Amateur league's banter, passion win over nation

With no big name coaches and only a scattering of professional players, an amateur soccer league in Jiangsu province has captured the nation's imagination, largely through local fans' fierce passion and witty banter.

The 2025 Jiangsu Football City League — made up of 13 teams competing in the wealthy East China province — has become the most talked about sporting event in the country this summer.

In a nod to self-deprecation fans have dubbed it the Suchao or "Jiangsu Super League". But swelling attendances suggest this isn't far off the mark, with some crowds rivaling the 2024 Chinese Super League average of just over 19,400 attendees per match.

On Sunday, the Changzhou team, languishing at the bottom of the league after three consecutive defeats, found itself on the receiving end of netizens' taunts when it went down to fellow struggler Wuxi. With each defeat, online users had been humorously stripping away a few strokes from the character for "chang", gradually reducing the city's name to just "town".

Before Changzhou lost by two goals, two giant footballs were placed by fans in front of the Lingshan Grand Buddha in Wuxi to "embrace Buddha's feet at the last moment" for good luck.

"Changzhou lost the game, but the city won huge attention. No city is more popular than it now," a soccer fan from Wuxi said after the game.

"We people from Jiangsu are good at making jokes and self-mockery. Although each of our cities is independent we are still united in our hearts," he said.

Memes the breaks

While the standard of play on the pitch might not be world class, the humorous banter among fans, especially online, often is.

The well-known Chinese phrase encouraging good sportsmanship — "Friendship comes first, the match second" — was given a twist. When the slogan "The match comes first, friendship fourteenth" surfaced on the official WeChat account of the Nanjing city government it struck a chord with netizens.

With "Fighting for city honor" as its motto, the inaugural Suchao, was no longer restricted to stadiums in the province. The humorous online exchanges between opposing fans spread across the country, turning the league into a "nationwide carnival" within just a month.

Li Pei, a restaurant owner in Changzhou, had little interest in soccer until his customers began incessantly discussing the Suchao. He said it was the banter between the cities' fans that piqued his interest.

"City showdowns always have unique interpretations, such as the savory-sweet (food) rivalry between Nanjing and Wuxi, the culinary competition between Yangzhou and Huai'an, and so on, which I find quite engaging," he said.

When the first round of matches kicked off on May 10, attendance was poor. Images shared by netizens from the Suzhou versus Suqian match revealed mostly empty seats.

The turning point came during the second-round clash between Suqian and Xuzhou. Netizens labeled it an updated version of the legendary war between the Chu and Han kingdoms 2,200 years ago, which changed the course of Chinese history.

Xiang Yu was the king of the Chu Kingdom, while Liu Bang was the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty (206 BC to AD 220).

Pitting Xiang Yu's hometown against Liu Bang's, the physicality of the match exceeded fans' expectations. The medical teams of both sides were called on to the pitch 19 times during the game, with six players stretchered off the field, netizens noted.

The meme "No match-fixing, no biased referees, only long-standing rivalries" quickly swamped social media.

After that, the phrases "atomized Jiangsu" and "internal strife" went viral on the internet. Historically, Jiangsu has undergone multiple administrative division adjustments, with cities belonging to different cultural regions consolidated into one province. This consolidation has contributed to the fierce competitiveness, especially when it comes to economic prowess, that exists among the cities today.

Jiangsu's 13 cities are all among the top 100 in China in terms of regional GDP, with Nanjing, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou and Nantong all exceeding 1 trillion yuan ($139 billion).

Internet celebrity Daodaofu was one of the first to create short videos on social media about "atomized Jiangsu".

The 36-year-old tells stories of the rivalry of the"13 taibao", or "outlaw" cities of Jiangsu and sees this simply as healthy competition. In his view, Suchao reflects a mentality of "You're good, but I want to be better".

"While maintaining a sense of competition, they embrace mutual appreciation and respect, and transform the competition on the pitch into positive energy that promotes common development," he said.

Daodaofu has continuously created videos about the league and as of Sunday, his Douyin followers exceeded 2.5 million.

The cultural and tourism administrations in the cities are also constantly stirring each other up.

Before the match between Yangzhou and Taizhou, a Yangzhou TV station displayed jokes about Taizhou on a large screen. One referenced Yangzhou appearing many times in the popular Tang Dynasty (618-907) anthology Three Hundred Poems. It read, "I've gone through 300 Tang poems but still couldn't find your name".

Changzhou, Wuxi and Suzhou, clustered around the Taihu Lake, are known as the "Three Lords of Taihu Lake" due to their robust economies. However, their stumbling performances in the league have earned them the satirical title the "Three Fools of Taihu Lake".

Crowd pleasers

Since the league started on May 10, the matches have drawn more than 180,000 spectators over three rounds, according to Jiangsu Provincial Administration of Sport.

