The women’s FA (free agent) contract, which will be the basis for the new season’s power composition, ended on April 22nd.
20 people, including 15 A-class people, poured into the market. Seven clubs invested 5.982 billion won in a one-year contract (salary + option) with them. It was a money feast. Among them, there were 5 transfers to other teams that would affect her strength. Compared to the male division, which only had one player, the female division was exciting.
Due to the nature of the V-League Women’s Division, where supply cannot keep up with demand, the competition to recruit free agents is similar to the stock market. One team’s gain is the other’s loss. In that respect, the Asian Quarter Draft, which was held the day before on the 21st, was another opportunity to reinforce power. The club invested about 930 million won in the seven Asian quotas. If you compare the amount of money spent on native free agents after the upcoming season, you will be able to determine which investment is more reasonable.
What kind of profit and loss statement did the seven women’s clubs accept with this player reinforcement?
●Pepper Savings Bank spent the most money
It was a really big hand. He paid 4.685 billion won just for the contracts of four free agents. He invested close to 6 billion won, including the amount of FA compensation to be given to road construction, etc. As rumors have been circulating in the meantime, I have aimed for free agents Bae Yoo and Kim Yeon-kyung, but I almost left empty-handed. Fortunately, he took a breather by recruiting Park Jung-ah. He reinforced the determination and height of the outside heater position, which was the most needed part of the team. Recruiting Chae Seon-ah, who had no compensation player, made her receiving and defense stronger than before. He also caught the domestic rabbit Lee Han-bi, who was the first option among native players last season. Outside heater reinforcement is the most significant. In addition, Oh Ji-young, a libero brought from GS Caltex during last season, was also embraced.
The height of the center, which has been a weakness since its founding, was reinforced by selecting MJ Phillips (Philippines, 182cm) from the Asian Quarter. Now, in the selection of foreign players and the rookie draft, we expect good luck with 35 marbles in the first place. If you have Kim Se-bin (Hanbomgo), the biggest newcomer, and a foreign player, your hopes for spring volleyball will become a reality. On the other hand, this FA contract greatly exceeded the salary cap. Some of the existing members need to be let go. The variable is which setter Park Jung-ah, the main gun, works with. For the past two years, Park Jung-ah’s attack success rate has been on a roller coaster depending on the setter. It is worth remembering how the current team’s main setter, Lee Go-eun, worked with Park Jung-ah during the road construction period.
GS Caltex reinforces the most necessary parts with extra salary cap
There was no room for the salary cap in the wind, which was at the top for four consecutive seasons. Last year, setter Ahn Hye-jin remained as a free agent, and the rest of the players had to reduce their salaries. Although it barely prevented a power outage, it fell to 5th place in the 2022-2023 season due to its aftereffects and weakness in height. After trading Oh Ji-young and Lee Won-jeong and Kim Yu-ri retired, I now have more energy. Including the increase in the salary cap, he jumped into the competition to recruit free agents. The players who coveted were Bae Yoo-na and Park Jeong-ah of Korea Expressway Corporation. He got Jeong Dae-young as a substitute. It was a B grade with no reward players, and I decided that young players would serve as pillars in a team with many players. Rather than participating in all games, I expect to play a big role in training attitudes, living in the dorm, and when there is a war of nerves with the opposing team. The house rabbit Civilization and Han Su-jin were also caught, and the power leak was prevented as much as possible. It is regrettable that the height was not reinforced in the lower order in the Asian Quarter. The most wanted player was the tall Megawati. When the sixth turn came, Mehdi Yoku (Indonesia, 170cm) was nominated. It is a brave nomination worthy of director Cha Sang-hyun, who has always made unexpected choices.
●Heungkuk Life Insurance, who caught Kim Yeon-kyung and recruited friends,
When Kim Yeon-kyung said that he would go to a team that could win a combined championship, Heungkuk Life Insurance took an emergency. In the meantime, the club asked for “play for one more year,” but it did not give an easy answer. He also made strange remarks as if he was going to cut off his affection. In the end, it was ‘even if you hate it again’. In a situation where he was worried about the 50% salary cap depletion rate if he left, Kim Yeon-kyung’s remaining box office guaranteed a new season. In return, he recruited Kim Su-ji, a friend Kim Yeon-kyung wanted. It is a card that will compensate for the weakness of the center height that Na-hee Kim kept. The other recruit is burdened by public opinion. The height of the team has risen, but the root cause of not winning even with the best one-two punch has not been resolved.
Ahead of the Asian Quarter, local coaches were most worried that Ponpun would wear Heungkuk Life’s uniform. He took the bottom position and chose Reina Tokoku (Japan, 177cm). Thanks to this, he has one less worry when handing over compensation players to IBK Industrial Bank. There will be no major problems in the 2023-2024 season when Win Now is selected, but you have to worry about the next time Kim Yeon-kyung leaves a year later. He took a breather by catching Kim Hae-ran’s successor, B-class libero Do Soo-bin.
