This summer, the super soccer tournament held in the village of Rongjiang, Guizhou Province, has risen to become a hot topic in China's soccer world, and Xinhua News Agency has also paid attention to it. Recently, Xinhua published an in-depth report on the "Village Super" phenomenon, providing us with authoritative information on this soccer event.
The charm of the Village Premier League is self-evident, so how popular is it? Xinhua News Agency revealed that the highest attendance of Village Super League matches has reached 50,000 people, and the cumulative number of viewings on all platforms has exceeded 20 billion. In comparison, the highest attendance of the Chinese Super League this season was only 50,312, so the popularity of the Village Super League is evident.
Rongjiang County's resident population is only 297,000, but the attendance of the village super can be so high, which can not be separated from the local deep soccer culture. According to Rongjiang County Records, soccer was introduced to Rongjiang in the 1940s, and in the 1980s, a popular local saying was: "Learning soccer is the first step to getting a job", while in the 1990s, villagers started the Village Super League in the grassy area by the river in the county town.
Many fans often complain about the lack of playing fields, however, in Rongjiang, this concern does not exist. It was this land that gave birth to the Village Super League.
Recently, some professional soccer media and self-proclaimed soccer pass fans have expressed the view that village super is not beneficial to Chinese soccer. However, Xinhua noted that Rongjiang County has nearly 40 amateur soccer teams and more than 1,200 players. Jia Les, the promoter of the Guangxi Football Super League, has said, "The Village Super League allows everyone to participate in soccer, and the increase in participants will lead to an increase in the soccer population, and the popularity of soccer in China is a top priority."
Some days ago, the national junior team performed poorly in the group stage of the U16 Asian Cup, and some professional media people wrote articles explaining that the coach only had 60 players to choose from. This triggered questions about China's soccer youth training system: why are so many families willing to invest in their children's soccer careers? If the youth training system can take root in the countryside, how will the scope of selection for the national junior team change?
The article of the Xinhua News Agency highlights the unique charm of the Village Premier League, which brings together villagers from all walks of life, such as carpenters, fishmongers, cooks, etc. The organization and operation of the teams are all done by villagers on their own initiative. This proves that soccer can flourish even without a soccer association.
The fire of the village super attracted the attention of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), which even sent a research team. Meanwhile, Guizhou Province and Qiandongnan Prefecture held a conference on education and rectification in the field of soccer. A friendly match planned between the Hong Kong All Stars soccer team and the Village Super League team was thwarted by red tape. The move has led many to wonder if the FA intends to target the Village Super League. Despite repeated denials by the FA, fans remain skeptical.
The FA was also mentioned in the Xinhua article, with professionals stating, "The FA should make a difference, but it should also avoid excessive administrative intervention, so as not to affect the motivation of the masses."
Xinhua also quoted an English fan who opined, "In England, soccer is also an atmosphere. This is exactly how soccer should be."
Some fans are envious of the soccer atmosphere in the United Kingdom but scornful of the Village Premier League. The Village Premier League is not an imitation of community soccer in England, but a spontaneous, popular soccer tournament that reflects the common standards of global soccer. In recent years, Chinese soccer has gradually become an "aristocratic sport" that only a few elite families can afford. Without a broad public base, the performance of the national soccer team will naturally suffer.
