The Chinese Super League is entering a phase of rational business operation, and some smaller teams are beginning to emerge, such as Chengdu Rongcheng, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers and Zhejiang Team, whose overall strength, though slightly inferior to that of Beijing Guoan, Shanghai Harbor, Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua, is still able to show strong competitiveness. After the Chinese Super League clubs succeeded in lowering their operating costs, the lower-level teams have also picked up a higher level of enthusiasm for the Super League, and the league at all levels is moving in a positive direction.
Shandong soccer could be a big winner in 2023. First of all, there are three professional teams in Shandong that are highly regarded, namely Shandong Taishan, Qingdao Hainiu and Qingdao West Coast. Among them, Shandong Taishan and Qingdao Hainiu are based in the Chinese Super League. After a sluggish start to the league, Shandong Taishan exploded in the middle and back of the field to enter the top two in the table. They scored 44 points in 24 rounds, 9 points less than the leading Seaports. With 24 games to go, Qingdao Sea Cowboys are at some risk of relegation, temporarily sitting in 13th place in the Chinese Super League, 5 points more than Dalian Ren in the relegation zone. However, Qingdao Sea Cowboys have been in hot form lately, undefeated in three consecutive victories in the CSL and the F.A.C. Cup, and have a clear advantage in relegation. Meanwhile, there is a certain probability that they will enter the quarterfinals of the F.A.C. Cup with Taishan.
Qingdao West Coast also stole the show as they made huge strides in the Central League, soaring all the way up the table. According to statistics, Qingdao West Coast achieved 13 wins, 7 draws and 2 losses in 22 matches in the Central League, continuing to rank first in the Central League and compete for the title. It can be seen that Shandong soccer team has surpassed another team and is expected to create two grand events in the new season. Firstly, Shandong soccer team participated in the grand event of the Chinese Super League; secondly, Qingdao has two Chinese Super League teams. Recently Qingdao West Coast's status seems to be the only one in the Central League.
The result shows that Qingdao West Coast has been undefeated for 7 consecutive matches starting from 1-0 Jiangxi Lushan in Round 16 to 2-0 Dongguan Dongguan Federation in Round 22 with 6 wins and 1 draw, which makes the overall performance quite stable. Next, there are still 8 rounds of matches in the China First Division League. Qingdao West Coast has entered the countdown to the Super League and China First Division. Currently, it is leading with 46 points, one more than second-place Sichuan Hainiu and four more than third-place Shijiazhuang Kungfu. The competition is still very fierce. According to the regulations, the top two teams of the A will be directly promoted to compete in the next season's Chinese Super League.
Relevant domestic media soccer newspapers have analyzed the development of Qingdao's West Coast, indicating that it is currently full of motivation to go beyond. Thanks to the strong support of the local government, Qingdao's current local support for CSL teams is 20 million RMB. Qingdao Hainiu received this financial support this season; support for CSL teams is 10 million. Various districts in Qingdao have support policies in place to support professional teams. For example, the West Coast New District reciprocates with Qingdao City in providing support. The city of Qingdao gives 10 million dollars of support, and the West Coast New District also gives 10 million dollars of support. As a result, the prize money of Qingdao West Coast will be at least 40 million dollars after the success of the Super League. Considering the current low operating costs of the Chinese Super League, this fee is enough to help the team maintain basic operations.
