Multiple factors contributing to the fire
In the past three years, due to various reasons, the Super League could only be held under the match system and in most cases, there were no spectators to watch the matches. After the resumption of home and away matches this year, fans have become very enthusiastic about watching the matches. In addition, many new professional soccer stadiums have been put into use, which has attracted more fans to watch the games and clock in at the venue.
Two clubs, Beijing Guoan and Chengdu Rongcheng, contributed nearly a quarter (24.7%) of the 4.76 million spectators, according to publicly available data. Tianjin Jinmen Tigers and Shandong Taishan had more than 400,000 viewers, while Shanghai Shenhua had nearly 400,000 viewers. Jinmen Tigers, Taishan, Shenhua, Beijing Guoan and Chengdu Rongcheng make up the five "gold medal markets" for the 2023 Chinese Super League.
For example, eight teams, including Dalian Ren, Qingdao Hainiu, Henan, Changchun Yatai, Wuhan Sanzhen, Shanghai Seaport, Nantong Zhiyun, and Meizhou, have an attendance of more than 220,000 people, with an average attendance of more than 15,000 people per game. Qingdao Youth Soccer Stadium, for example, is far away from downtown Qingdao, but after it was put into operation in April this year, it has become a hit spot for Qingdao citizens and foreign tourists on every match day. Many foreign fans organize groups to come to Qingdao to watch matches and it is gradually becoming a new trend. According to the site management, the Qingdao Youth Football Stadium has an average of more than 25,000 spectators this season, even on weekday evenings or
More and more young fans are clocking in at the ballpark
Song Wenxiu, 88, as a famous senior fan of Qingdao, has witnessed the rise and fall of Qingdao's football market: "When he first played in the First Division League, the old Manatee's home stadiums were mainly Hongcheng Stadium and Yizhong Stadium. When he entered the Chinese Super League, it was changed to Tiantai Stadium. This year, he switched to Chengyang. in 1995, when he first won the league and the 2002 FA Cup, it was really hard to get a ticket." . In the beginning, the market for Tiantai was also good. Then, after the team was relegated, there were fewer and fewer fans. This year, the team went back to the Premier League. I couldn't endure the long journey due to my health, but I did go to the site several times. I think the stadium is very young.
This year, the reporter visited the stadium line several times, found that in addition to the old fans can continue to go to the stadium, Chengyang, Jiaozhou and other places of the new fans for the attendance made a great contribution to the increasing number of young fans. In addition, among the fans who watched the game this year, more female spectators joined the game in addition to many soccer fans. Some of them were soccer fans, some accompanied their relatives and friends who were fans, some were "fan sisters" of some Manatee players, and some came to the stadium to take pictures and then joined the fun through social media. A large number of female spectators entered the stadium to watch the game, contributing to this year's popular stadium!
Again, take a youth soccer stadium for example. The stadium's north and east stands tend to be the same color. Most fans entering the stadium wear the same orange color as the Manatees uniforms. During halftime, there is time for expressions of love, a post-game chorus and a light show. They have a wonderful concert-like feeling while enjoying the soccer game.
The level of competition needs to be further improved
With the exit of the Jinyuan soccer tide and the departure of many big-name foreign players, the Chinese Super League still needs to further improve its technical and tactical content. For example, in this season's AFC Champions League, several leading Chinese Super League teams still struggled mightily against Japanese, South Korean and even Southeast Asian teams. The gap between the whole and the individual is very obvious, especially when the opponents suddenly become very passive after getting used to the slow-paced game of the Chinese Super League.
For example, this season's league champions Shanghai Harbour lost to Thai team Pathum United at home in the qualifying rounds, which was a huge surprise, while league third-place finisher Zhejiang, who remained undefeated in the second half of the Chinese Super League season, lost outright against Thai team Buriram United and Japanese B-team Kofu Fung Lam. Wuhan Sanzhen, last season's league champions, even lost to Vietnam's Hanoi a few days ago, making the qualification situation extremely slim. Even Shandong Taishan, who have an excellent record in the AFC Champions League, lost at home to Japanese team Yokohama Mariners. Although they beat the South Korean team Incheon United, they relied more on targeted tactics, strong willpower and outstanding performances from key players.
For CSL teams, the next task is to further increase the pace of play, further increase the net game time, further increase the spectacle of the game, and ultimately increase the technical and tactical content of the game. However, in the 2023 season, the CSL's net game time has dropped across the board, especially with the large number of video referee reviews and delaying tactics such as players "laying on the ground" taking up too much time. Next, I hope that more clubs will make the shift to a faster pace based on intense rivalry, which is not only responsible for Chinese soccer, but also for themselves and their fans.
Next year's Super League is expected to start in March
According to the Chinese Football Association (CFA), the CFA and the competition management department of the CFA's "Preparatory Group" have designed the schedule for the new domestic three-tier professional league season, taking into account the 2024 calendar finalized by FIFA and AFC. The new season of the Chinese Super League is expected to begin in early March next year. This year's Dec. 5 is the first "make or break" date for each team. Once the clubs concerned fail to submit their visit materials within the time limit, they will lose their eligibility to participate in the league next season.
Due to a delay in league access at the end of last year, the 2023 season didn't officially start until April 15th. In an effort to "rush", the league's early schedule was too intensive, resulting in too many injuries for each team. Comparatively speaking, the Premier League and tournament leagues will have enough time to prepare for the 2024 season. After the 2023 season, most of the clubs (relegated clubs at all levels of the league) have the maturity to compete, including venue hardware. They are familiar with all kinds of preparations. They can calmly welcome the new league season. We also look forward to a more exciting Super League next year.
