V-League (South Korea)
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| Current season |
Men 2018/19 Women 2018/19 |
| sport | volleyball |
| abbreviation | VL |
| Association | V-League |
| League foundation | 2005 |
| Teams | 13 |
| Title holder |
Incheon Korean Air Jumbos (men) Gyeongbuk Gimcheon Hi-pass (women) |
| Record champions |
Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs (8) (men) Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders Hwaseong IBK Altos (3 × title & 3 × vice) (women) |
| TV partner | SPOTV |
| Website | Official website |
The V-League ( kor : V- 리그) is the South Korean professional volleyball league . The league was founded in 2005 and has held the national volleyball championship for professionals every year since then. The league consists of 7 men's and 6 women's teams. Professional volleyball is one of the most popular sports competitions in the country.
Participating teams
Men
| society | place | Hall | capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ansan OK Savings Bank Rush & Cash | Ansan | Sangnoksu arena | 2,285 |
| Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers | Cheonan | Yu Kwan sun arena | 5,482 |
| Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs | Daejeon | Chungmu Arena | 6,000 |
| Uijeongbu KB Insurance Stars | Uijeongbu | Uijeongbu Sports Hall | 6.240 |
| Incheon Korean Air Jumbos | Incheon | Gyeyang arena | 4,270 |
| Seoul Woori Card Wibee | Seoul | Jangchung Sports Hall | 4,618 |
| Suwon KEPCO Vixtorm | Suwon | Suwon Arena | 5,145 |
Women
| society | place | Hall | capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daejeon KGC | Daejeon | Chungmu Arena | 6,000 |
| Gyeongbuk Gimcheon Hi-pass | Gimcheon | Gimcheon Arena | 5,145 |
| GS Caltex Seoul KIXX | Seoul | Jangchung Sports Hall | 4,618 |
| Hwaseong IBK Altos | Hwaseong | Hwaseong Stadium | 5,152 |
| Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders | Incheon | Gyeyang arena | 4,270 |
| Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate | Suwon | Suwon Arena | 5,145 |
Championships
Men
| Playtime | master | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs | Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers |
| 2005/06 | Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers | Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs |
| 2006/07 | Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers | Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs |
| 2007/08 | Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs | Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers |
| 2008/09 | Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs | Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers |
| 2009/10 | Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs | Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers |
| 2010/11 | Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs | Incheon Korean Air Jumbos |
| 2011/12 | Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs | Incheon Korean Air Jumbos |
| 2012/13 | Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs | Incheon Korean Air Jumbos |
| 2013/14 | Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs | Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers |
| 2014/15 | Ansan OK Savings Bank Rush & Cash | Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs |
| 2015/16 | Ansan OK Savings Bank Rush & Cash | Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers |
| 2016/17 | Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers | Incheon Korean Air Jumbos |
| 2017/18 | Incheon Korean Air Jumbos | Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers |
| 2018/19 | Cheonan Hyundai Capital Skywalkers | Incheon Korean Air Jumbos |
Women
| Playtime | master | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Daejeon KGC | Gyeongbuk Gimcheon Hi-pass |
| 2005/06 | Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders | Gyeongbuk Gimcheon Hi-pass |
| 2006/07 | Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders | Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate |
| 2007/08 | GS Caltex Seoul KIXX | Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders |
| 2008/09 | Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders | GS Caltex Seoul KIXX |
| 2009/10 | Daejeon KGC | Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate |
| 2010/11 | Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate | Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders |
| 2011/12 | Daejeon KGC | Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate |
| 2012/13 | Hwaseong IBK Altos | GS Caltex Seoul KIXX |
| 2013/14 | GS Caltex Seoul KIXX | Hwaseong IBK Altos |
| 2014/15 | Hwaseong IBK Altos | Gyeongbuk Gimcheon Hi-pass |
| 2015/16 | Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate | Hwaseong IBK Altos |
| 2016/17 | Hwaseong IBK Altos | Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders |
| 2017/18 | Gyeongbuk Gimcheon Hi-pass | Hwaseong IBK Altos |
| 2018/19 | Incheon Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders | Gyeongbuk Gimcheon Hi-pass |
League sponsor
| Period | League sponsor | Competition name |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-2006 | KT&G | KT&G V-League |
| 2006-2007 | Hyundai Engineering & Construction | Hill State V-League |
| 2007-2017 | Nonghyup Bank | Nonghyup Bank V-League |
| Since 2017 | Dodram Pig Farmers Cooperative | Dodrama V-League |
Expansion of the league
Potential cities
Since 2017, the expectations of volleyball fans regarding the establishment of an eighth professional men's team have increased. The reasons for this were, among other things, the odd number of clubs. This means that it is not possible for all clubs to play at the same time, but for one team to always have to take a break. Another reason are the venues of most clubs. Since all other clubs except for two teams are based in the metropolitan region of Sudogwon , they wanted to found a new club outside of this region. In an interview, Ko Ji-jun, the president of the KVO, said that he wanted to establish the eighth professional club by June 2017 and that the league will be held with eight teams by the 2019 season at the latest.
