These days, the Jiangsu Football City League has become so popular that the Hupu app added a special “Jiangsu League” channel. Fans love its fun slogans, like “Match comes first, friendship fourteenth”. These jokes show the friendly but competitive spirit between Jiangsu’s 13 cities.
The league’s motto is “Fight for City Honor,” and it’s working! Ordinary people fill the stadiums, cheering for their hometown teams. Organized by the Jiangsu Provincial Administration of Sport and the governments of the 13 cities, the league wants everyone to play and feel proud of their city. The first match started on May 10, and the final will be on November 2.
Players are ordinary people: 85 university students, 69 high school and vocational (职业技术的) school students, 29 professional (专业的) players (which include one high school player and three university players) and 337 amateur (业余爱好的) players from all walks of life. To make more people join and watch, matches are held mostly on weekends, with one round every week. The first and last matches will be broadcast on TV, and other games will stream live online.
Journalist Wu Yuyang says the league is special. It connects soccer with city pride and local life. Players are ordinary people — your neighbors, friends, or colleagues. The stadiums are places where everyone feels like they belong. “This isn’t about being the best,” Wu says, “but about making soccer part of everyday life. Every city now has its own soccer story.”
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