The story behind the Chengdu match in the Central League
On April 1, the official announcement of the Central League, Chengdu will continue to host this year's Central League, joining hands with Dalian to form a district, bearing close to 100 games of the Central League competition.
So why was Dalian, which doesn't have a home team, chosen to host it?
This is actually closely related to the turf condition in Chengdu. Since the bid to host the Chinese League Competition in January, Chengdu has been facing the problem of substandard turf quality, and is still in the process of expedited rectification.
Why is the turf renovation operation urgent and why does it continue to be chosen as a host site?
Because aside from this hardware issue that could be improved, Chengdu really excelled last year.
Text | KWOK KI
The epidemic has become a mark of the 2020 era, and the Central League has been changed to a tournament system as a result. Since July last year, the CFA visited many places to investigate the host city, and Chengdu won the hosting right of the first stage of the division group stage with great enthusiasm and sufficient preparations, and the opening match was played in Shuangliu Stadium. Since then, it has also organized the key Super League group matches through the dedication and professionalism shown during the tournament.
The professionalism of Chengdu can be seen in the fact that all the competitions went off without a hitch for the first time as a conference city hosting the Central League. This success puts Chengdu ahead of other bidding cities when it comes to this year.
Last year's Central League, Chengdu held 45 competitions in 70 days, with a huge workload. Three stadiums, Shuangliu, Longquan and Dujiangyan, took turns to perform heated battles, which was a huge drain on the venues, but Chengdu effectively accomplished the arduous protection work and ensured the smooth running of the tournament. Meanwhile, Wenjiang Base and Sheffield United Soccer Park, which served as practice bases, even hosted some of the competitions while ensuring that the team practiced.
If turf is the big issue right now, then Chengdu has proven with the previous year's practical actions that professionals are the key to solving the problem.
During last year's competition, the Chengdu organizing committee held a morning meeting every day, and because of the epidemic, video conferencing was added. From the instructions of the CFA, to the requirements of each team, to the security management of the stadium, the organizing committee went into every aspect and grasped every detail. At the same time, in order to facilitate the operation during the epidemic prevention and control, the organizing committee has set up different divisions, in which the blue zone of the operation staff did not return home for a whole month. The best comment on their professionalism and enthusiasm is "doing a profession and loving a profession".
Because of the epidemic under the tournament system, Chengdu in the two stages of last year's competition, the cumulative reception of 12 Chinese A clubs, 500 working players, coaches, eating and living together for 70 days. Accommodation for the moment is considered a small problem, the diet is the most influential element of the athletes, players from all over the world, the taste of each dish, nutritional allocation is not an easy task. The medical health guarantee is the basic equipment, the local health commission in the hotel physician on call 24 hours a day, the players early morning abdominal pain, emergency hospitalization to shoot ct and other cases are commonplace. At the same time, the organizing committee specifically purchased two daily output of 500 kg of ice machine placed in the hotel, 24 hours for the team to supply ice.
Large-scale club competitions are not only on the field of play, but also off the field. Fans are the soul of working soccer, and in an epidemic situation, it is not as simple as selling tickets and letting fans into the stadium, but it is even more difficult to take into account the atmosphere. But Chengdu, known as the "Gold Medal City", has always been able to pull off miracles, with giant flags waving, team songs and chants resonating in the stadium. In the closing stages of the league, the topic of whether Chengdu could reach the super league continued to ferment, not only in Chengdu, but also in the whole country has aroused widespread concern. No one would have thought that a soccer match in the Middle League under the epidemic could still be so enthusiastic.
From last year's Chinese League, we can see that Chengdu, which has hosted international competitions time and again, has not only excellent venue hardware, but also a professional tournament organization and operation team. The smooth communication between the local government and the relevant soccer management organizations has contributed to the smooth progress of the league. That's why this year's China League has settled in Chengdu again.
Now, the final competition schedule has not yet been announced by the Chinese League officials, and it is not yet known how the Dalian-Chengdu tournament will be divided. But from the input, the tournament city and the Chinese Super League seat, Chengdu is imperative.
