Korea’s “Football Besties” Unite: Five Leading Sports Companies Sign MOU to Develop Future Football Stars

October 22, 2021, 15:40

By Kim Dong-hwan, Footballist

A group of leading football organizations in Korea?nicknamed “Football Kkanbu” (close allies)?have come together with a shared vision: to discover and nurture the next "Korean Messi" or "Korean Mbappe."

The five parties involved in the multi-party MOU are:

Olive Creative (CEO Jeong Ui-seok),

Joongang UCN (CEO Kim Young-seung),

MiragroBox, operator of PSG Academy Korea (CEO J. King Roy),

Nassau (Chairman Ju Eun Hyung),

and Sports Alternative SALT (CEO Yoo Hyun-jung).

The agreement was signed on October 21 at the JoongAng Ilbo building in Seosomun, Seoul. The event brought together leaders from each organization, all united by a passion for football and a mission to provide innovative, enriching experiences for Korea’s youth players while contributing to the future of Korean football.

Through this partnership, the organizations aim to integrate their unique strengths into a comprehensive player development ecosystem:

Olive Creative offers the “SoccerPie” app, a data-driven platform that allows youth players to build their football profile through gameplay.

Nassau brings its expertise in equipment and Korea’s first and largest sports airdome.

PSG Academy Korea introduces European-style training and player development models.

SALT provides advanced sports training equipment.

Joongang UCN contributes with its media, PR, and marketing capabilities.

By combining online and offline platforms, the five organizations expect to create strong synergy, ushering in a new paradigm for youth football development in Korea while expanding the grassroots base of the sport.

Attendees at the signing ceremony included Kim Young-seung (CEO, Joongang UCN), J. King Roy (CEO, MiragroBox), Jeong Ui-seok (CEO, Olive Creative), Ju Eun Hyung (Chairman, Nassau), Cha Seung-hoon (Director, SALT), along with Joongang UCN executives Jeong Young-jae, Lee Young-beom, and Kim Young-jin.

During the event, Ju Eun Hyung, Chairman of Nassau, expressed his hopes:

“I hope this agreement marks the beginning of a timeless partnership dedicated to the advancement of Korean football.”

Jeong Ui-seok, CEO of Olive Creative, added:

“If we combine the prestige of PSG Academy Korea, the promotional power of Joongang UCN, the product expertise of Nassau, SALT’s IT innovation, and Olive’s content capabilities, we can create something truly special?a new K-Football culture that could follow in the global footsteps of BTS, Parasite, and Squid Game.”