There is a man who is a player on the field and an association president off the field. Song Min-sik, a player of Busan K7 team Gupo 2 and president of the Busan Buk-gu Football Association, is one of them.
The seventh round of the K7 Busan Buk-gu Division League for the 2023 season was held on the 20th at Hwamyeong Ecological Park in Buk-gu, Busan. On this day, Busan Buk-gu Gupo 2 lost 2-3 to Busan Buk-gu Deokcheon 2.
Busan Buk-gu Gupo 2 is a team with a history of more than 40 years since its founding. Song Min-sik, the president of the Busan Buk-gu Football Association, is also a player of Busan Buk-gu Gupo 2. As Gupo 2’s game approached, Song Min-sik, who was sitting at the headquarters, changed his clothes and quickly joined the team.
His team, Gupo 2, is comprised mostly of middle-aged and elderly players. “I want older people to have fun and exercise for their health,” Song told the Korea Football Association, explaining the purpose of the organization.
Song was first introduced to soccer when he was in elementary school. He played for six years, including three years at Jangsan Elementary School and three years at Dongnae Middle School. “After high school, I lived a life unrelated to soccer, but I never forgot about it. My passion for soccer remains the same even in my 50s,” he said.
Before taking over as the head of the Busan Buk-gu Football Association, Mr. Song was the chairman of his club team, Gupo 2. He took over the presidency six years ago, but his sense of responsibility hasn’t changed. He spoke about ‘Hana’, another organization made up of past presidents of Gupo2.
“It’s an organization created by people who are active in the local government of Gupo-dong and past presidents of Gupo2 for community development. As our team is ‘Gupo2’, we are doing various volunteer activities such as raising money for the needy for people living in Gupo-dong.”
Reflecting on his journey from elementary and middle school player to club president to his current position as president of the Busan North District Association, Mr. Song said, “As soccer is a sport that 카지노 involves many people, I thought it would be good for people in Busan North District to enjoy it together. I played in a club, and I think I came to this position (president) this year.”
Mr. Song emphasized the importance of sacrifice in soccer. “Whether you’re a club president or an association president, you have to make sacrifices to lead someone. It’s not an easy position, but if I can make a little sacrifice so that people in Buk-gu can play soccer happily, that’s a great honor in itself.”
When asked about his views on the Division League as the head of the Busan Buk-gu Football Association, he said, “Compared to the past, the infrastructure of sports fields is getting better. In Buk-gu alone, the number of artificial turf fields for soccer enthusiasts is steadily increasing. I would like to see people of all ages unite around the ball. The Division League is an opportunity for that,” he smiles.