This June, the Chinese men's soccer team will usher in the "warm-up season". Yesterday, the press conference for the 2023 CFA China Dalian International Invitational Soccer Tournament was held at the Barracuda Bay Soccer Stadium in Dalian, where the Chinese team will face Myanmar and Palestine on June 16th and 20th. This is the first appearance of new coach Yang Kovic in China since he took over, and the first official match after the Barracuda Bay Soccer Stadium in Dalian was put into use.
The event is organized by the Chinese Football Association, sponsored by Dalian Sports Bureau, Dalian Urban Construction Investment Group Co., Ltd, Dalian Football Association, Dalian Land Development Group Co. According to the official news released by the Chinese Football Association, Barracuda Bay Football Stadium will host two international A matches on international match days in June, i.e. China vs. Myanmar on June 16th and China vs. Palestine on June 20th. It is worth mentioning that the match between China and Myanmar will be the first official match after the Barracuda Bay Soccer Stadium in Dalian is put into use, which is a really high standard opening match.
Geng Shufeng, party secretary and chairman of Dalian Land Development Group Co., Ltd. said in an interview that it was a great honor for the Chinese Football Association to choose Dalian Barracuda Bay Soccer Stadium to hold the match of the Chinese team: "The Chinese Football Association and Dalian Municipal Government and Dalian Sports Bureau have communicated with each other for many times, and visited many stadiums, and finally chose Dalian, which is a great honor for us. On the one hand, Dalian has the ability to hold matches and has a soccer complex; on the other hand, Dalian Barracuda Bay Soccer Stadium passed the engineering inspection at the end of last year, and in the first half of this year, it completed all kinds of professional inspections and was put into official use. I especially hope that senior matches will be held here."
In my opinion, professional stadiums complement and drive professional soccer and professional teams," he said. Thanks to the Asian Cup, China has built 10 professional soccer stadiums, which are conducive to the level of soccer and the development of professional soccer teams. As one of them, we have a relatively good natural environment. At the same time, Dalian is also blessed with a strong soccer atmosphere and foundation. We have 10 professional soccer stadiums and have reached an alliance in the pre-operation. We want to work together to promote the implementation of high-level tournaments in China and improve the level of soccer. We hope that Barracuda Bay can stand out among these stadiums and do a good job of hosting, organizing and integrating operations. The biggest difference between us and other stadiums is that the government is fully invested, and this is a livelihood project. Our pressure is two-way. On the one hand, it's the development of professional teams and professional events, and on the other hand, it's the development of the stadium for all citizens and even fans around the world. It has two functions."
After careful study and evaluation of the match-related units, Dalian Yongxiang Sports Industry Development Co., Ltd. decided to become the only ticket operation agent of the match. For the fans most concerned about the ticketing issue, Dalian Yongxiang Sports Industry Development Co., Ltd. ticketing manager Cui Yi said: "We observed the venue, viewed the stands, discussed the relevant ticketing plan, plans to build two north and south stands. The South Stand is for local and northeastern Dalian fan organizations, and the North Stand is for national fan organizations. We were tasked to enter the stadium and set up a team with years of experience working to secure the game. Ticket prices have not yet been set, but within reason, we must maximize the viewing needs of fans across the country and set ticket prices closer to the people so that more fans can attend the matches. Fans can follow the official WeChat account Yongxiang Sports. As newer and more accurate news comes in, we will post it on there."
As a representative of Dalian fans, Chang Jun, executive vice president of the Dalian Fan Association, also welcomed the fans from all over the country: "It has been several years since Dalian has hosted a high-standard international A-grade tournament. Dalian fans are looking forward to it. This is also a showcase for the city of Dalian. In order for fans from all over the country and the world to pay attention to Dalian and understand it, they need this kind of soccer tournament to boost their morale. As a representative of Dalian fans, I am ready to support the national team. I hope that fans from all over the country will come to Dalian to visit, travel and sightsee. Now fans from the "Dragons" and other places are contacting me for help in booking hotels, trips and so on. I welcome them too."
