Dan aims to promote Wimbledon in local community
believes that staging such events can extend the club’s links with the local Asian community.Dan SuhAFC Wimbledon Korea Day provided extra spice for supporters at Saturday’s Accrington Stanley match and
Dan (pictured above), who is Managing Director at Korea Foods, the UK distributor of club sponsors Nongshim, said that around 70 New Malden-based Koreans attended Saturday’s match and he hopes that they will be encouraged to come back in future.
“This day is about trying to work with the community because we have around 20,000 Koreans who live in the local area,” Dan said. “We want to encourage them to understand what AFC Wimbledon is all about and at the same time for Dons fans to know a bit more about the Korean community. It is good fun and today we have a tent with Nongshim noodle samples, and we are also providing Korean burgers and Korean lager.
“It is about building bridges between the two communities. I am a second generation Korean, but I am also a football fan and I really want to try and work together with AFC Wimbledon to promote the club in the local community. A lot of the Asian people over here support clubs like Chelsea or Man United, but AFC Wimbledon is a unique club and hopefully we can get Koreans to come back here time and time again. It is a slow-burner and it may take time, but we’re in it for the long haul, and that will include continuing with the club if it moves to Plough Lane.
“We had about 70 Koreans here today, which is an improvement on last time, and next time we do this we will try and get over 100. We need to keep giving them reasons to come back. AFC Wimbledon has a special place in my heart because I was the Brentford representative at the first WISA meeting at the Merton Civic Centre when the club was set-up. It is great to be involved with this fans-owned club.”
Many supporters will have witnessed the “dance-off” between Haydon the Womble and Korea Foods mascot Shin Cup at half-time on Saturday and Dan said that he hopes to add other fun events in the future.