Nine grassroots teams participated in an annual soccer tournament that kicked off in the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone in Fujian province on Feb 20.

The teams were divided into three round-robin groups, with the winner advancing into the semifinals scheduled for Feb 23 and the final on Feb 24.

The players are all Pingtan natives, including some 10 percent who returned for Spring Festival holiday, according to Zhou Weijin, chairman of the Pingtan Soccer Association.

Pingtan has a tradition of holding two such soccer tournaments, one in winter the other in summer every year, in a bid to promote fitness, he added.

The tournament is hosted by the local social business bureau and organized by the Pingtan Soccer Association.

Soccer fans await the kickoff of a soccer match, which is part of a soccer tournament held in Pingtan, Fujian province, Feb 20. [Photo/ptnet.cn]