● The veterans in their 30s and 40s of the road construction who had not been able to become members of this group
worked as a miracle, but the winning party ended early. Park Jung-ah and Jung Dae-young left the team among the main players in the championship. I couldn’t catch all 5 FA players anyway. The club prioritized negotiations with Bae Yu-na. While Park Jung-ah was contemplating between various clubs, Jung Dae-young left first. Instead, she made Moon Jeong-won sit down. There is no major change in receiving and defense, which are the strengths of the team, because there is Libero Lim. However, it is necessary to find a way to fill the gap in the attack and height left by Park Jung-ah. Tanacha Soksot (Philippines, 180cm) was chosen as the 4th place in the Asian Quarter. For the road construction company, a cow entered an empty house. With the transfer of Park Jung-ah, Jeon Se-yan got lucky. The club was in a position to consider signing and trading, but as there was room for the salary cap, I stayed on good terms. Pepper Savings Bank is contemplating what kind of compensation players to bring. There is also a possibility of choosing 300% compensation, thinking about next year rather than this year. If that happens, it will be more difficult for Pepper Savings Bank to organize the players. There was a lot of criticism for not changing the generation, but when Jung Dae-young left, the vacancy seemed big. The successor Lee Ye-dam’s growth is still slow. The empty center and weak attack power are uneasy. 먹튀검증
●Hyundai E&C, who had a big hole in the left two digits,
trusted only Kim Yeon-kyung, but got hit in the back of the head. Even though there was no room for the salary cap, he said, “I want to go to a team that can win a combined championship,” and we started negotiations. In the end, he left empty-handed. To make matters worse, Hwang Min-kyung, the captain of the housekeeper who was in charge of receiving, left. Anxiety increased. Go Ye-rim’s return to the new season is uncertain due to knee surgery. The two main outside hitters disappeared overnight. Jung Ji-yoon, who will fill their void, is less attractive than when playing middle blocker. In the Asia Quarter, he caught outside heater Weepawee Sitong (Thailand, 174cm) in second order. Once the fire was extinguished. Libero Kim Yeon-gyeon was also retained to stabilize the defense first. The center is still the best among the 7 clubs, but for a middle blocker to live, a stable receive is the priority. I wonder what kind of compensation players will be brought from IBK Industrial Bank. As the ranking of foreign player selection marbles is not high, the attack power is expected to weaken. Hwang Yeon-joo and Chung Si-yeong, who are new B-level players, are essential players for the current team even if they do not shine.
●I kept the veteran rabbit, but KGC Ginseng Corporation, worried about the disappearance of attack options 1 and 2,
did not participate in this FA player recruiting war. The goal was an internal crackdown. As desired, the main setter Yeom Hye-sun and veteran Han Song-i remained. Losing Chae Seon-ah to Pepper Savings Bank was a loss, but in order to become a winning team anyway, we had to nurture young outside hitters. The problem is the gap between Lee So-young and Elisabeth. The two were responsible for the big offense from the left and right last season. 1472 points were combined. Housekeeper Lee So-young, who had 875 receives and 716 digs, does not know when he will return due to his shoulder surgery. There is no foreign player to replace Elisabeth’s offensive RBI and power, who refused to renew the contract. Fortunately, in the Asian Quarter, he caught Mega Watty Peter Wi (Indonesia, 185cm), who has good offense and height. He was the player the team needed the most right now. With that choice, I was able to afford to select an outside hitter as a foreign player. Like Hyundai E&C, the middle blocker is still strong, but the weaknesses of both wings still seem large. The possibility of spring volleyball seems high if we find the fundamental reason why the performance fluctuates every game or set.
● IBK Industrial Bank, who gave up center and strengthened receiving,
gave up middle blocker Kim Su-ji and recruited wing spike Hwang Min-kyung. Regarding this choice, the evaluation of volleyball fans is divided into extremes. Coach Ho-cheol Kim took the place of Santana and looked for a player who would take charge of the attack on the left side and hold on in receiving. The recruits were Park Jung-ah and Hwang Min-kyung. Due to internal circumstances, Park Jung-ah could not be caught. Instead, he brought Hwang Min-gyeong, with whom he constantly exchanged stories. There was no intention to contract with Kim Soo-ji from the beginning. I decided to break up early for the sake of team harmony and a break with the bitter past. We look forward to a variety of choices for Heungkuk Life Insurance’s compensation player to fill the position Kim Su-ji left. There are many cards to choose from, such as a middle blocker, a young wing striker, and a promising setter who will fill the spot until Kim Hee-jin, who has entered rehabilitation, returns. There is also the possibility of further trade with other clubs.
In the Asia Quarter, I was lucky to be ranked first. Without hesitation, he chose the coveted setter, Phonpun Gedpard (Thailand, 173cm). No one knows what effect the foreign setter will have on the team, but it is attractive in terms of skills alone. If the setter’s pass speed increases in a situation where moving volleyball is selected, there is a high possibility that all the stats of the strikers will go up. In the foreign player selection, if you catch only the apogee spiker optimized for Ponpun’s pass speed with 30 marbles, spring volleyball seems possible. Instead, homework remains on how to deal with the four existing setters.