Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Homeplus hosts youth futsal tournament with P&G Korea
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Homeplus CEO Lim Il-soon, left, and P&G Korea General Manager Balaka Niyazee pose for a photo at a futsal tournament hosted by the two companies at a Homeplus store in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, April 6. Courtesy of Homeplus
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Homeplus has partnered with P&G Korea to co-host the 2019 Play Cup Youth Futsal Festival, which will run until June 8, at HM Futsal Parks at five Homeplus outlets across the nation.
The HM Futsal Parks are located on the rooftops of Homeplus outlets in the Ilsan branch, Gaya Busan branch, east Daejeon branch, Nam-gu Ulsan branch and Jeonju Wansan branch.
The futsal courts, each 42 meters long and 22 meters wide, were created in response to the growing number of futsal players in Korea.
The company transformed unused spaces into entertainment areas, encouraging sports and social interaction among children.
This year's tournament features 120 children's football clubs and 1,200 youth futsal players.
The event provides an opportunity for children to spark an interest in sports activities, according to Homeplus.
Apart from holding futsal tournaments, Homeplus and P&G Korea will hold brand promotional events as part of their corporate social responsibility activities.
The two companies plan to donate part of their profits to charity, including single-parent families as well as underprivileged children.
Building leisure facilities within shopping centers is a growing trend in Korea as many companies seek to provide both entertainment and shopping at retail stores.
A Homplus official said they expect futsal courts to become a platform for customers to engage in in-store experiences.
“The rooftop futsal park is a good example of how we can utilize the unused space of a large shopping mall,” Homeplus CEO Lim Il-soon said. “We will continue to turn empty spaces like these into fun areas where customers can visit and engage in leisure activities.”
“As part of our CSR activities, we hope to encourage young children to follow their dreams and foster development of local communities,” P&G Korea General Manager Balaka Niyazee said