On June 29th, the "T1 Home Day Event", jointly organized by the LCK organizers and the T1 Club, has come to a successful conclusion at the Goyang Stadium in South Korea. This is Riot Games' first League of Legends LCK home event, and the first major LOL home day event, and T1 Club has brought fans an unprecedented viewing experience with its home court advantage. Compared to the previous competitions held in LoL Park, the number of seats for this event has increased by nearly ten times, and it is easier for spectators to buy tickets for offline races, and even some overseas spectators have come to watch the games, which can be said to be quite lively.
In particular, the organizers have reserved a large number of seats for T1 and KT fans, and each club has 500 fan-only support seats, while the other 5,000 seats are sold to the public. There is also an event designed for T1 fans outside the stadium, where players can buy a variety of T1 merchandise, take photos with T1 players, and get gifts and support bracelets, but the organizers have relatively little space for KT fans of the away team. In the sky above the competition venue, various T1 cheering banners were hung, turning the event site into a sea of red, but the organizers did not prepare KT banners.
Before the start of the T1 vs. KT game, enthusiastic girls around the arena led the crowd to cheer on their teams like cheerleaders in a professional baseball game. T1 fans chanted "T1 is the strongest", while KT fans responded with "KT come on", and the voice of support was definitely bigger for T1. This kind of warm atmosphere made us feel that the atmosphere of playing at home is very different from LoL Park, after all, the bigger the venue, the stronger the atmosphere, which is why Riot Games is trying to promote home and away games to improve the cohesion of esports events.
T1 fans remained enthusiastic throughout the game, and judging from the latest reports from Korean media, many viewers said that as home fans, they felt a different excitement than before. The away fans regretted the lack of preparation of the KT club, but they thought that if KT could be prepared, the enthusiasm of the fans could be high. T1 took advantage of its home advantage to prepare a variety of cheering events, including Park Bo-young, a well-known actor who likes to play League of Legends, who personally presented roses to T1 players and provided cheering sticks and other items to the audience, so that fans could cheer for the players even more devotedly.
When the T1 players took turns to enter the arena, the LCK officials gave a lot of close-up pictures to introduce them, but the KT players entered the arena relatively quietly. Despite the relatively small fan area of KT, their enthusiasm has not diminished, and they are more eager to overcome their away disadvantage and cheer on their favorite team. In particular, KT's comeback in the third game boosted the morale of fans, after all, T1 has beaten KT many times in the league. Before the start of the game, all LCK commentators and presenters predicted that T1 would win, and KT's comeback could be said to be a slap in the face.
Although the T1 players lost the match, they managed to collect their hearts and smiles during the post-match fan meeting, trying to make good memories for the audience. The success of the event not only allowed the home fans to enjoy the convenience and passion, but also allowed the away fans to experience a different kind of fun, and many KT fans hope that their clubs will fulfill their previous commitment to hold KT's home day next year. This "home-away" approach has been recognized by fans on both sides, who look forward to more such events in the future, so that the enthusiasm of fans will continue to burn.
Although T1 didn't get the final home day victory, this home event not only showcased the charm of the League of Legends event, but also highlighted the deep affection of fans for supporting the team. Whether at home or away, the enthusiasm of the fans is an integral part of the competition, and their support and anticipation can be unleashed in offline competitions, which will continue to inspire players to create more brilliance on the field. After the success of T1's home day ratings and ticket sales, Riot Games may try more of these big home day events in the LCK League or even the LPL League.