Men’s volleyball OK Financial Group has appointed Japanese Ogino Massage (53, photo) as a new commander.
OK Financial Group officially announced the contract with director Ogino on the 29th. Specific contract terms were not disclosed. OK Financial Group’s third command tower, coach Ogino, is the third foreign leader after Roberto Santili (Italy) and Tommy Tillikainen (Finland, Korean Air) in the V-League men’s division. It was the second time for a Japanese commander to take the baton in both men’s and women’s divisions, and Mamoru Bandaira served as a coach and manager (2010-2011 season) at Heungkuk Life Insurance.
From 1988 to 2010, manager Ogino played as a defensive outside hitter for the Suntory Sunbirds in the Japanese league, and experienced seven league championships during his active career. He has won the Isai Receive Award seven times and has been selected in the Best 6 twice. He represented his country at the 1992 Barcelona and 2008 Beijing Olympics.
After retiring in 2010, he managed Suntory from 2010 to 2012 and 2017 to 2019.
OK Financial Group, preparing for the new season, parted ways with head coach Seok Jin-wook and moved to a foreign coach as the next head coach. With foreign coaches of various nationalities on the list, candidates with experience in Asian volleyball were narrowed down. The club conducted interviews with the final three candidates who went through the Japanese league or whose contracts were terminated, and finally selected coach Ogino.
OK Financial Group said, “As a leader, coach Ogino has a wealth of experience, directly or indirectly, through Asian (Japanese) volleyball as well as South American and European volleyball. He also explained the background of the seniority, saying, “Based on the experience of playing as a member of the Japanese national team, which was a rival to Korea, he has a high understanding of Korea’s play style and performance.”안전놀이터
Kwon Cheol-geun, general manager of the OK Financial Group Sports Group, said, “I decided that he was a leader who would reinforce our weak basic skills and defense.” He will have no problem adapting,” he explained.
Coach Ogino said through the club, “I will do my best so that OK Financial Group can lift the championship cup again.”