Reborn women's volleyball club names South Jeolla-Gwangju integrated city as home base
SOOP SOOPers, the seventh club in the V-League women's division, was formerly the Gwangju Pepper Savings Bank AI Peppers but rebranded at the end of last season after its acquisition by SOOP, a streaming service.
The Yeomju Gymnasium in Seo District, Gwangju, is pictured on Sept. 28, 2021. The new SOOP SOOPers volleyball club will use the gym as its home venue.YONHAP
SOOP SOOPers named the newly formed Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, the new name for the merged Gwangju and South Jeolla area, as the club’s home base.
SOOP SOOPers is the seventh club in the V-League women’s division. The team was formerly the Gwangju Pepper Savings Bank AI Peppers but rebranded at the end of last season after its acquisition by SOOP, a streaming service.
The team is expected to use the renovated Yeomju Gymnasium — previously known as the Pepper Gymnasium — as its home venue from the next season, which starts in October.
“The decision to establish […] the club’s home base in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City is meaningful because it marks a new chapter for both regional sports and the city,” Mayor Min Hyung-bae said. “I hope that SOOP’s volleyball club becomes a team that residents can support and […] one that grows alongside the region.”
The club also unveiled its new emblem, featuring an infinity symbol replacing the two O’s in the first “Soop.” A volleyball at the bottom of the emblem symbolizes club operator SOOP’s commitment to running a professional volleyball team and embracing new challenges through sports.
The emblem of SOOP SOOPers
The Korea Volleyball Federation approved SOOP SOOPers’ inclusion in the V-League in June, and the club has since appointed Kim Se-jin as head manager and Jin Soon-ki as chief assistant coach.
The club has also signed Audriana Fitzmorris as its foreign player, Yizhi Xue as its Asian quota player and unrestricted free agents Jeon Sae-yan and Song Eun-chae. The team began training on July 20.
Mayor Min highlighted SOOP SOOPers’ role in the region’s development.
“If the cultural, sports and content capabilities of South Jeolla and Gwangju are brought together, that can create new momentum for growth,” Min said. “I ask for the continued interest and support of our residents so that the volleyball club can become a leading professional sports team that brings the community together and helps build the region’s future.”
The club also pledged to expand its engagement with the local community.
“The Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City will be the foundation on which SOOP SOOPers grow together with our fans,” SOOP SOOPers General Manager Lee Byung-ho said. “We will continue engaging with the local community through a variety of activities so that we can become a beloved club and bring new energy to the region through volleyball.”
BY KIM HYO-KYOUNG [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
