Jiangsu Qidong: A place of light, where football is thriving

Chief reporter Chen Yong reports Only when you arrive at the hometown of education can you truly appreciate the charm of integrating sports and education. Qidong City, known as the first place in Jiangsu Province to see the sunrise, is celebrated for being the "hometown of marine economy," "hometown of architecture," "hometown of power tools," "hometown of education," "hometown of printmaking," and "hometown of longevity." However, football is rapidly developing here, and the sports economy is particularly booming this summer. Qidong City is "chasing light," also looking forward to the official establishment of its seventh identity as the "hometown of sports."

On July 22, the second "Centennial School Cup" football elite exchange competition (hereinafter referred to as the "Centennial School Cup") for elementary schools will kick off at Qidong No. 1 Middle School. The school recently hosted the 2025 National Youth Volleyball Championship and Summer Camp (East China region), and just over a month ago, the 2025 Fifth Annual High School Football Class League concluded on the football field of Qidong No. 1 Middle School, lasting three weeks.

In Nantong City, there is also a traditional campus football event—the "Old Eight Schools" high school campus football championship, in which Qidong No. 1 Middle School participates. The sixth event in 2024 will be held at Qidong No. 1 Middle School, while this year it will be hosted by Nantong High School.

While the "Soo Super" league is booming, the Qidong City Football League has also completed nine years, and this year's event is even more exciting, with 22 teams and nearly 600 participants registered, spanning a schedule of three months. The players on the field come from various professions, including teachers, business managers, police officers, and college students.

The rapid development of football in Qidong City began with the release of the "Overall Plan for the Reform and Development of Chinese Football" in 2015, the year the Qidong City Football Association was established, marking a new phase in the city's football development. In 2019, Nantong City was recognized as a "National Youth Campus Football Reform Experimental Zone." In 2022, the first National College Student Beach Football Championship was held at Qidong Diehu Park, attracting 16 universities from across the country. Currently, Qidong City continues to host events like the "Peach and Plum Cup" and the Football Association Cup.

The most crucial project for football development in Qidong City is the "Football into Campus" initiative, which started in 2024 and is personally overseen by the Qidong Municipal Party Committee and government. The plan aims to achieve full coverage of campus football in basic education within three years, with the first batch of schools including 26 institutions, such as Beixin Primary School, Jianxin Middle School, and Maojiagang Primary School, already fully launching their campus football development. In 2025, Qidong City will also recruit three retired players to join this initiative.

The reporter has learned that Qidong City is in talks with the Auxerre Club in France, planning to build a youth training base in the southeastern area of Qidong City, which is precisely across the river from the Genbao Football Training Base located on Chongming Island. In terms of infrastructure, Qidong City is accelerating the construction of the Qidong Sports Center, designed to include one stadium and two gyms, featuring a 35,000-seat stadium, a 6,000-seat gym, and a 2,500-seat swimming pool, serving multiple functions such as sports events, cultural performances, and public fitness, positioning it as a comprehensive sports leisure park for all citizens.

The second "Centennial School Cup" for elementary schools is the most significant national football event held in Qidong City this year, with participating teams from 15 provinces and cities across the country, including Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, Hubei, and Yunnan. Most of these elementary schools have a history of over a hundred years and a rich campus football culture, with many teams being among the top domestic elementary school football teams, such as the Shaanxi Normal University Affiliated Primary School, which won championships in national competitions.

Led by the "Soo Super," Nantong City plans to initiate a county and city league, with Qidong City currently forming teams. As previously reported by this newspaper, following the "Village Super" and "City Super" ("Soo Super"), the next hot trend will be the "County Super."

When the reporter arrived at Qidong No. 1 Middle School, the National Youth Volleyball Championship and Summer Camp (East China region) had just concluded. Volleyball has always been a flagship project in Qidong City, with former Chinese men's volleyball player and Jiangsu men's volleyball head coach Shi Hairong being from Qidong, and former Chinese women's volleyball setter Qiu Aihua also hailing from there. During this summer camp, women's volleyball player Zhang Changning also visited Qidong to cheer for the young volleyball players.

Currently, Qidong No. 1 Middle School is busy preparing for the football competition, and in the coming week, Qidong City will kick off work surrounding the "Centennial School Cup." The subsequent schedule of other events in Qidong City is even tighter: from August 1 to 3, the 2025 CBA Summer League (Qidong Station) will be held, with four CBA teams participating; from August 3 to 7, the 2025 Jiangsu Provincial Youth Fun Athletics Championship will take place; and from August 13 to 17, the National Middle School Volleyball Regional League (Jiangsu Division) will be held. Another significant event in Qidong City this year is the 2025 China·Qidong WBC Professional Boxing Championship, planned for December. Other events include the first Zhang Jian Marathon held in March, the only marathon in the country named after a person, and the upcoming Yangtze River Economic Belt Car and RV Rally, among others.

Not only hosting events, but similar to the "Soo Super," Qidong will closely integrate events with cultural tourism to create an event economy. In this blazing summer, encountering light—Qidong City is currently launching "Chasing Light" themed cultural tourism activities, combining Qidong's sunrise scenery with tourism experiences, highlighting the hope, vitality, and beautiful connotations represented by "chasing light." Sports are also part of "chasing light." According to statistics from Qidong City, during the National Youth Volleyball Championship and Summer Camp (East China region), about 800 parents of young players came to Qidong to witness the dawn at the Yuantuojiao Beach. Additionally, data shows that the 12th International Road Cycling Race around Taihu Lake and the Yangtze River Delta Crossing brought a total direct economic benefit of 6.3011 million yuan to various industries in Qidong, with a total audience scale of 4.7969 million visits.

During the "Centennial School Cup," Qidong City also provided full support on the cultural tourism front, contacting local hotels to offer the greatest discounts to the parents of participating young players, while also providing them with relevant tourism suggestions, further achieving a close integration of sports and cultural tourism.

The planning of the Qidong City Education and Sports Bureau clearly states: to vigorously promote the integration of sports and tourism development, focusing on creating a sports tourism city brand. Accelerate the construction of a modern "Sports +" industrial system with Qidong characteristics, inviting visitors to Qidong to "welcome the sunrise, watch competitions, taste seafood, and take deep breaths."

"Building on the six major identities, we are also creating the 'Hometown of Sports,' establishing the 'City of Volleyball,' while fully developing campus football and amateur football, contributing our share to the development of Chinese football," said Lu Qinghua, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Qidong City Education and Sports Bureau and the Director of the Education Service Center.

In Qidong, the development of football is rapid and efficient. At the first "Centennial School Cup" held in Jinan in 2024, former Deputy Director of the Qidong City Education and Sports Bureau Shi Chao made a special trip for a detailed inspection under the bureau's coordination. This year, the Director of the Education and Sports Bureau, Lu Haifeng, and Lu Qinghua, a member of the Party Leadership Group in charge of sports, highly value football development, ultimately facilitating the "Centennial School Cup" for elementary schools to settle in Qidong. Qidong is chasing light, also pursuing the wave of campus football development. From July 21 to 28, the second "Centennial School Cup" for elementary schools will take place at Qidong No. 1 Middle School, becoming the most dazzling and intense part of this "light" and tide.