Against the backdrop of the Ching Ming Festival holiday, the fourth round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) matches on April 5-6 came as promised, with the enthusiasm of the audience like a volcanic eruption, and the CSL's on-site attendance rate climbed to another peak.
The latest figures released by the Chinese Football League (CFL) show that the eight matches of this round of the Chinese Super League attracted 196,073 spectators, an average of 24,509 per match. This figure not only sets a new record for this season, but is also the highest since the 2020 season, reaching 191,553. Chengdu Rongcheng, Shandong Taishan, and Shanghai Shenhua challenged away from home, three teams that ranked at the top of the Chinese Super League in terms of ball markets last year, and became representatives of the gold-medal ball market.
It is worth mentioning that Beijing Guoan's single-game crowd in this round was as high as 53,898, which not only surpassed last season's record of 52,500, but also became a new high since the 2020 season.
The enthusiasm of the fans is not only limited to the home team, the away fans are also enthusiastic. At Qingdao Youth Football Stadium on the evening of April 5, Shandong Taishan's away fans numbered 4,762, the highest number of away fans this season. Their cheers seemed to ignite the entire stadium. In the first round of the season when Cangzhou Lions played Beijing Guoan, 4,582 Guoan fans traveled from the capital to Cangzhou, constituting an impressive camp of visiting fans.
As the ranks of Chinese Super League fans grow, the soccer culture is also maturing. On the eve of the match between Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Seaport, more than 50,000 Guoan fans and Seaport fans drew a starry sea with their cell phones at Workers' Stadium as a tribute to Yang Xue, a Guoan fan who passed away due to illness. Guoan club also permanently reserved Yang Xue's seat, using soccer as a link to transmit positive social energy.
The boom in the Chinese Super League is not only limited to the Chinese Super League, but also in the Chinese A and B markets. In the first round of the league, the first round of Guangxi Pingguo Ha Ling Guojing 23,866 people, the second round of Yunnan Yukun 17,872 people, the third round of Yunnan Yukun refreshed the record to 18,441 people, Dalian Yingbo 23,118 people. In the fourth round, Dalian Yibo set a new record of 25,351, while Shijiazhuang Kungfu had 13,632 seats. In the fifth round, Yanbian Long Ding had 19,450 in attendance. Chongqing Tongliang Dragons and Liaoning Ironmen both had home crowds of over 10,000 people. The average attendance of the fourth round of the Central League broke the 10,000 mark, reaching 10,000 people.
In the third round of the Shaanxi League, the home crowd was 22,726, while Hunan Xiangtao also had 12,846. The "Xi'an Derby" between Xi'an Chongde Ronghai and Shaanxi United in the second round attracted 13,865 people, and the "Qilu Derby" between Shandong Taishan Jin Gangshan and Tai'an Tianzhu in Zoucheng had 10,680 home spectators. The first round of Guangxi Lanhang and Guangxi Hengchen "Guangxi Derby" audience of 16,074 people. The fanaticism of the fans witnessed the recovery of China's professional league, showing the great attraction and infinite vitality of the professional league.
