In a suburban stadium on the outskirts of Melbourne, two teams gather to play ball.

The crowd is modest but dedicated; the game is significant but low profile.

And yet, hundreds of thousands of people across the world are watching it unfold on live broadcast.

“It’s staggering how a little stadium in the western suburbs of Melbourne has so many eyeballs on it,” said Justin Huber, general manager of the Melbourne Aces baseball club.

The Aces were up against KT Wiz, one of three teams from South Korea’s professional KBO League to hold training camps and pre-season “exhibition games” in Australia this year.

South Korea is one of the biggest baseball markets outside of the United States, with 12 million spectators attending games in the 2025 season and star players earning million-dollar salaries.

And fans hope the visits to Australia by a third of the teams in South Korea’s national league will be great for baseball and business.

“We’re putting a huge spotlight on the sport,” Mr Huber said.

“We expect that what they will leave behind is a legacy, one that we can capitalise on.”

Why the world’s best come down under

In Australia, baseball may lack the facilities or fanfare of AFL or cricket but that hasn’t stopped some of the best players in Asia from visiting.

South Korean teams have been coming for several years to escape the blistering, winter conditions of their homeland and to train for their upcoming season in a country with a good climate and similar time zone.

There are also increased cost pressures and competition for facilities in other baseball training hubs like Japan’s Okinawa and the US state of Arizona.

KT Wiz recruit Lee Kang-Min said Australia’s good weather and well-maintained grounds made it a great place to train.

“A lot of [Australian] guys have been physically strong and have the power to make a hard contest,”

he said.

“If they continue to develop themselves, they’re going to be really great players.”

KT Wiz relief pitcher Son Dong-hyun said there were benefits both on and off the field.

“Practising is really hard work, so when we have days off we want to refresh ourselves,” he said.

“And the nature here helps a lot.”

Sports diplomacy is big business

Baseball advocates want to ramp up investment in fields and facilities so Australia can establish itself as an international training hub.

The City of Greater Geelong has already started, spending $800,000 to redevelop their baseball centre to accommodate more multi-national competition.

It could be just as good for business as it is for baseball.

South Korea is Australia’s fourth-largest trading partner and third-largest export market, largely thanks to billions of dollars’ worth of exports of commodities like iron ore, coal and gas.

And the vast majority of teams in the KBO are owned by “chaebols”, massive, family-owned conglomerates that dominate the South Korean economy.

The owner of the Hanwha Eagles, a team which visited Victoria this year, is even building self-propelled howitzer weapons in Geelong through its subsidiary Hanwha Defence Australia.

Liz Griffin, chief executive of the Australia-Korea Business Council, said baseball provided “a fantastic opportunity” to build relationships and “expand cultural understanding”.

“Sports brings people together. It helps create familiarity to help build that trust,” she said.

“Korea is only our 19th largest investor, so there’s significant opportunity to strengthen that stat and bring more Korean investment into Australia.”

Headhunters and TV deals

Back on the pitch, South Korea’s media has been closely following KT Wiz and the Hanwha’s Eagles’ trips to Victoria and the Doosan Bears in New South Wales.

Their games were broadcast on Korean TV channel KBSN Sports and streaming service SOOP thanks to a deal brokered with the Melbourne Aces.

US sports commentator Andrew Henderson fronted the Aces’ coverage this season and said a million people had watched them play the Hanwha Eagles on YouTube alone.

“Baseball is the national pastime in America,” he said.

“But I would say it’s even bigger in those countries [South Korea and Japan].

“They are baseball crazy countries, which I absolutely love.”

Baseball enthusiasts hope that all this international attention will grow the sport in Australia.

Mr Huber said hosting South Korean teams also provided an opportunity for Australians to be headhunted.

“We’ve already seen our shortstop, Jarryd Dale, just sign with the Kia Tigers,” he said.

“He will play in the KBO this year and make a good living doing that.”

But further development of the sport in Australia and more engagement from international teams is limited by investment.

Channelling iconic baseball film Field of Dreams, Mr Huber said: “If you build it, they will come.”

“If you’ve got seven more venues here in Melbourne, there’s a good chance to get seven more teams,” he said.

“It’s our job to put it out there and get more people excited.

“We’ve certainly got the base and the foundation to grow this into something really special.”