Yangjeongdae’s infectious enthusiasm is the first thing you notice. When I sit down to talk to him, his eyes immediately light up at the words Drone soccer. There’s no denying this isn’t merely a sport to him — it’s a passion, a way of living.”
“I never thought I’d end up here, you know?” he laughs, gesturing around the high-tech training facility of Team Star. “I was just a kid playing with drones in my backyard five years ago.” Now? What I’m doing is captaining a championship team. Funny the way life is like that, huh?”
Yangjeongdae, the star striker on Team Star, the newly crowned Champions of the Jeonju Drone soccer Competition 2024. But as he recalls it, it all began with a lucky break — or if you prefer, a touch of destiny.
It was just thinking like, I am walking home from school one day, and just I came across, and see this small group of people are surrounding around, and it looked like like a glowing sphere. “End it was a Drone soccer match. I was transfixed at the spot for hours. It was sorta like… it’s like if Star Wars pod racing played soccer, you know? From that moment, I was totally hooked.”
Drone soccer, for the unfamiliar, is exactly what it sounds like — soccer played with drones. But it is so much more than that. It’s a high-octane sport in which pilots steer specially designed drones through a spherical arena, attempting to score goals while defending their own. It’s a test of reflexes, strategy and nerves of steel.
“People assume it’s like fancy flying,” Yangjeongdae says, shaking his head. “But I think there’s really much more to it. You have to foresee ten steps ahead, predict your opponent’s moves, interact with your mates… do all of that and make split-second decisions. “It’s chess, but at 100 miles per hour.”
Yangjeongdae’s ascension had been meteoric. From backyard hobbyist to amateur leagues and then the pro circuit, the sport appeared to come naturally to him. But he’s quick to dismiss any idea of innate genius.
“Natural talent? Nah, I just failed faster than everybody else,” he laughs. “I crashed so many drones, I lost track. Yet each crash, I learned something else. It’s about grit, you know?”
It has definitely paid off big time at Jeonju Drone soccer Competition 2024 There were 24 teams competing for bragging rights, and it was stiff competition. But Team Star, led by Yangjeongdae, turned the tables and won.
“That last match… man, I can still get goosebumps just talking about it,” he says, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. “We were losing 2-0 at halftime. Things looked bleak. But in the locker room, we unfearfully took one another in and just knew. We were not going to go down without a fight.”
What ensued was a comeback for the ages. Yangjeongdae scored the only goal of the match in final minutes, as Team Star came back with second-half goals.
“When that buzzer went off … it was like time froze. Then I heard the roar of the crowd and I just lost it. Those late nights training, those sacrifices… it paid off in that moment.”
But for Yangjeongdae, the win is bigger than a personal victory. It’s a validation of a sport he loves, a sport that’s still fighting for mainstream recognition.”
“This is about way more than just a game,” he says. “It’s a portal to the future. The skills we gain here — spatial awareness, fast decision-making, teamwork under pressure — these are transferable skills used in so many disciplines. Search and rescue, environmental monitoring, you name it.’
The Korea Drone soccer Association (KDSA) has played a big role in the growth of the sport, he said. “They’re amazing,” he says. “Always pushing to do better for the sport, to make it more inclusive. “I don’t know if I’d be sitting here talking to you today.”
As for the future? Yangjeongdae is a little giddy with excitement. “We’re just getting started,” he grins. “I want to see Drone soccer in the Olympics. My hope is kids around the world will pick up controllers and start to experience this sport. And who knows? Perhaps one day we will be playing Drone soccer in space. A guy can dream, right?”
Before I conclude I ask him for a piece of advice he could give to video Drone soccer players. He stops to consider, thoughtfully.
“Start small, dream big,” he concludes. “Don’t fear crashing — that’s how you learn. Join a local club, attend pro matches, soak up whatever you can. But most importantly? Have fun. That’s what it all comes down to at the end of the day.”
As we part ways, Yangjeongdae grabs a controller — the call of the practice arena too tempting to ignore. As I watch him effortlessly maneuver his drone with practiced skill, it becomes evident that this is more than a sport for him. It’s a calling.
And I have a feeling we’ll be hearing about Yangjeongdae for some time to come, as Drone soccer takes off to new heights. And why not, in a sport made for up and over, have the guy already well into the stratosphere steer the plane?
