In an interview on Sept. 30, Qingdao Hainiu vice chairman and general manager Zhang Dong said outright that the city is eager to have a Chinese Super League team to match.
The first three stages of this season's Central League came to an end, Qingdao Manatee was in third place with 50 points. Looking back at the early part of the season, Zhang Dong lamented in an interview, "Qingdao, is in dire need of a Chinese Super League team that can complement the city's image. Sea Cow, as a part of soccer, shoulders the mission to realize this dream."
Veteran coach Yin Tiesheng, who is taking charge of Qingdao Hainiu for the third time this season, praised: "Qingdao has a strong soccer atmosphere, with an influx of reserve talents and enthusiastic fans. President Qiao Weiguang of Zhongneng Group is admired for sticking to professional soccer for many years. This force is the strong motivation for me to join Manatee."
Zheng Long, who returned to his hometown team, said, "19 years of soccer love, this persistence is admirable. The return is a tribute to the legacy and the club's recognition of us, the faraway travelers. Thank you for being there, and I hope we can work together to help the team return to the Chinese Super League."
Talking about the team's youth training construction, Zhang Dong emphasized: "Youth training is the cornerstone of building a '100-year club', we continue to explore and steadily improve, and we expect to find a youth training road suitable for Qingdao and even Chinese soccer. The sustainable development of professional clubs relies on a steady flow of talent. Practice has proved that a good youth training is the key to the improvement of Chinese soccer. Manatee is willing to take root in youth training and cultivate more and better soccer talents for Qingdao, the city of soccer."
