Multiple Motivators Ignite Passion
For the past three years, the Chinese Super League has been constrained by a number of factors, mostly in the absence of spectators. Fortunately, this year, with the return of the home and away system, the enthusiasm of the fans like a volcano erupted. Coupled with the opening of many new professional soccer stadiums, spectators flocked to the stadiums like a tidal wave.
The data reveals that Beijing Guoan and Chengdu Rongcheng contributed 24.7% of the nearly 5 million spectators. Tianjin Jinmen Tigers and Shandong Taishan followed with more than 400,000 viewers each, while Shanghai Shenhua also had nearly 400,000 viewers. These five teams make up the "gold medal market" for the 2023 Chinese Super League.
Eight teams, such as Dalian Ren and Qingdao Hainiu, had an attendance of more than 220,000, with an average attendance of more than 15,000 per game. Qingdao Youth Football Stadium, for example, although located in the suburbs, has become a hotspot for citizens and tourists due to its opening in April. Numerous foreign fan groups have come here, and this has become a new trend. According to statistics, the soccer stadium has more than 25,000 spectators on average, even on weekday evenings.
Young power surges on the pitch
Song Wenxiu, 88, is a veteran Qingdao fan who has experienced the ups and downs of the city's soccer market. He remembers the home stadiums of the First Division as Hongcheng and Yizhong, moving to Tiantai in the Chinese Super League era, and Chengyang this year, where tickets were hard to come by for the 1995 championship and the 2002 FA Cup. Now that the team is back in the Chinese Super League, they have traveled there many times to marvel at the youthfulness of the stadium, despite their advanced age.
This year, the reporter visited the front line, found that Chengyang, Jiaozhou and other places of new fans to help attendance, young fans have become a new force. Female audience also joined the army of watching the game, some since the soccer fans, some accompanying friends and relatives, some are "fan sister", some through social media to share the experience of watching the game, adding vitality to the stadium.
Stadium colors and atmosphere
The youth soccer stadium, with the North and East stands in the same color, and fans in Manatee uniforms with orange all over. With expressions of love at halftime and a post-game chorus and light show, the soccer game seemed like a musical feast.
Raising the level of competition is key
Jin Yuan soccer tide recedes, foreign aid departure, the Chinese Super League urgently need to improve the technical and tactical content. AFC Champions League, the gap is obvious when Chinese Super League teams face Japanese, South Korean and even Southeast Asian teams. Especially after adapting to the slow pace of the Chinese Super League, the opponent suddenly became passive.
For example, Shanghai Seaport was defeated by Thailand's Pathum United at home in the qualifying round, and Zhejiang suffered a crushing defeat when facing Thailand's Buriram United and Japan's Kofu Fung Lam. Wuhan Sanzhen even failed to beat Hanoi of Vietnam. Shandong Taishan defeated Incheon United of South Korea, but also relied on tactics and players to perform well.
CSL teams need to up the tempo of the game to increase net game time and enhance spectatorship.In the 2023 season, CSL net game time dropped across the board, with video referees and delaying tactics taking up too much time. In the future, expect more clubs to make the shift to a faster pace of play against each other.
Outlook for the new season
According to the CFA, the new Chinese Super League season is expected to start in early March next year.December 5 is the first day for teams to submit their materials, after which they will be ineligible to participate. Last year's delay in league access, the 2023 season only started on April 15, the early schedule intensive, resulting in frequent injuries. 2024 season, the teams are well prepared, looking forward to the new season exciting.
