An amateur football tournament in east China's Jiangsu Province, which has become the most igniting sporting phenomenon in the country this summer, is boosting sports, tourism and catering consumption in the province.
Dubbed "Su Super League", the 2025 Jiangsu Football City League made up of 13 city teams in Jiangsu runs from May to November. It has recently gone viral on Chinese social media and sparked a football craze through the passion of players.
In addition to the online viewership that has soared into the hundreds of millions, football fans from around the country flock to the stadiums to watch the exciting matches.
To better accommodate the surging travelers, the authorities of Jiangsu's Suzhou City have worked with hundreds of local businesses and scenic areas to provide shopping, lodging and dining discounts for the football fans.
Tourists holding tickets for the Su Super League matches can visit more than 40 scenic spots across the city for free.
The city has also established 13 football-themed night markets with large TV screens set up for shoppers and diners to watch Su Super League games live, as well as interactive game areas and stalls that sell cultural and creative products.
"While watching football games, we can enjoy the cuisine. The vibe is very good here," said a football fan.
"I think the vibe here is much the same as that at the stadium, because the environment here is very good, and we are all football fans," said another football buff.
While meeting the viewing needs of football fans, the move has benefited businesses near the night markets.
"We are fully booked every time there is a football game. There were just about 30 or 40 people per night. Now, it has increased to 100 people," said Lin Hui, a restaurant manager.
"Our nighttime foot traffic during football games has basically doubled, and our revenue has also increased by nearly 30 percent," said Gu Jinping, deputy general manager of a local restaurant.
In Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu, the football frenzy has fueled the demand for football pitches, as fans seek to engage more in the sport themselves.
"Lately, everyone has indeed become more enthusiastic about football, feeling it's very meaningful. Many people have said they want to join our games," said a football fan.
"We used to play three times a week. After Su Super League began, we play six times a week," another football buff said.
"Previously, we served about eight football groups a day at weekends. Now, we serve around 12 groups a day," said Lu Huan, person in charge of a local sports venue with four football pitches.
The sports facility has recently installed an AI vision system that can adjust cameras to capture goals and highlights in real time, automatically generate game relays and highlight videos, providing tactical reference for customers. This has also contributed significantly to its courts' popularity among local football teams.
Amateur football league fuels sports, tourism, catering consumption in Jiangsu
