“Changwon NC Park is a precious asset that has been with Changwon City for over ten years. We will do our best to coexist with Changwon City.”

This was the response given by acting Changwon Mayor Jang Geum-yong during the second plenary session of the 144th Changwon City Council regular meeting on the afternoon of the 23rd when asked about the situation regarding Changwon NC Park. While it may have been a principled response, it is unfortunately not the answer that the NC Dinos desire.

On the 5th, NC revealed 21 demands, including improvements to the baseball stadium facilities, securing a second team training ground, the additional production of a video board, expansion of parking lots, enhancement of public transport routes, expansion of KTX lines, and increased support from Changwon City. The requests were categorized into specific areas such as facilities, accessibility, overcoming local characteristics, and others, asking Changwon City for concrete support and assurances.

There are claims in the community that NC's demands are unreasonable. NC is not asking for much. In fact, the above-mentioned items are not unfamiliar. They are mostly promises that Changwon City made when luring NC. It is behavior akin to spitting in my face to suggest that these demands are unreasonable. NC emphasized, “What the club requested is to establish facilities and infrastructure at the level of other clubs and regions, and to fulfill the promises made by Changwon City when attracting the club,” and stated, “Changwon City’s promise to provide support so that the club can operate independently, especially regarding stadium usage fees, was not honored. As a result, NC has already paid stadium usage fees amounting to 33 billion won. This request is a proposal to fulfill the promise made at the time of attracting the club.”

Regarding the claim of “building a justification for relocation,” the club firmly denied it. The club stated, “The requests communicated by NC to Changwon City are merely proposals for negotiations aimed at sustainable cooperation with the local community, not unilateral demands or pressures. The club has never made such requests on the premise of relocating. This proposal is part of responsible management decisions and negotiations aimed at improving the current situation and maintaining a sustainable mutually beneficial relationship with Changwon City, and the claim of 'building a justification for relocation' is completely untrue.”

NC requested that Changwon City and the Changwon Facilities Corporation manage Changwon NC Park and Masan Stadium in the field of facilities. The NC club requested to manage game supplies and ground maintenance, while asking Changwon City to take charge of overall facilities renovation and management. Citing the example of Ulsan Munsoo Stadium, which served as a temporary home stadium, it reported that Ulsan City is responsible for maintaining and managing all facilities. To improve fan services and auxiliary facilities, it also requested the addition of 2,000 seats in the outfield stands, the expansion of the team store on the second floor, and the additional production of a video board. For player development, NC also requested two practice fields outside Masan Stadium, an indoor training facility, and accommodation for the team. Facilities related to the second team were discussed verbally with the former mayor of Changwon. Expanding the training facilities for the second team is one of the tasks that NC and Changwon City must resolve. Previously, a memorandum of understanding was signed with Gyeongnam Goseong County, but it was canceled, and the repair works related to Jinhea Baseball Stadium were also thwarted due to Changwon City’s obstruction and the complex relationship with the Ministry of National Defense, which owns the land. NC continues to face poor conditions for its second team, which has since roamed to Pohang and Goyang.

To enhance fan accessibility, they demanded expansion of public transport routes (new, via, extension), operation of shuttle buses, additional installation of a steel parking lot (700 spaces) at Masan Baseball Center, and establishment of new parking facilities near the Masan Baseball Center. An increase in KTX services for traveling fans was also included in the demands.

As demands to overcome local characteristics, there are provisions for applying a rental fee reduction for using the facility through an annual 1.3 billion won advertising contract while purchasing 50,000 tickets (about 1 billion won) annually. An NC official stated, “The advertising contract was a pledge made by Changwon City to provide support in a form that allows the club to operate independently when luring. What we are asking is to return the 1.3 billion won annual rental fee through advertising to fulfill the promise,” adding, “Given that audience mobilization is at the bottom, we hope that Changwon City actively purchases annual tickets.” NC demanded that Changwon City provide a response to the above 21 requests by the end of June. Subsequently, it has been reported that Changwon City and NC continue practical discussions under the name of the win-win cooperation committee, but no significant progress has been made.

While discussions are ongoing at the practical level, the only voice from Changwon City that has emerged externally was the response from acting Mayor Jang Geum-yong to the city council's inquiry on the 23rd. Acting Mayor Jang said, “Having a city with a baseball team is a source of pride for us. Changwon City will work harder and strive to show more,” and added, “We will ensure that matters being discussed by NC currently and past grievances do not lead to situations like relocation.”

He added, “We will promptly find alternatives regarding the NC Park issue and do our utmost to resolve it responsibly with NC so that citizens are not disappointed.”

On the 23rd, Gyeongnam Governor Park Wan-soo also mentioned the NC Park issue during the meeting of department heads, stating, “The NC Dinos are an asset of the local community that receives the love of the residents,” and “While NC's demands are matters for Changwon City to review and decide, Gyeongnam Province will also comprehensively examine the feasibility and positive effects on the residents and prepare necessary support measures.”

Following the drop of an external cladding material structured louver that resulted in the death of one spectator and injuries to two others on March 29, Changwon City and the Facilities Management Corporation experienced prolonged suffering due to delayed responses and passing the buck. With Changwon NC Park temporarily closed for safety inspections, the players had to live a nomadic life, leading to increasing disappointment toward Changwon City.

Having played 44 games externally, losses from the stadium advertising rights contract, accommodation costs for the team, compensation for season ticket holders, and damages stemming from the lack of operation of food and beverage outlets exceeded 4 billion won in just two months. The direct and indirect loss amounts to 4 billion won plus more.

On the first day of the reopening of Changwon NC Park on May 31, CEO Lee Jin-man stated, “From a long-term perspective, we want to keep all options open regarding the club's future. This incident has prompted me to feel that a change is needed in the environment surrounding our club,” and added, “We want to seek a partnership that allows us to focus on baseball based on trust. I will consider new possibilities with the mindset of a second founding,” expressing a strong stance.

If there is no proper response from Changwon City, it was a statement that they would consider relocation. Just a year ago, NC was sensitive to the very word 'relocation,' but now it has reached the point of bringing it up themselves.

It has also been confirmed that there are multiple local governments seriously discussing relocation with the NC club. They claim that their conditions are better than the 21 conditions proposed by NC to Changwon City.

As the end of June approaches, when NC requested a response, merely saying, 'We will do our best. We will make an effort' is insufficient. NC has been settled in Changwon City for 14 years so the notion of relocation itself is burdensome. The surroundings of the players and front office are now all in Changwon. The best scenario is for NC and Changwon City to reach a consensus. However, considering the time and scars NC has faced due to neglect from its local base, it is necessary for Changwon City to propose sincere measures and accept the demands. If that is not the case, NC will have no choice but to make a decision.

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