The Chongqing City Football League, a grassroots sports event, has drawn tens of thousands of spectators from all over the country since launching its season in mid-September, injecting fresh momentum into the local culture and tourism consumption market in the southwestern Chinese city.
Dubbed "Yu Chao," the amateur tournament features 41 teams from Chongqing's 38 districts and counties, as well as from the Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone and Chongqing Wansheng Economic and Technological Development Zone.
On Saturday afternoon, more than 40,000 football fans packed Chongqing's Datianwan Stadium, a key venue for the tournament, to see the Shapingba District team clinch a 3-1 victory over Jiulongpo District. The single match set a new attendance record since the start of the tournament.
"I'm excited and happy to see that our city can hold this kind of ball game," said Li Jianxiong, a football fan.
Beyond the matches, the league's popularity has given rise to festivities all around the stadium, with food stands, cultural exhibits and live music performances attracting crowds of football fans.
The local sports bureau reported that since the season kicked off, indirect consumption driven by the tournament exceeded 350 million yuan (around 49.5 million U.S. dollars) and foot traffic in the business districts surrounding each competition area has risen by an average of more than 50 percent.
"The key to the 'event plus consumption' model is to identify the intersection between sports events and the needs of the citizens. Following this, we will introduce the sports tourism routes centered around the Chongqing City Football League and collaborate with more businesses to launch exclusive promotions," said Du Xueyong, deputy director of Chongqing Municipal Sports Bureau.
Grassroots football tournament energizes consumption in Chongqing
