"Winter Off-Season Is a Thing of the Past": Over 2,400 Winter Training Team Members to Boost Samcheok's Local Economy

Attracting Winter Training Teams and Hosting the Stove League for the 2026 Season (January-February)
Welcoming 72 Teams and 2,433 Participants Across Five Sports: Soccer, Track and Field, Taekwondo, Baseball, and Handball
Direct Economic Impact of Training Teams Estimated at 2.3 Billion Won... Excellent Facilities Encourage Repeat Visits

Samcheok City in Gangwon Province is set to revitalize the local economy during the off-season by attracting winter training teams for 2026 and hosting the soccer Stove League.

Soccer training camp scene. Provided by Samcheok City

The city announced that, between January and February, a total of 72 teams and 2,433 participants (with a cumulative attendance of 24,616) across five sports-soccer, track and field, taekwondo, baseball, and handball-are scheduled to visit Samcheok for training. In particular, the Samcheok Winter Soccer Stove League, which takes place in January, is expected to bring 30 teams and 1,661 players, staff, and family members (with a cumulative attendance of 15,091) to the city.

This is anticipated to generate a direct economic impact of approximately 2.3 billion won and an indirect impact of around 6.4 billion won, which is expected to significantly boost the local economy during the off-season.

Meanwhile, the winter training teams visiting Samcheok consist of school, club, and semi-professional teams, who will train at facilities such as the Samcheok Multipurpose Sports Park and the Community Sports and Culture Park. The city plans to actively support these teams by providing access to public sports facilities, fitness training centers, sports medical support in connection with the National Fitness 100 Samcheok Fitness Certification Center, as well as addressing sport-specific needs required for training.

Baseball preseason training scene. Provided by Samcheok City

A city official stated, "Samcheok is gaining recognition as a premier training destination thanks to its relatively mild winter climate and outstanding natural scenery, and we are seeing teams return year after year. This naturally leads to visits to major tourist attractions, which we expect will also contribute to tourism promotion."