The fourth round game between home team Huai'an and Nanjing on Saturday attracted over 26,000 spectators. The fixture between Yangzhou and Taizhou drew more than 20,000 fans.

As of Sunday, discussions around the "Jiangsu City Football League" hashtag on Douyin had surpassed 2.7 billion views.

Jointly organized by the provincial administration of sport and the 13 city governments, the tournament, which will conclude on Nov 2, has as its core principle "participation of all citizens and city honor", and advocates deeper integration of soccer and fitness.

The tournament concept envisioned ordinary citizens enjoying live games in their neighborhoods to foster a sense of belonging and civic pride.

However, netizens ensured the league's allure transcended soccer, morphing into a battle for status among the 13 participating cities.

A total of 516 players compete in the league, including 85 university students, 69 high school and vocational school students, 29 professionals (this includes four also classified as students) and 337 amateur players. The players' ages range from 16 to 40.

Wang Xiaowan, vice-chairman of the Jiangsu Football Association, said the event aims to broaden public engagement and attract new fans to games. Another goal is to elevate the overall skill level of players in Jiangsu.

"Professional tournaments emphasize competitive prowess, while amateur leagues serve as inclusive platforms," he said.

Wang was amazed by the tournament's popularity during the recent Dragon Boat Festival holiday from May 31 to June 2.

"In the five years I've served at the association, my phone has been incessantly ringing for the first time," Wang said.

The unexpected popularity of matches has led to a scarcity of tickets, with resale prices soaring from the original 10 yuan to as high as 600 yuan on a secondhand trading platform.

Beyond ardent fans, casual spectators have also flocked to stadiums, attracted by the festive atmosphere rather than the outcome of matches or love of the sport.

English soccer legend David Beckham has even lent his support to the league, rallying behind the Suzhou team with a spirited "Come on, Suzhou!" cry, albeit in a flawed local dialect.

Joking aside

Jiangsu's robust soccer foundations have served as a springboard for the league's rapid growth.

Zhong Lei, a diehard fan, was disheartened by the disbanding of the Jiangsu team due to financial problems after their 2020 Chinese Super League triumph. He has found renewed enthusiasm and hope in the emergence of the 13-city competition.

A Nanjing local, Zhong plays and watches soccer and believes the province's soccer culture — underpinned by a vibrant amateur scene and a deep-seated passion for the sport — is at the heart of the league's success.

A staff member at Decathlon's Confucius Temple store in Nanjing, said he has noticed a surge in soccer equipment sales, with the league's popularity driving demand.

"Parents flock to the store now looking for the four-piece set — jersey, shorts, shoes, and a ball — for their children," he said.

JD.com said data revealed a spike in transactions for soccer socks and shin guards in Jiangsu, ranking only behind Beijing and Guangdong province in national sales.

The league has also attracted professional players and retired coaches.

Nantong's winning streak has been led by captain Li Xiancheng, who gave up an opportunity to play in Germany.

"I want to fight for the glory of my hometown," said Li.

Under the league's regulations, each team can enlist the services of three professional players with strong ties to the city through residency or education, said Wang Xiaowan, vice-chairman of the Jiangsu Football Association.

The league also encourages college and youth participation, leveraging Jiangsu's robust integration of sport and education and cultivation of youth talent.

The Jiangsu provincial government has strongly backed the development of soccer through its policies.

There are 11,632 soccer fields in the province, covering an area of 35.73 million square meters, ranking second and third respectively in the country, according to the 2024 survey of sports venues in Jiangsu.

The league's success is expected to nurture homegrown talent while bolstering professional soccer in the province.

Although the league is classified as fifth tier and isn't integrated into professional structures of the game, industry insiders have proposed the winners be considered for a spot in the Chinese Football Association Cup.

On Friday, Jiangsu Governor Xu Kunlin said at an economic gathering hosted by the provincial government that urban soccer leagues can be leveraged to deepen the integration of culture, tourism, sports, and commerce.

Cultural and tourism departments at various administrative levels are already capitalizing on the league's popularity to bolster tourism and cultural exchanges and promote local heritage and attractions.

Yancheng, for example, is offering free tickets to scenic spots and free egg pancakes, a local specialty, for visiting spectators.

During a match between Changzhou and Yangzhou, Changzhou welcomed more than 60,000 visiting tourists. Many tourist attractions in Changzhou offered free admission to Yangzhou visitors, and restaurants extended their opening hours and launched special fan packages.

Nanjing has offered ticket discounts for cultural events and tourist attractions.

Jiangsu's robust rail network infrastructure has also further facilitated travel for soccer enthusiasts.

On Saturday, the inaugural high-speed train service for "Jiangsu Super League" fans, connecting Nanjing with Huai'an, commenced operations.