There is a strange tension in professional volleyball. This is because of the Asian Quarter, which will debut this season. The tryout held by the Korean Volleyball Federation (KOVO) in April was successful. All 14 clubs, both male and female, nominated players. The annual salary was fixed at 100,000 dollars (approximately 130 million won), which was lower than the average annual salary of the league (229 million won for men and 152 million won for women), and the evaluation was that his skills exceeded expectations. Although he was unable to participate in the Cobo Cup due to issues with issuing an International Transfer Agreement (ITC), he is expected to compete fiercely with domestic players in the regular league.
In the volleyball world, it seems to expect a ‘catfish effect’. It is the logic that the competitiveness of the league can increase as the competition for starting positions intensifies due to Asian quarter players. In particular, Asian Quarter players are also active as setters and middle blockers, unlike existing foreign players who were focused on strikers. In fact, the women’s IBK (IBK) Industrial Bank of Korea obtained the first nomination right and selected Thai national setter Phonpun Gedpadr. Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, who used the first choice in the men’s division, chose Eddy, a Mongolian middle blocker. No position is safe.
There is also an expectation that the bubble in the league can be removed by joining a player with good cost performance. Professional volleyball salaries have risen steadily, and the relatively low average annual salary for women has exceeded the average annual salary (146.48 million won) for professional baseball, the most popular sport in Korea. However, in the field, there is a story that “the players do not have basic prayers”. This competitiveness was also evident in international competitions. The men’s national team failed to advance to the finals at the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Championship, and the women’s national team recorded all losses (24 losses) in the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Volleyball Nations League (VNL) for two consecutive years.
There are also concerns. It is a concern about the domestic players who will be pushed out as 14 foreign players join. There are also concerns that if there are fewer places for Korean players to play, the already insufficient youth base may further decrease. However, the report card received by Korea, which has operated the league with a limit on the number of foreign players (one) for the cause of fostering domestic players, has been disastrous. If there are no talented players right now, if the veterans are missing, the league performance cannot be maintained. Opening the door is not just a Korean thing. Japan, which is preparing for the launch of professional volleyball, is expected to increase the number of foreign players to four.먹튀검증
In the meantime, many volleyball players have talked about the challenge to Korean players. Kim Yeon-kyung (Heungkuk Life Insurance) mentioned the need for Korean players to advance overseas several times, and the new manager of Ogino Massage OK Financial Group from Japan also says the same thing. But the players were immovable. This is because there was no reason to give up the high-paying environment without great competition. It was not something to be criticized for not having a spirit of challenge and ambition. This is because even such mental power is eventually influenced by the environment to which humans belong.
However, the Asian Quarter is not the end of change, but the beginning. If the Asian Quarter is successful this season, the voice to increase the foreign quota immediately gains strength. In Zhuangzi’s writing, from which the term ‘frog in the well’ comes from, the frog faints in surprise when he hears the turtle talking about the wide sea. Frogs may not leave the well. However, he is unable to prevent other creatures from visiting the well. The wider world is already around us.