Soccer, a team sport that carries deep patriotic feelings, has become the best carrier of patriotic education.
As the game came to an end, the enthusiasm in the audience did not dissipate. More than 40,000 fans held cell phones and sang the five-star red flag in unison, and the Chinese men's soccer warriors weaved in and out of the songs, interacting with the enthusiastic fans for a whole week.
With tears glistening in their eyes, the volunteers were thrilled to say, "This is the first time I've ever witnessed the National Football League live, and it's just so touching."
In the past, there were always people who blamed the lack of soccer culture for China's soccer woes. Former national soccer coach Lippi also confessed in an interview with Italian television that "China's soccer level is not as low as the outside world imagines, what we lack is just a soccer culture."
However, it takes time to cultivate a soccer culture, and national team games are undoubtedly the best stage to showcase it.
Two days before the match, the Football Association organized the "China Team Public Welfare Activities Parent-Child Family Experience Day", inviting 12 young fans to feel the atmosphere of the Sino-Singapore match in advance. During the visit to the dressing room of the Chinese team, the children left their blessings on the stickers for the brothers of the national football team. After watching the national soccer team train, the children's enthusiasm was high, "Everyone has a national flag on their chest, which makes people feel incredibly solemn." The little fans said that this experience will inspire them to work harder and play for their country when they grow up.
As the game approached, fans were enthusiastic about cheering for the national team. Three hours before the match, the Fan Carnival opened on the second floor of the Water Drop Stadium. Ford Bowl and the Chinese team sponsors prepared a wealth of activities and trivia games for the fans.
The "Cheer 8" activity at the live bar not only cheered for the national football team, but also won small gifts, further igniting the pre-match atmosphere. The goal shooting game set up by Mengniu allowed many fans to relax before the match. The national soccer fan store set up by Voodoo, from cheering shirts to cheering scarves, was warmly welcomed by fans. It also turned the stands into a sea of red during the match.
This series of activities not only brought the national team closer to the fans, but also let the young fans feel the patriotic sentiment and traditional cultural heritage of Chinese soccer.
Indeed, soccer is a collective sport that has a unique ability to bring people together. Whether it is the intense confrontation on the field or the emotional resonance between fans, people are immersed in it. When fans wave the national flag, sing the national anthem and cheer for the national soccer team, they are not only supporting a soccer team, but also expressing their love and pride for their country.
Chinese soccer is contributing to the development of the national team.
It is important to know that a few days before the match, the national soccer team even sold a large number of tickets that originally belonged to the away team's section again due to the hot ticket sales. It was expected that the fans would be disappointed with the team's performance after the away game in Singapore, but their pick-up in Tianjin, cheering for the players, and the attendance of nearly 300 media reporters all proved that the national soccer team had been given enough respect.
The game attracted many fans to watch the game live on weekdays. In addition to the support of fans from all over the world, Tianjin's many years of fan culture also contributed.
On the outskirts of the stadium's carnival, a historical and cultural wall displaying the deep roots of the Chinese soccer team and Tianjin attracted people's attention. As the top-ranked team in the Chinese Super League, countless Jinmen Tiger fans campaigned for their favorite player, Barton, before the match, hoping to cheer for the national football team in their hometown's home game.
The fireworks of this game have also made more people join in watching the game live. Fans accustomed to watching the game live will naturally be more active in attending national team games.
Professional stadiums such as Phoenix Hill, Barracuda Bay and Youth Island have become the next stop for fans' buzz. Behind the fans' competition for the right to host the preliminaries, it not only proves the scarcity of high-level intercontinental matches, but also implies that there is still more room for improvement in our local matches.
Attendance continued to climb in the first two rounds of the new Chinese Super League (CSL) season, with the second round averaging 23,138 per game, and most of the clubs' home attendances higher than the average for the 2023 season. In addition, with the Chinese Super League on hiatus this week, the market for the China First Division and the AFC Cup remains hot.
One of the highlights of the game was the two fan clubs cheering one after the other. In the past, the Dragons were the biggest and most important group of fans of the national football team, but now it is the new fan organization "Chinese Noise Makers", who appeared for the first time in the stands at a national team game.
We can foresee a future where the national football team is supported by more than 40,000 fans across the country against the backdrop of a continuing hot market - a feedback to the national team from the soccer culture fostered by the league.
At the competitive level, the hot market has also led to a great development of youth soccer training around the world. At the same time, 30 colleges and universities have introduced various policies, such as soccer majors, which have also played a role in aiding the development of youth soccer training.
But in the final analysis, the essence of soccer is to make people happy, so that more people can feel happy through soccer and more people can have the opportunity to fall in love with soccer.
After the game, one of the dads said to his child, "When the weather gets warmer, I'll buy you a pair of soccer cleats to play soccer."
When millions of children are inspired by the games of the national soccer team, Chinese soccer will surely see better development. In addition, the patriotic spirit carried by the national team is the most valuable treasure and the best patriotic education.
