The NC Dinos baseball team had no choice but to be distraught. However, the immediate reality is that there is no time to feel that way. They need to find a new nest.

On the 2nd, NC made a major announcement. NC stated that 'the meeting to check the implementation of safety measures, attended by representatives from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, could not conclude on the specific reopening schedule for Changwon NC Park,' and added that 'this meeting was held as part of the actions in response to the safety inspection points raised by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the decision was made to postpone the reopening schedule indefinitely based on the judgment that fundamental safety measures for Changwon NC Park's facilities are necessary.'

NC has now decided to prepare a temporary alternative stadium to be used for a limited time this year. The club noted that 'while cooperating as much as possible with the safety inspection procedures for Changwon NC Park, and to prevent disruption of the KBO League, it has been decided to discuss the provision of a temporary alternative home stadium for the 2025 season with the KBO,' stating that 'the club believes that fundamental measures are urgently needed for the safety of citizens, the operation of the player team, and the smooth progress of the KBO League, and plans to quickly determine the decision and operational plan for the temporary alternative home stadium with the KBO.'

It was added that 'to ensure the safety of citizens, we plan to actively cooperate in the fundamental repairs and safety measures for Changwon NC Park, and we will proceed with all processes considering the stability of the league and the safety of the player team as a top priority.'

The repercussions of the human casualty incident that occurred at Changwon NC Park on the 29th of last month were leading to disruptions in the league. A tragedy occurred when a louver, an aluminum exterior finishing material (2.6 meters long, 40 cm wide, weighing 60 kg), fell, resulting in the death of one spectator.

Afterward, NC entered an emergency safety examination. Although there was a blame game between the Changwon Facilities Corporation and Changwon City, a joint task force was formed, and under the initiative of the Changwon Facilities Corporation, an additional detailed safety examination was conducted for cross-checking. Subsequently, a facility accident investigation committee consisting of nine external experts was formed to discuss the reopening of Changwon NC Park, and all 227 louvers that caused the accident were removed. Previously, three louvers that posed a risk were proactively removed.

It seemed that the reopening of Changwon NC Park was imminent. The NC club was also hopeful that it could host the Children's Day series against the KT Wiz from the 5th to the 7th. Most of the club expressed, 'I hope we can host the Children's Day series.' Despite the unfortunate accident, everyone at NC and the players were getting exhausted. However, the atmosphere of the safety measure implementation inspection meeting held on the 2nd was surprisingly serious, and ultimately, the reopening schedule was postponed indefinitely.

As a result of the Changwon NC Park incident, the KBO League schedule proceeded with disruptions. Following the accident, the home games against SSG on the 1st to the 3rd were canceled. Then they had to play away matches. The home game schedule against Lotte from the 11th to the 13th was held at Lotte's home field, Sajik Stadium, as the home team. Although they wore home uniforms and settled the revenue as the home team, it was essentially an away game. Subsequently, the home games against Doosan from the 15th to the 17th were canceled due to circumstances that made it impossible to exchange stadiums. The home series against Samsung from the 25th to the 27th was carried out by exchanging the schedule with a three-game series on August 19-21 in Daegu, and the KIA series, originally scheduled for April 29-May 1, was also exchanged with the game in Gwangju on August 8-10.

The NC player team has been living on the road for over a month. As the team continues its repeated stays in away accommodations, they are getting exhausted. With no proper training venue available, they practice swings in their rooms and train on the rooftop of their accommodations. The environment is severely inadequate. The front office is also working tirelessly to create an environment that meets the team's needs, but there are many situations where conditions do not allow it.

Players expressing 'I want to go home' reflects their longing to play home games. However, for the time being, they cannot play games at home in Changwon. The inability to use Changwon NC Park, which opened in 2019 and was praised for being a state-of-the-art facility, is naturally disappointing for both the team and the fans.

They can no longer play away games, and disruptions to the league schedule must be prevented. They are leaving Changwon but need to find an alternative home stadium. However, realistically, the options for NC are limited. Changwon Masan Stadium, which is used as a home field for the Futures League, has become an environment unsuitable for first-team games. The field itself is fine, but adjustments have been made to the structures to the extent that spectator entry is impossible. The training ground for players is now situated in the original spectator movement paths.

Ultimately, they need to look outside of Changwon. The most likely alternative stadiums are Ulsan Munsu Stadium, used as Lotte's second home stadium, and Pohang Stadium, which is Samsung's second stadium. Although the distance is far, there is also Cheongju Stadium, Hanwha's second stadium, which has a thirst for first-team games.

However, considering the distance from Changwon and the environment of the stadium, Ulsan Munsu Stadium seems to be the most viable alternative. Recently, they have been improving their infrastructure through artificial turf replacement work, and Ulsan Mayor Kim Du-gyeom has been showing interest in baseball, maintaining a close relationship with KBO Commissioner Heo Gu-yeon. Last year, the KBO Fall League, a training league for promising players, was also held with extensive support from Ulsan City.

Further disruptions to the league schedule must be prevented. But NC finds itself having to play inconvenient home games. Where will NC go from here?

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