A football tournament in east China's Jiangsu Province has ignited sports fever while generating substantial economic spillover effects across catering, tourism and related sectors.
The "Su Super League," an amateur city-derby tournament featuring 13 teams - each representing a city in Jiangsu Province - has captured the collective imagination of around 195,700 live spectators, with online viewership soaring into the hundreds of millions. Its attendance has even surpassed that of some established professional leagues.
The tournament draws its rosters from all walks of life - high schoolers, couriers, IT workers, and more.
The league's unique format has turned matches into celebrations of regional pride.
On June 1, the atmosphere reached fever pitch as 15,669 rain-soaked fans packed Wutaishan Stadium in the provincial capital Nanjing City to watch the home team edge out Wuxi in a 1-0 thriller.
"Although we're braving the rain and the pitch is quite wet today, we're still very happy to come to Nanjing's Wutaishan Stadium to cheer for Team Wuxi ," said a fan from Wuxi.
What sets this tournament apart is how it extends beyond sport.
Each match ticket doubles as a passport to explore host cities, offering discounts at local restaurants and cultural sites.
This clever integration of football and tourism has produced tangible results.
UnionPay data shows six host cities saw a 12.94-percent surge in visitor spending during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday which ended on June 2.
Since its kickoff on May 10, the league has drawn over 180,000 spectators through just three rounds of matches, according to Jiangsu Sports Bureau. The success reflects Jiangsu's broader strategy of using sports as an economic catalyst.
The province has already taken advantage of 50 sports events that have collectively drew 2.17 million tourists and generated 1.57 billion yuan (about 218 million U.S. dollars) in consumer spending in the first four months of this year.
"The sports event economy has brought new business opportunities, driving development across the entire industrial chain including sports manufacturing, sports tourism, sports training, and related sectors," said Wu Xiang, deputy director of Sports Industry Guidance Center under Jiangsu Sports Bureau.
Jiangsu's amateur football league ignites football fever, boosts regional economy
