Despite being the oldest in the V-League Women’s Division, her skills and values were recognized. Middle blocker Jeong Dae-young (42)메이저놀이터, who took another ‘change’ after becoming a free agent (FA) after last season, raised his voice, saying, “I want to show my ability more because I have recognized my value.”
GS Caltex announced on the 18th that it had signed a free agent contract with Jung Dae-young. The contract period is one year with a total remuneration of 300 million won (250 million won in annual salary and 50 million won in options). It is an amount far exceeding the total amount of 160 million won he received from Korea Expressway Corporation last season.
On the 19th, a day after the announcement of the transfer, Jeong Dae-young, who was contacted by this magazine, said, “GS Caltex is my parent team. They needed me and acknowledged my worth. I thought it would be nice to show more of my ability in that area,” he said.
Jung Dae-young is a living witness of the V-League. Having stepped on the stage of unemployment volleyball since 1999, he has spent 18 seasons on the court since 2005 when the V-League was launched. After spending three seasons at Hyundai E&C, he returned to GS Caltex, then Korea Expressway Corporation, and then GS Caltex.
He’s still competitive. He is not pushed by his juniors. In the 2022-2023 season, he scored 261 points while playing 143 sets in 36 matches. He set a career high by catching 0.769 blocks per set. He ranked 3rd in blocking and 11th in fast break. He is also the one who can scratch the itch of GS Caltex, which is a weakness in the center, with his rust-free skills.
Jeong Dae-young said, “I think there will be a player with a certain level of skill in my position,” and “I think that if I teach them my know-how and catch them, I can grow into a good middle blocker after 2-3 years.”
It is a reunion with director Cha Sang-hyun. When Jeong Dae-young was at GS Caltex, coach Cha was the head coach. Jeong Dae-young said, “He is a teacher I have seen for a long time. He said, “I know well what kind of style the coach is. When he returns, he wants to improve his body and make good grades.”
Parting with Korea Expressway Corporation was not easy. Jeong Dae-young spent 9 seasons wearing a road construction uniform from the 2014-2015 season. In particular, he shared the joys, sorrows, and sorrows with road construction supervisor Kim Jong-min. Jung Dae-young said, “The director said it would be nice if I didn’t go and caught him. I was also uncomfortable. We relied on each other a lot and listened to a lot…” He said, “It went well, and they congratulated us a lot because we went in good conditions. I worried a lot, but he talked coolly. He laughed, saying, “I’m bored now, so I asked how to live.”
We are now in our 19th season. For a long time, he talked about his daughter Miss Bomin as the driving force to play volleyball. Jeong Dae-young said, “She thinks she should be a confident mother. When she sees Bomin, she can overcome all the hardships,” she said. . It is the driving force itself for me,” he said fondly.