“I couldn’t sleep at night.”
The Seodaemun-gu Office women’s basketball team made its debut. As a result, the tournament ended with one match. But I saw the possibility. Above all, the support is solid. Lee Seong-heon (65), the head of the district, is at the forefront of the reinforcements.
Seodaemun-gu Office메이저놀이터 met Daegu Metropolitan City Hall in the 2023 National Unemployment Basketball Federation match and regional basketball tournament held at the Gimcheon Indoor Gymnasium in Gimcheon, Gyeongbuk on the 20th and lost 55-79.
The difference in experience was great. Seodaemun-gu Office has 4 professional players, but Daegu City Hall also has 6 players from WKBL. Won the silver medal at the 2022 National Sports Festival. The power difference was clear. Furthermore, his stamina was still lacking.
But this is just the beginning. It was founded on March 29th, so it’s been less than two months. Considering the fact that the preparation period was short, it performed well enough. In particular, until the beginning of the second quarter, Daegu City Hall was tightly attached.
Director Park Chan-sook also said, “I saw hope. I also came to believe that if I coached a little bit harder, our team would be able to do better. The players did very well. thanks. I will do my best to prepare for the event in July. I will participate in the National Sports Festival,” he said.
District Mayor Lee Seong-heon was also present at the gym that day. On this day, there were big events such as the Seoul Citizens Sports Festival, but they beat them all and came down to Gimcheon. It stood out from the outfit. He was dressed neatly in a suit, and his shoes were sneakers. It means that you have the basic etiquette to deal with the basketball court.
The Seodaemun-gu Women’s Basketball Team debuted at the 2023 National Unemployment Basketball Federation on the 20th. Photo courtesy | Korea Unemployed Basketball Federation
I didn’t even look at it casually. I sat in the front row of the headquarters and watched the game through to the end. Applause and cheers were not spared. After the match, they received a standing ovation.
In fact, district-level basketball teams are unusual. Just looking at the teams that participated on this day, they are city units such as the Seoul Sports Association, Sacheon City Hall, Gimcheon City Hall, and Daegu City Hall. This is the first case at the district level. A district budget of 1.25 billion won was also set.
District Mayor Lee Seong-heon said, “I couldn’t sleep last night. It felt so good. It’s like making an appointment to meet again after the meeting and waiting for that day. There was another event today, but I left for Gimcheon early in the morning.”
Regarding the founding of the basketball team, “There are 25 districts in Seoul. Each of the 15 districts is fostering a sporting event. Seodaemun-gu was the only one. According to the National Sports Promotion Act, it is compulsory for public institutions with more than 1,000 employees to foster sports events. After discussing what to do, we decided to make a basketball team.”
“Just then, director Park Chan-sook decided to take over. I thought it would be an opportunity to show that ‘you can do it’ to many difficult people in this era so that they can gather players who have suffered difficulties and exercise again with hope. It was created with a happy heart. I am having fun working,” he said.
In addition, “Actually, I like basketball, but I was short, so I didn’t fit in well. However, the more you watch basketball, the more attractive it is. You need stamina to run without rest, and you have to have teamwork. I don’t know, but I’m in love with basketball and I’m watching it hard.”
Lee Seong-heon, mayor of Seodaemun-gu Office, wearing sneakers. On the 20th, I visited the site of the 2023 National Unemployed Basketball Federation held at the Gimcheon Indoor Gymnasium. photo | Gimcheon = Reporter Kim Dong-young raining99@sportsseoul.com
It also has the advantage of being able to unite the residents. On that day, 200 residents came down to Gimcheon via 5 buses. Director Park Chan-sook said, “He came down voluntarily. There are too many applicants, so we limit the number of people and this is it.”
District Mayor Lee Seong-heon said, “Sports are really effective in bringing the people together. When you see things like the World Cup and the Olympics, they all become one. I think it’s a necessary time. There were conflicts due to Corona, and there were also difficulties. I want them to become one through sports,” he explained.
The most important thing is ‘continuity’. After all, you need ‘money’ to keep going. You can’t just spend your taxes forever. You need to get investment from outside.
Regarding this, “I am meeting with several companies. I am explaining myself. It’s not yet in the stage of public disclosure, but I think I can achieve some results. I will do my best to keep the team running. There should never be any missing in the middle. You don’t have to worry,” he stressed.
There are 6 teams in WKBL. After graduating from high school or college, they apply to the pros, but not all players get a job. There must be another way. Unemployment teams can be a huge boost to these players. This is why the establishment of a new team, Seodaemun-gu Office, is welcome. There is a lot of interest from the residents, including the mayor. It’s important to keep going