KBS documentary explores how football can revitalize local economies

A new KBS Gwangju documentary broadcasting on the 30th uses a custom app to track how football spectators impact regional economies in Kashima, Gangjin County, and Sejong City. The program highlights how approximately 20,000 outsiders visit Kashima for home games, representing one-third of the city's current population.

The documentary "The 180-Minute Miracle, Kick Off," which examines how the sports industry brings changes to local life and economies, will be broadcast on the 30th. Produced by KBS Gwangju, the program visits football sites in Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, and Gangjin County, Jeonnam, to measure the stay and consumption of sports spectators and explore the potential for regional revitalization. The primary cases in the documentary are the outsiders who gather for Kashima Antlers home games and the Gangjin Swans, a women's football team founded this past spring. Using a consumption measurement app developed in-house by the KBS Gwangju technical department, the production team investigated the stay and spending activities of domestic and international football spectators in Kashima, Gangjin County, and Sejong City. The program tracks regional changes by linking the 180-minute stay time of the living population to the sports industry.

Kashima sees visitors equal to one-third of city population for every home game

The program features Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, as a field case. According to KBS Gwangju, Kashima is currently a small city with a population of 60,000, whereas its population was previously 40,000. The city has grown alongside football since the professional club Kashima Antlers established itself there. On days when home games are held, approximately 20,000 outsiders visit the city, which accounts for one-third of the current population. The production team confirmed on-site how spectators do not merely visit the stadium but also consume within local commercial districts, impacting the city's daily life and economy.

The documentary captures the Mercari Stadium, the home ground of Kashima Antlers, as well as the spectators gathered at the stadium and the fans cheering for the team. The program examines the phenomenon of outsiders gathering on match days in connection with the local economy. The stay and spending activities of the spectators were measured using an app developed by the KBS Gwangju technical department. After verifying the activities of home game spectators in Kashima, the production team also presents the measurement results of football spectators in Gangjin County and Sejong City as domestic cases.

Youth tournaments and training camps held following the founding of Gangjin Swans

The Korean case is Gangjin County, which has a population of 30,000. The women's football team Gangjin Swans was founded in Gangjin County this past spring. KBS Gwangju captured the economic and social changes that have emerged in the region since the team's founding in the documentary. Following the founding, an international youth football stove league was held with at least 640 participants, and the Fuyang Youyi Sports Club from Fuyang, China, visited Gangjin for training camps. The program views the founding of the football club, the hosting of international competitions, and the attraction of overseas teams for training camps as a single flow to examine the changes occurring in the region.

The Gangjin Swans are the local football team featured in the program and are the center of the Gangjin case. The documentary shows the squad, and the production team highlights the economic and social effects the club has brought to the region. At least 640 people participated in the international youth football stove league held in Gangjin. The Fuyang Youyi Sports Club from Fuyang, China, visited Gangjin for training camps. KBS Gwangju introduces these cases of hosting competitions and training camps, using the consumption measurement app to observe the process of people visiting the region for sports activities staying and spending. The program presents the football spectator measurement cases of Gangjin, Kashima, Japan, and Sejong City together.

Tracking stay and consumption activities with a consumption measurement app

The core of this documentary is an experiment to directly measure the consumption of sports spectators. Using a consumption measurement app developed by the KBS Gwangju technical department, the stay and spending activities of domestic and international football spectators were measured in Kashima, Japan, as well as Gangjin County, Jeonnam, and Sejong City. The production team stated that they analyze the impact of the sports industry on local economies with specific data. The method involves measuring the stay and consumption of spectators visiting stadiums to confirm the effects of sports on local economies and daily life.

The "180 minutes" in the program title refers to the 180-minute (3-hour) stay time of the living population. The documentary seeks possibilities for regional revitalization by linking this stay time to the sports industry. The subjects of the investigation include not only Kashima and Gangjin County but also Sejong City. The measurement targets are domestic and international football spectators, with their stay and spending activities observed via the app. Through different sites—such as professional football home games in Japan and the tournaments and training camps held after the founding of the women's football team in Gangjin—the production team analyzes the regional effects of the sports industry. KBS Gwangju plans to present the impact of the sports industry on local economies based on this data.

Featuring Lee Young-pyo and Park Joo-ho, with narration by Bae Seong Jae

Former national football players Lee Young-pyo and Park Joo-ho appear in the program to discuss the potential of the sports industry and the meaning of football in local communities. Football commentator Bae Seong Jae provides the narration. The production team reported from the sites in Kashima, Japan, and Gangjin County, Jeonnam, capturing the spectators and cheering fans at Mercari Stadium and the Gangjin Swans squad on screen. The investigation process using the in-house developed consumption measurement app is also included in the program.

The program is directed by Jo Na-yeong, written by Kim Do-yeong and Lee Seul, and filmed by Jeong Seong-hak, Park Jeong-dae, and Yoon Pil-sang. Regarding the planning intention, the production team stated, "We wanted to confirm the possibility that sports can save a region at actual sites and present feasible alternatives by looking at the problem of regional extinction from a perspective of hope." The broadcast will first air in the Jeonnam and Gwangju regions on the 30th at 7:40 PM on KBS1, and will be transmitted nationwide via KBS1 on the 31st at 1:05 PM. The program introduces the stay and spending activities of football spectators measured in Kashima, Gangjin, and Sejong City, along with the sports cases of each region.

"The 180-Minute Miracle, Kick Off" will have its first broadcast in Jeonnam and Gwangju on the 30th at 7:40 PM, followed by a nationwide broadcast the next day, the 31st, at 1:05 PM. KBS Gwangju will reveal the spectator stay and consumption measurements obtained in places such as Kashima and Gangjin County, along with local football cases, in the documentary.

Read the original (Korean)