Dominating the 100 Billion Won Baseball Goods Market: "Enjoy with Away Game Packages" [Interview]

Byun Youngwoo, Head of the Sports Business Team at Nol Universe, Interview
Baseball goods sales up 77% year-on-year
Demand rises as professional sports become a major part of popular culture
Expanding bundled sports and tour packages... Sports business set for further growth

"Everything you need to enjoy sports, you can take care of all at once."

In the 2025 professional baseball KBO League game between the KIA Tigers and Doosan Bears, spectators are cheering and watching the game. Photo by Yonhap News

Byun Youngwoo, head of the Sports Business Team at Nol Universe, made this statement in a recent interview with Asia Economy, emphasizing that the domestic professional sports industry has grown into a mainstream culture.

Recently, professional sports in Korea have firmly established themselves as a part of popular culture, with fans maintaining steady interest not only during the season when games are held but also before and after the season. In particular, Korean professional baseball (KBO) surpassed 10 million spectators for the first time last year and is aiming for 12 million spectators this year, leading the growth of both the professional sports industry and its culture.

Nol Universe recognized the growth potential of the professional sports market early on and entered the ticket sales and merchandise (MD) business. Byun, who joined Interpark's Event and Game Team in 2006 and has led the Sports Business Team since 2015, explained, "Around 2014, we tested the MD business for the national soccer team and e-sports on a small scale and saw the potential for growth. After winning the business rights for Kiwoom Heroes in 2017, we fully entered the MD business, and we are currently selling tickets and goods for teams such as the Doosan Bears and LG Twins."

Byun Youngwoo, head of the Sports Business Team at Nol Universe, is conducting an interview with Asia Economy.

As interest in professional sports increases, the MD business is also growing rapidly. As of May this year, the online sales of professional baseball goods by Nol Universe increased by 77% compared to the same period last year, with women in their 20s and 30s accounting for 46% of total purchases and leading the market. Byun explained, "With the influx of female fans, new types of cheering items like cheering sticks have emerged. As the overall cheering culture becomes more diverse and develops around fandoms, product demand is also diversifying." He added, "Moreover, as more fans are coming with their children, sales of kids' products are also increasing."

With the acceleration of goods sales, related revenue has already surpassed the ticket commission revenue of the Sports Business Team. Last year, the total MD business revenue for domestic professional baseball was estimated at 100 billion won, and for professional soccer, around 20 billion won. Nol Universe expects the growth trend in the sports goods business to continue and plans to actively bid for business rights not only in professional baseball but also in other categories such as professional soccer and e-sports.

Goods products of LG Twins sold at the online 'Nol MD Shop'.

Byun stated, "While ticket sales are limited by the number of seats, the MD business has no such growth limit due to product diversity driven by changing trends and repeat purchases based on fandom. We are aiming for more than double the related revenue within the next two to three years."

As the culture of watching and enjoying sports becomes part of daily life, Nol Universe is expanding its sports business beyond ticket and goods sales to include travel. The 'Suwon Samsung Away Package', launched for the first time on May 17, is a representative example. This package was designed for the cheering squad of the Suwon Samsung Bluewings soccer team traveling to Busan for an away match, and it bundled game tickets, accommodation, transportation, and a locker room tour.

Byun explained, "Professional soccer has an active away cheering culture, and for popular teams, more than 3,000 fans travel for each away game. We planned this package to relieve fans of the hassle of booking game tickets, train tickets, and accommodation themselves, and to provide benefits like a locker room tour, believing that there would be sufficient demand." He added, "Since we received positive responses from both fans and the club in our first attempt, we plan to regularize this package and expand it to other sports and teams in the future."

'Suwon Samsung Away Package' held last month

Byun said, "Professional sports are now a form of popular culture enjoyed not only during the season but also in various ways during the off-season. To meet fans' needs, we are planning and expanding a variety of offerings that encompass tickets, tours such as overseas spring camp tours during the off-season, and commemorative goods based on season achievements, so we can continuously provide fans with things to enjoy."

Meanwhile, in April, Nol Universe completely revamped its platform names and is focusing on maximizing synergy between platforms. The Yanolja platform was renamed 'NOL', Interpark Ticket became 'NOL Ticket', and Interpark Tour became 'NOL Interpark Tour', building a unique Nol Universe ecosystem that aims to innovate everyday life for everyone, beyond just leisure.