The Ulsan Whales, who have caused a stir by topping the Southern Division of the KBO Futures League in their debut season, have unveiled a blueprint to grow into an elite club that thrives not only on the field but also alongside the local community.
Ulsan Metropolitan City said on the 18th that it had drawn up a "comprehensive plan across five areas," centered on securing the club's self-sufficiency and fostering regional cooperation, following working-level talks with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the Ulsan Metropolitan Sports Council, the Ulsan Baseball Softball Association and the Ulsan Whales professional baseball club.
The plan was based on a working-level meeting of the relevant agencies held at City Hall on the 6th of this month. Going beyond simple game operations, it lays out an execution strategy covering the club's long-term establishment and returns to the community across five areas: youth baseball development, promotion of recreational baseball, community and economic cooperation, securing the club's self-sufficiency, and player development and league growth.
The most striking element is the building of responsible management and an institutional foundation for growth. The Ulsan Whales plan to establish an independent corporation to build a diversified revenue base including advertising, sponsorship and ticket sales, and to pursue financial independence with a target of 20% average annual growth in their own revenue over four years starting in 2027.
The club also plans to discuss adjusting the transfer-fee cap with the KBO to address the limitations of transfer-fee rules that surfaced during the recent process of pursuing the transfer of foreign player Okada. At the same time, it will introduce a "quota for players from Ulsan," recruiting one or two players a year to widen the channel for signing promising local prospects. The KBO also agreed to continue mid- to long-term discussions so that the Ulsan Whales can secure their standing as a priority candidate for entry when the first-division league is expanded in the future.
Investment to build a grassroots baseball ecosystem in the region will also be sharply expanded. The club will support "visiting tee-ball classes" for 123 elementary schools in Ulsan and ground-based physical education classes using Munsu Baseball Stadium, while providing training equipment such as pitching machines to middle and high school baseball teams and holding a "Whales-Up Baseball Clinic" at least once a month.
A mayor's cup and sports council chairman's cup amateur baseball tournament for recreational sports enthusiasts, as well as a legends match featuring the coaching staff, will also be held regularly.
A cooperation model connecting citizens and the local economy was also fleshed out. During the season, the club will offer free invitations to 2,000 people, including underprivileged groups and patients with intractable illnesses, and will produce promotions and publicity content linked to local small business owners to encourage a virtuous cycle of consumption. Job creation across generations will also be pursued, including hands-on marketing experience for university students, a children's cheerleader academy, and the hiring of retired older adults as "Silver Whales" game-day staff. A "Citizen Cooperation Committee (town hall)," with a majority of citizen members including ordinary residents, fans and experts, will be introduced into club operations.
An Ulsan City official said, "This cooperation plan is the fruit of collaboration reached by the local government, the KBO, the sports community and the club putting their heads together," adding, "We will work closely so that it does not remain a mere slogan but leads to tangible results that citizens can feel in their daily lives and the local economy."
Meanwhile, the Ulsan Whales, founded this past February, are seen as having successfully settled into the Futures League stage, having so far drawn a cumulative audience of about 58,000 (projected at 70,000 by year-end), earned 224.8 million won ($162,000) in ticket revenue and secured 25 advertising deals worth 990 million won ($710,000).
