Racing Toward a "Stay-Type Sports City"... Sancheong County Speeds Up Efforts to Attract Training Camps

Attracting 52 Teams for Winter and Summer Training Camps
Boosting the Local Economy Through Extended-Stay Spending
Clean Jirisan Environment and Year-Round Training Infrastructure as Key Strengths
Emerging as "The Optimal Destination for Training and Recovery"

Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang Province is accelerating efforts to boost the local economy by attracting training camps and sports competitions at the national and provincial levels. As the length of stay for training teams in various sports such as soccer, ssireum, and tennis increases, daily spending on accommodation, dining, and convenience stores is spreading across the entire local commercial district.

The county plans to develop sports not as one-off events but under a strategy of "continuous hosting and ongoing attraction," building a virtuous cycle that links training camps, tournament hosting, tourism, healing, and the local commercial sector.

View of sports facilities in Sancheong-gun

◆"The best place to train" with strengths in nature, climate, and infrastructure

The reason Sancheong is drawing attention as a training camp destination lies in its outstanding natural environment and climatic conditions. The foothills of Jirisan Mountain block the northwesterly winds in winter, providing relatively mild temperatures and abundant sunshine, while in summer, the Gyeongho River and nearby valleys help maintain a relatively cool climate. These factors are regarded as elements that reduce the risk of injury for athletes and improve training efficiency.

Sports infrastructure is also being steadily expanded. In addition to Sancheong Public Stadium, the county has installed artificial turf fields at Saengcho Sports Park, Nambu Sports Park, and Deoksan Sports Park soccer field, and it is pushing ahead with the construction of the Obu Gamasil District Soccer Field and the Saengcho Soccer Center, aiming for completion by June 2027. Facilities for each sport, such as urethane tracks, indoor gymnasiums, and tennis courts, as well as auxiliary facilities including night lighting, showers, and locker rooms, have been upgraded to improve training conditions.

Thanks to these conditions, during the 2025-2026 season (as of February 2026), a total of 52 training teams visited Sancheong, with 931 participants and a cumulative total of 7,489 visitor-days. The range of sports is also diversifying, from youth and middle school soccer to university and high school ssireum, university and corporate tennis, and corporate table tennis.

◆Local spending expanding beyond accommodation and dining

To maximize the economic impact of training camps, the county is strengthening its collaboration system with local businesses. It plans to increase satisfaction by tailoring menus to the group meal needs of teams and improving hygiene and time management, while also refining guidance so that ancillary spending on laundry, sporting goods, and vehicle maintenance takes place within the local area.

The county will also expand linkages with experience and tourism programs so that spending extends to traditional markets and local specialty products. The strategy is to encourage athletes, their families, and officials to view Sancheong not just as "a place to train" but as "a place to stay and enjoy."

Sancheong-gun, Saengcho Soccer Center construction project rendering

◆Expanding synergies by hosting national tournaments

Alongside training camps, the county continues to attract various competitions. In 2026, events scheduled to be held include the Gyeongnam Taekwondo Hanmadang Tournament, the National Open Table Tennis Tournament, the Gyeongnam Bodybuilding Championship, the Jirisan Cheonwangbong Cup Tennis Tournament, the Sancheong County Governor's Cup bowling, jokgu, and park golf tournaments, the Gyeongnam Senior Soccer Tournament, the Korea Forest Service Chief's Cup mountain marathon and mountain bike race, and a national youth soccer tournament.

In addition, the county plans to foster sports as a strategic industry for regional development in connection with the Provincial Sports Festival for Residents, which will be jointly hosted by the four counties of Geochang, Hamyang, Sancheong, and Hapcheon and is scheduled for 2027.

A county official said, "Training camps are a policy that immediately generates demand for overnight stays and provides tangible help to small business owners," adding, "We will establish a system in which teams can train without inconvenience and the local community responds with kindness and quality, so that 'Sancheong, a place people return to' can take root."