out with about 1,600 attendees on-site, and approximately 17,000 viewers watched the online live broadcast.
In July, Nexon participated as the official sponsor of Team K League, which played a friendly match against Tottenham Hotspur at Seoul World Cup Stadium. In September, at the 'Hana One Q K League 1 2022' Round 33 match between Ulsan Hyundai and Suwon FC held at Ulsan Munsu World Cup Stadium, Nexon held a ‘FIFA Online 4’ on-site event for spectators, contributing to the record for the highest attendance at Ulsan’s stadium this season.
Following actual football collaborations, Nexon became the first domestic game company to secure sports broadcasting rights and streamed K League matches on the official website. Unlike existing broadcasts, real-time chat functionality was introduced to enhance communication, and game coupons that could be redeemed for rewards in ‘FIFA Online 4’ were provided during the broadcast. Various entertaining elements were added, such as real-time interviews with home team club officials, receiving positive responses.
Group Head Park said, "We prepared the broadcast hoping that domestic football fans would watch and enjoy the K League on more diverse platforms," adding, "‘FIFA Online 4’, which has grown based on the foundation of Korean football, will continue to support the K League."
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