Possible candidates for expanding the league were mainly small towns and cities on the south coast of the country. The cities of Gwangju and Daegu in particular showed great interest in continuing to use their sports halls for professional volleyball after their basketball clubs moved away. The following cities are interested:
- Gwangju - The Gwangju Sports Hall, which has a capacity of 9,100 seats, and the Gwangju Women's University Sports Hall, which could hold up to 8,400 spectators at the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade, are considered potential candidates. When the headquarters of Korea Electric Power Corporation was completely relocated from Seoul to Naju in Jeollanam-do during the 2016 season, Suwon's Vixtorm big volleyball team checked to move to nearby Gwangju. The disadvantages of moving, however, were the size of the sports halls. Both sports halls in Gwangju are larger than the other sports halls in the league. Furthermore, there are still no accommodations for the players. Another reason is that there are no opposing teams in the area, which is why the club would have higher travel costs than the other league competitors. A possible move of the KEPCO team to Gwangju is therefore unlikely
- Busan - Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance were partners in the V-Tour, which was held in 2004 with the start of professional volleyball. In 2008, Hyundai Capital considered moving their club to Busan due to a problem at the home ground. The city hoped that the franchise would move to their city, as Busan has the best conditions compared to other cities. In the meantime there were rumors about a Busan Hyundai volleyball club. At that time, the city promised to build a new sports hall if the 2016 Summer Olympics in Busan are confirmed. Since many elementary and high school volleyball teams have their headquarters in the region, Busan would have been ideally suited as a new volleyball location. But as in Gwangju, there was primarily the problem of the distance to other clubs and the associated travel costs. Furthermore, the Geumjeong Arena, which the city had built in 2008, is already an unused sports hall in the suburbs of Busan at the northern end. The connection to public transport is not good due to the location of the hall. But there is also a gym with 5200 seats in the Kijang-eup district and the Ilkwang district as an alternative. The sports halls are also located in the suburbs, but since there is a train station nearby and access to public transport is slightly better than at the Geumjeong Arena, these sports halls could also be an alternative.
- Daegu - The city has the Daegu Arena, a sports hall with a capacity of 5,558 people. In Gumi there was a professional volleyball team until the beginning of 2017, which was based there as a founding member of the V-League. However, this club moved to the city of Uijeongbu , in the province of Gyeonggi-do , which is why the city administration is currently considering the establishment of its own professional team.
- Gangwon-do Chuncheon - Chuncheon Woori Bank was a women's basketball team that was based in Chuncheon until the 2016-2017 season. However, the club moved to Asan , which is why there is currently no professional team in the city. The city has its own sports hall with the Chuncheon Lakeside Arena , which has a capacity of 3,500 spectators. After the move, the city tried to lure professional clubs to Chuncheon. So they tried to convince the baseball association to host professional baseball games in the ballpark of Yeongam, but they could only win the association for a few games of the Futures League. One point that would speak for Chuncheon is the connection to the city. If the Gyeongchun Line is completed, it will take 30 minutes to travel from Seoul to Chuncheon. A disadvantage of the city, however, is that they do not have any volleyball teams in the junior leagues and therefore have no volleyball past of their own.
- Gangwon-do Gangneung - With 230,000 residents and 500,000 residents in the region, the city has wide potential for professional volleyball. The city also has a volleyball team. The small town of Sokcho, which is located near the town of Gangneung, would be ideal for volleyball. Volleyball is more popular in Sokcho than in other places. The Gangneung Arena, which had a capacity of around 4,000 seats, was converted into a curling center as part of the winter games. The old Gangneung sports hall was demolished in 2016 and replaced by an event location.
Potential corporations
In addition to various cities, some corporations are also interested in establishing professional clubs:
- In particular, MG Saemaeul Safes are trying to enter the league with their companies. The MG Saemaul provided the competition leaders, referee overseers and referees with uniforms. The league clubs also wore the uniforms with MG Saemaul as sponsor. In the past, the MG Saemaeul Bank and an anonymous second bank company were listed as a leading company after the declaration of the withdrawal of the Woori Card in the past to allow a successor club to compete in the league, but the Woori Card waived the exit from the league , no new team was allowed for the time being. It is very likely that MG Saemaeul will own a newly founded 8th club.
But there are also many other financial companies that have not yet been very committed to volleyball that should start a new club. Since lenders and savings banks in particular urgently need an image change, more and more such companies are getting involved in volleyball. Rush & Cathy, OK Savings Bank, J Trust, JT Dividend Savings Bank, etc. have also invested in professional volleyball. The OK Savings Bank was very successful in founding and establishing its own professional volleyball club. J Trust will sponsor SPOTV's JT Awards. The financial sector in South Korea is striving to improve its bad image and it is precisely for this purpose that they promote volleyball, among others.