Grassroots Soccer Leagues Ignite China’s Football Revolution

An amateur soccer league organised by farmers, students, and factory workers in rural China has unexpectedly drawn millions of fans and inspired big cities to form their own leagues, raising hopes that China can grow talent from the ground up and finally become a global football force.

China, a nation of 1.4 billion people, has around 200 million soccer fans but has historically struggled to build world‑class teams. The traditional “top‑down” approach selects players from a very small pool of pre‑screened candidates. The professional game has also been affected by match‑fixing, corruption, and inconsistent performances, making the goal of becoming a soccer superpower by 2050 appear distant.

Big City Leagues

The success of the Village Super League (VSL), a grassroots initiative, encouraged large cities to launch amateur leagues. The November 1 final of the Jiangsu Super League (JSL), organised by the provincial sports bureau and 13 city governments, drew 62,329 spectators, nearly matching professional game records in the province. Another 2 million fans streamed the final online. The JSL’s 85 matches accumulated over 2.2 billion online streams.

Fans arrived hours before kick‑off, waving flags and chanting slogans in support of their home teams. In a dramatic penalty shoot‑out, the city of Nantong narrowly lost to Taizhou.

Pathway to Professional Leagues

Supporters are increasingly encouraging children to pursue soccer. Historically, parents focused on academics due to scandals in professional soccer and a narrow state-run system that only developed young talent.

JSL’s success has inspired other provinces to follow suit. Liaoning launched a league last year; Hebei and Inner Mongolia started theirs in August; and Hunan and Sichuan began theirs in September.

There are early signs that these amateur leagues are creating a pathway to professional soccer. Taizhou midfielder Wu Zhicheng, 18, became the first JSL player to enter China’s top professional division in July. Coaches believe more players will follow in his footsteps, potentially advancing to national teams.

The Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre, once home to the professional Jiangsu FC, saw the peak of Chinese football’s golden years, attracting world‑class talent and coaches. Jiangsu FC won the top division in 2020 but ceased operations less than a year later after its corporate backer shifted focus.