Son Woongjeong 1-on-1 Private Lesson Fee 90,000 KRW for 70 Minutes
Netizens Say "Talent Donation Level Compared to Reputation"
The affordable lesson fees at SON Soccer Academy, operated by Son Woong-jung, the father and longtime senior of Son Heung-min, the 'captain' of England's professional football Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur, are becoming a hot topic.
On the 20th, a post titled "Son Heung-min's Father Son Woong-jung's Soccer Academy Lesson Fees" was uploaded on an online community, attracting much attention. The post included a table summarizing Coach Son's hourly lesson fees.
Coach Son's lesson fees are set at ▲Private lessons (90,000 KRW) ▲2-3 people (80,000 KRW) ▲4-5 people (70,000 KRW) for 70 minutes. Additionally, the weekend hobby class for children aged 7 to 6th grade in elementary school costs ▲500,000 KRW for twice a week per semester ▲300,000 KRW for once a week per semester. If registering for only one month, the fee is 80,000 KRW for once a week. For the adult weekday class, the fee is 480,000 KRW for four months, which breaks down to 120,000 KRW per month.
As a result, many say the fees are excessively cheap compared to his training skills and fame. Previously, Coach Son helped Son Heung-min build his football fundamentals for 13 years starting from when Son was in the 2nd grade of elementary school, and continued to support him closely in training. The story of Son enduring grueling training with his father is well known. Consequently, Son earned expert praise by becoming the top scorer in the 2021-2022 English Premier League (EPL).
Photo of Coach Son Woong-jung featured in the SON Soccer Academy Director/Coach section. [Photo by SON Soccer Academy website]
Moreover, Coach Son did not send Son to the school sports team but taught him directly, leading Son to say, "My football is entirely my father's work."
Netizens who learned of this news responded with comments such as, "Compared to his reputation, this is like a talent donation," "The lesson fees are basically just facility and equipment rental fees," "You can see the genuine desire to nurture talent," "He teaches without even taking money from those who come to learn from him," and "Coach Son Woong-jung is a former national team player and could have worked as a trainer even without raising Son Heung-min, so we are grateful he teaches so affordably."
Meanwhile, Coach Son started playing football in the 6th grade of elementary school and had a professional career with Sangmu Football Club, Hyundai Horangi (now Ulsan Hyundai), and Ilhwa Chunma (now Seongnam FC). In 1986, he also represented South Korea U-23 at the Brazil tour football tournament. However, due to a severe Achilles tendon injury in 1990, he retired from active play at the young age of 28 and is currently working as a youth football coach.
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