The domestic "viewing industry" needs to develop in a "full ecological position": the Chinese Super League, Scottish Premiership, and high-profile commercial matches should not be missed.

Written by Han Bing. On August 1st, tickets for the inaugural match of the "Han Super" in Wuhan went on sale, with 10,000 tickets selling out in just 10 minutes. The success of the "Scottish Premiership" has also influenced events like "Han Super," showing that even localized grassroots competitions can draw huge crowds.

Earlier, Arsenal and Tottenham played a friendly match at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong, where the attendance record was broken (49,975), surpassing the previous record set just days earlier (49,704) during a preseason match between AC Milan and Liverpool on July 26th.

The lowest ticket price for "Han Super" is 8 yuan, a stark contrast to the ticket prices for the Premier League preseason matches at Kai Tak Stadium. However, the attendance of thousands at these events similarly boosts the local economy. In a time when everyone is looking for ways to enhance consumption and invigorate their city's economic vitality, reflecting on the so-called "football viewing industry" and its current "ecological structure" is undoubtedly timely.

This year, due to the sustained popularity of the Chinese Super League and the phenomenal rise of the Scottish Premiership, the ecological position of the mainland football "viewing industry" has expanded like never before. The "football viewing industry" centers around the viewing experience, integrating travel, accommodation, dining, and tourism into a sports economy. Previously, there were only two niche markets: domestic professional leagues and commercial matches involving European clubs and national teams visiting the mainland. It wasn't until this summer that the amateur football events led by the Scottish Premiership brought unprecedented economic and popularity effects, fully filling the ecological gap for grassroots events, allowing the mainland viewing industry to genuinely establish a "full ecological position" from amateur leagues to professional leagues to international commercial matches.

The rise of amateur leagues led by the Scottish Premiership is a success for the mainland football viewing industry, as it creates conditions for the amateur league ecological position to replicate success nationwide. Even a localized amateur league like "Han Super" can attract massive crowds, indicating the high level of enthusiasm among urban residents for live matches. Meanwhile, the continuous rise of ticket sales in cities like Dalian, Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai keeps the professional leagues, led by the Chinese Super League, on a steady upward trend within the mainland viewing industry's ecological position. These are the local daily routines of the "viewing industry" and the daily revenue-generating activities for the cultural tourism of the cities where the teams are based.

It is regrettable that, for various reasons, no European powerhouses visited the mainland this summer, and the absence of international commercial matches has left a significant gap in the newly formed mainland football viewing industry’s ecological position.

This summer, several Premier League giants indeed toured Asia, but they missed the mainland. Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Newcastle stirred excitement in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, and earlier in late May, Manchester United visited Malaysia after the Premier League, earning $10 million. The Asian commercial match market for European clubs, especially Premier League giants, has reached new heights in recent years, providing substantial commercial returns for clubs and benefiting the local football viewing industry, garnering almost unanimous praise.

In Hong Kong alone, Liverpool's open training session attracted over 27,300 fans. Arsenal's open training session drew more than 18,800 fans, and together with Tottenham and AC Milan, the four European giants attracted a total of 61,000 fans across just four training sessions. Of course, these training sessions were ticketed and the prices were quite substantial.

On July 26th, AC Milan's 4-2 victory over Liverpool in a preseason match set the attendance record at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Sports Park (49,704), with a full house. On July 31st, Tottenham's 1-0 win over Arsenal in the overseas "North London Derby" broke this record again (49,975). The nearly 100,000 pre-sale tickets for these two matches sold out quickly, further demonstrating the popularity of this summer's Premier League Asian commercial matches.

This summer's Asian tour by Premier League giants has achieved a win-win situation in both business and reputation, highlighting the importance of restoring the commercial match ecological position for the mainland football "viewing industry."

To consolidate and continue expanding their market share in Asia, Premier League giants have shown sincere intentions at various stops. Respectful local cultural interactions and immersive experiences of closely watching training sessions have earned the Premier League giants widespread acclaim during this Asian tour, while also elevating the commercial value of commercial matches and boosting local economic vitality to new heights.

In contrast to the amateur football market represented by the "Scottish Premiership" and the traditional main ecological position of the mainland football "viewing industry," the international commercial matches entail high investment but also expected high returns. Just imagine, if "Scottish Premiership" and "Premier League" interactions were to occur in Nanjing or Suzhou this summer, the traffic would be immense!

The ecological position configuration of the "viewing industry" has been completed, and there are numerous engaging activities available for relevant cities. Of course, the premise is creativity and sincerity; the previous "foolish money" model is no longer viable.

One more point must be mentioned: hosting international competitions should be an important "regulatory action" for the future development of Chinese football. However, in the coming years, the likelihood of bidding for high-profile competitions organized by FIFA, AFC, and the Chinese Football Association is minimal. Therefore, the relatively fixed international commercial matches held each summer are an essential component of the mainland football "viewing industry."

The development of Chinese football relies on the popularization of amateur leagues and the healthy development of professional leagues, as well as the international commercial matches that promote football international exchanges and commercial effects. The amateur and professional leagues of the mainland football "viewing industry" solidify the industry's foundation, while international commercial matches are essential actions to bring modern football traffic and commercial IP into the fold, creating greater commercial value and popularity effects.