“Corona non-face-to-face? Our club is more open”

[비대면시대 스포츠클럽을 가다 ①] Donggang Public Sports Club

Since 2016, the Korea Sports Association has been operating professional sports and lifestyle sports by integrating them. This is to achieve synergy effects through healthy leisure activities of the people and expansion of the daily sports base. In addition, sports clubs have been introduced and operated to foster advanced sports. There are 8 sports clubs in Gwangju and 25 sports clubs in Jeollanam-do. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sports club activities are greatly reduced, and sports clubs are having a difficult time. We will prepare a place to contain the self-rescue measures and various attempts of sports clubs for vitalizing physical education in the non-face-to-face era.

The Donggang Public Sports Club, located on the Donggang University campus, is positioned as a new vitality of life for residents. Residents of various ages from all walks of life, from elementary school students to the elderly in their 70s, are engaged in sports activities at the Donggang Public Sports Club.

In existing club-centered sports clubs, it is difficult to even find clubs for unpopular sports other than soccer and baseball. Even if they find a club, they are frustrated by the cost that exceeds their expectations. To overcome this limitation, public sports clubs are supporting local residents to learn and enjoy various sports programs at low cost through local sports facilities.

Gwangju City operates a total of eight public sports clubs. Among them, the Donggang Public Sports Club, which opened on the Donggang University campus in March 2019, operates six sports in the field of daily life, including soccer, baseball, table tennis, golf, basketball, and badminton, serving as a base for local people’s daily life.

A total of 305 members are enjoying sports at the Donggang Public Sports Club this year. Although it is different for each sport, it is generally advantageous in that it is possible to receive one-point lessons from one or two professional instructors along with a low price.

Last year, the COVID-19 outbreak while establishing itself as a sports hub in the region was a big crisis for the Donggang Public Sports Club. Sports activities were completely stopped, and members’ footsteps were slow. However, the Donggang Public Sports Club is wisely going through this. First of all, we limit the entrance to one place and conduct a temperature check for all people entering. In addition, hand sanitizer and thermometers were placed everywhere. In addition, with the help of Buk-gu Office, we are doing our best to prevent the spread of Corona by thoroughly disinfecting public exercise equipment and facilities once a week, while conducting temperature checks on employees and leaders and organizing work groups.

Donggang Public Sports Club is different from other sports clubs because it is operated on the Donggang University campus. Donggang Public Sports Club has sublimated this to the unique advantage of Donggang Public Sports Club. First of all, there are no restrictions on accessibility and facility use, so local residents show a high level of satisfaction. In addition, in consultation with Donggang University’s Sports Rehabilitation Training Department, special lectures are held to enhance the professionalism of leaders, while active and open operation plans are being prepared, such as holding lectures on health programs in which local residents can participate.

At the Donggang Public Sports Club, students who enjoyed sports as a hobby took the course of professional elite athletes. The two students who played baseball at Donggang Public Sports Club’s baseball department went on to Gwangju Hakgang Elementary School and Suchang Elementary School, respectively, dreaming of becoming baseball players. Not only in baseball but also in soccer, two dreamers of soccer players entered Daema Middle School in Yeonggwang, Jeollanam-do.

Donggang Public Sports Club is working to create conditions where local residents can enjoy sports in a better environment. Based on excellent coaches such as retired and active players, we are running an exciting weekend physical education school project for students, and we are planning to participate in a sports club professional player development support project by preparing a professional soccer and baseball player class.

Jung Min-gyu, executive director of Donggang Public Sports Club, said, “The Donggang Public Sports Club provides support programs for the disabled and the underprivileged in sports, as well as local residents, who have many difficulties in sports activities that do not enjoy sports welfare. The goal of our Donggang Public Sports Club is to establish an advanced sports welfare system.”

By Lee Jae-hyuk, staff reporter [email protected]