In the V-League for the 2024-2025 season, six of the 14 men’s and women’s volleyball teams have foreign coaches. That’s the most ever. We asked men’s head coach Tommy Tilikainen of Korean Air, OK Financial Group’s Ogino Massa, and women’s head coach Marcello Abondanza of Heungkuk Life, who will lead their teams next season, about the V-League in written interviews.
The biggest surprise for the foreign coaches in the V-League was the player salaries. “Compared to Europe, I think it’s really unrealistic,” Abondanza said. Based on player registrations for the 2023-2024 season (excluding rookies), the average salary for men is KRW 229 million, while the average salary for women is KRW 152 million. This is more than the average salary of a player in the top European leagues (estimated). “I think it’s a little bit unequal in the world nowadays when there’s a difference between the salaries of women and men, or when there’s a different system,” 메이저 토토사이트 Abondanza said.
Foreign managers have similar concerns about the quality of the V-League. “The V-League would be more active if foreign and Asian players were handpicked for teams instead of having tryouts,” Ogino said. “It’s also necessary to expand the number of foreign players and raise the level of the league,” said Abondanza. There were also suggestions to reduce the number of matches. “How about a postseason after four rounds (currently six rounds),” said Ogino.
“It’s impossible to get taller, but it’s always possible to learn new skills and find moments when you can use them better,” Tilikainen said of the team’s competitiveness. “I think we have enough individual abilities, such as height and power (which many people say we lack). We need to work on upgrading our individual skills and techniques and team organization,” Ogino said, adding, “Korean volleyball has young players with good qualities. Like Japan, the young players will get better as they gain experience,” he said.
The foreign coaches saw a lot of positives that could lead to a bigger league. When asked about the appeal of the V-League, Tilikainen said, “It has a great environment. The system of broadcasting volleyball every day will be an opportunity to popularize the sport.” “The passionate fans, the high level of media and events,” said Abondanza.