China doesn’t need the World Cup. It has the ‘Village Super League’

Players wearing red jerseys leap in excitement, showering their jubilant teammates with champagne, while confetti and streamers fall around them, and spectators capture the moment on their devices.

This scene is not from Spain’s World Cup triumph celebrated on Sunday in New Jersey, but rather a victory marked a day earlier in Fuping county, a rural and mountainous area in China’s Hebei province, where the stadium is adorned with Communist Party slogans.

This match is part of numerous games occurring nationwide, as teams vie for a spot in the national “Village Super League” finals. This amateur tournament has gained immense popularity in China, attracting millions of fans and serving as a vibrant alternative to a World Cup in which the Chinese men’s national team has not participated for over 20 years.

“Experiencing this kind of spotlight is rare for me,” said Tong Zehao, a dentist who plays defense for Baoding Lianchi, as he prepared for the match against Fuping Luotuowan village. “Before the Village Super League, there weren’t any local tournaments that garnered this much focus.”

Originating from a single league in one of China’s lesser-developed provinces, this concept has grown to encompass around 60 leagues and numerous teams throughout rural communities and smaller urban areas nationwide.

The premise is straightforward: ordinary individuals with standard jobs form teams and compete in local leagues for a shot at the national championship, creating festive events that attract spectators throughout the season.

Local officials have been instrumental in facilitating the growth of this competition, recognizing its potential to stimulate local businesses in an economy struggling with low consumer spending.

However, the Village Super League has also become a remedy for fans frustrated by persistent issues of corruption and mismanagement in professional soccer, which are broadly perceived to have hindered the nation’s ability to produce a competitive men’s team on the world stage.

“Since our country hasn’t qualified for the World Cup, following our local soccer (in Fuping county) is much more engaging,” remarked Liu Jiaping, a 21-year-old college student, who also expressed admiration for World Cup star Kylian Mbappé.

“Being here allows us to experience soccer in our country – which is far better than just staying home on our phones,” she stated from the stands, where she and her family members were using cardboard pieces to fan themselves in the July heat.

‘We now lead a good life’

The crowd gathered at a local vocational college stadium for the Fuping county league final on Saturday evening, marking a significant event for a county of about 200,000 residents, known more for its fruit and nut agriculture than for hosting sports.

“It feels like half of Fuping county is here,” joked a 20-year-old attending with her boyfriend, expressing their intent to “join in the excitement.”

The game commenced with a parade featuring horseback riders, followed by vibrant groups of performers wielding fans; local businesses showcasing their offerings; and workers and farmers with tools, along with a dance group presenting local agricultural products like apples, jujubes, and chestnuts.

Numerous local children participated in a meticulously organized opening ceremony and halftime show, which highlighted the county’s revolutionary past that attracts visitors to the area.

Outside the stadium, many vendors sold barbecued skewers, cold noodles, and sweets at a special night market set up for game days.

The event underscored that for the organizers, this tournament transcended mere sport – it served as a promotional tool, an economic stimulus, and a rallying event for the county.

Once regarded as a heavily impoverished and remote area, Fuping county has become a symbol of success under Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s poverty alleviation initiatives over the last decade, and officials are eager to keep finding methods to enhance growth. (A large sign with the Communist slogan “We now lead a good life” carried during the parade highlighted this achievement.)

Geng Yang, a 32-year-old teacher who participated as a cheerleader, remarked that these games and events were “essential for the advancement of our Fuping.”

“These events showcase our community’s resilience after overcoming poverty … and help to promote our hometown to a wider audience,” she expressed.

In recent years, cities and towns throughout China have been advocating for more local events and specialized industries to encourage spending and attract tourists – an increasingly vital endeavor as many local government budgets are burdened by debt repayments.

The opening match of the Fuping county league season in May generated over 200,000 renminbi (around $30,000) in spending, according to event officials.

For Liu Qian, who was frying sweet-and-sour pork at the game, having a stall at the Village Super League night market added approximately 10,000 renminbi (about $1,500) to his restaurant’s earnings for the day.

However, fewer customers were observed at stalls selling agricultural products, like those of Wang Yinke.

Local officials invited the honey vendor to set up at the market without charge. He noted that while the games helped to draw attention to his brand, his honey sales were not as strong as in past years.

‘The purest love of the game’

The announcer declared that the teams were “putting their all into the match, running with full determination … embodying the purest love for the sport,” as the first half concluded with a score of 0-0.

For spectators, watching players who are college students, doctors, teachers, and other professionals adds to the charm, standing in contrast to the elite nature of the Chinese Super League.

Major professional teams such as Shanghai Port, along with the now-defunct Guangzhou Evergrande and Jiangsu Suning, attracted top foreign talent with exorbitant salaries during a time when Beijing aimed to establish the country as a “soccer powerhouse.”

However, years later, many of the most prominent clubs have collapsed due to financial mismanagement, and numerous soccer officials have faced bans or imprisonment amid a corruption crackdown. Meanwhile, the Chinese men’s team has not qualified for the World Cup since 2002.

It is against this backdrop that the original Village Super League emerged in the rural Rongjiang county of Guizhou province, attracting national attention in 2023 for its genuine passion for the sport and festive atmosphere, inspiring similar initiatives across the country.

Various leagues nationwide have now joined Rongjiang’s national Village Super League, established last year, with some even broadcasting their matches live and amassing significant followings.

In Fuping, now in its second year, soccer enthusiasts are optimistic that these matches could nurture a new generation of players for the national team.

“Fans are evolving from merely enjoying soccer to truly understanding it, and eventually believing in its potential,” stated Gao Qiang, an organizer of the Fuping county league and chief referee.

Zhao Junjie, a chemical engineering student who attended Saturday’s match for the first time, shared a similar sentiment.

“The entire nation has begun engaging with this type of (village league) soccer – creating a significant trend – that encourages more individuals to develop a passion for the game,” Zhao, who grew up immersed in China’s unofficial national sport, table tennis, noted.

In the final moments of the match, the Baoding team struggled to halt the advancing play that allowed the home team to take a 1-0 lead in the second half.

As the home team celebrated their victory lap and local fans rushed onto the field to join in, Tong, the dentist from Baoding, appeared dejected but was already looking forward to the next season.

“Winning and losing are both inherent to the game. It’s a normal part of it, and we accept that,” he reflected. “We’ll return and compete again next year.”