In the past four years, Yunnan Yukun has played a precious hundred matches.

Written by: Zuo Rui On August 2, facing the Shanghai Shenhua, which has dominated the top league for 32 years, the newly promoted Yunnan Yukun, just four years old, achieved a remarkable score of 4-4. The transition from a 3-0 lead to a 4-4 draw provided Yunnan Yukun fans with an exhilarating and memorable evening.

This season, the Yuxi Plateau Sports Center, including the FA Cup matches, has seen an attendance rate close to 90%, with over twenty thousand spectators present. The long-awaited return of Yunnan fans to the Super League has led to a strong desire to challenge the giants, making tickets scarce when facing traditional powerhouses. The spotlight on Shenhua also added to the atmosphere of Yukun's fourth anniversary home game, with the away section, accommodating 1,600 fans, filled for the first time by the traveling army clad in blue.

The orange-clad army covering the entire stadium welcomed an even brighter shade of orange that evening—dozens of firefighters from Yuxi, whose banner read: “Flames guard the lifeline! Yukun defends the honor line!” On a specially designated charity stand, nearly a hundred children from the Yuxi Children's Welfare Institute were also present. When the national anthem played again in the hometown of Nie Er, the sight of 22,992 spectators standing in respect, with firefighters saluting and Young Pioneers giving the salute, was particularly striking.

On July 31, 2021, the Yunnan Yukun Steel Football Club was officially established. Four years later, on the same day, the official poster proclaimed: “Four years rooted, steadily growing. Our original intention remains steadfast, and the future is even longer.” For a football club, four years may not seem long, and a hundred matches may not be many, but for Yunnan fans, every moment is invaluable. Just like the lyrics displayed by the fan organization “Yunling Frontline” before the match: “Always making my heart flutter like the first time I saw you.”

A memorable Tifo appeared in the southern stand—100, symbolizing “tempering into steel.” A hundred matches is indeed not many, including 21 matches in the China League, 23 in the China League Two, 30 in the China League One, 19 in the Super League, and 7 in the FA Cup over the last three seasons. After four years and a hundred matches, the fans in the stands have also grown.

Recalling the 2022 China League season, when 12 fans held late-night meetings after work to establish the Yukun Fan Association, current vice president and battle group leader Xu Xiong said that at that time they knew nothing, had no cheering songs, and did not know how to chant slogans, so they even traveled to Chengdu to learn from local fan organizations.

By the 2023 China League Two season, the association had grown to several hundred members; by the 2024 China League One season, membership exceeded 3,000; and in the 2025 Super League season, this Yuxi fan organization, with over 80% local members, continuously received membership requests from other regions and provinces. What Xu Xiong and the others are doing now is “streamlining the team to enhance combat effectiveness.” This approach not only boosts the team's morale during matches but also allows the club to sell more scattered tickets.

Currently, the Yukun Fan Association has created no less than ten cheering songs. To further enhance the atmosphere in the stands, seven fan organizations agreed that during the 12th minute of each match, all “12th players” of the team would sing “We Stand Behind You” together, stating, “At every match point and every important moment, we have our own way of cheering.”

In the 10th minute of the match on August 2, attentive fans began to chant the name of the number 10 player: “Yoni Cha! Yoni Cha!” Just days before the match, this midfield core from Romania had just renewed his contract with Yukun. And before the team's entrance, the song “Journey” sung together by all fan organizations served as the best proof of the significance of the hundred matches in their hearts.

100, this number is only half of Zhao Yuhao's individual appearance record. The Yukun captain, who represented different clubs for the 200th time, made a powerful header to clear the ball, marking the first touch of the home team's 100th match. Among the starting eleven he led were goalkeeper Yu Jianxian, defenders Dili Mura Ti, Li Songyi, Tang Miao, midfielders Hou Yongyong, Ne Ne, Yoni Cha, Luo Jing, and forwards Enrique and Oscar. Compared to four years ago, the team has completely transformed. The substitute goalkeeper Qiu Shengjun is currently the only player who has been with the team since its inception.

Four years ago, 19-year-old Qiu Shengjun signed his first work contract in Yuxi. “Seeing the opportunity to contribute to Yunnan football, I wanted to try out for Yukun,” he said, not expecting to follow this newly formed team so quickly from the China League to the Super League. Four years ago, this small football club in Yunnan did not aim for the Super League but instead aspired to advance step by step each season.

Before joining Yukun, Qiu Shengjun was selected by Wanda and spent five years in overseas youth training with Atlético Madrid. After returning, he had a brief one-year stay with the Yunnan provincial team. In the first three seasons after joining Yukun, he played as a starter, helping the team successfully advance to the second and then the first league. Although he did not have playing opportunities in the last two seasons, being listed as a substitute 17 times this season proves he has always been making sufficient efforts and preparations for matches.

Four years and five seasons can feel long for individuals, such as Qiu Shengjun, who has sat on the bench for the last two seasons, learning and improving from older players like Ma Zhen and Yu Jianxian. “In the future, I still want to stay at Yukun, striving for a starting position and contributing more to the team,” he said. “Over these four years, both the team and I have experienced fierce competition and faced the risk of elimination, but we have persevered. I have already regarded Yukun as my home.”

In the “family dinner” on the evening of the 2nd, Qiu Shengjun was not the star, but Yu Jianxian was. Because the number one goalkeeper Ma Zhen was loaned from Shenhua and could not play due to avoidance rules, Yu Jianxian shone brightly, making at least seven outstanding saves. Portuguese midfielder Ne Ne opened the scoring for the team and himself; he was also the only foreign player to finish the match, earning the title of Man of the Match afterward. Luo Jing not only scored a goal but also assisted Enrique and Oscar each once… As head coach Anderson said after the match, although the process and outcome were disappointing, the match was already exciting enough against a strong opponent, and everyone gave their all.

Among the substitutes, Han Zilong, who had scored 32 goals for Yukun in four different levels of competition, unfortunately did not score in his 100th match. He hopes to quickly achieve his personal milestone of a hundred matches with Yukun and continue to expand his scoring record in the club’s history. Li Biao and Duan Dezhi, who came on from Lijiang, ignited the enthusiasm of their fellow Naxi compatriots in the northern stand. “In every home match, we have thousands of people from Lijiang supporting us in Yuxi,” the fans said.

Localization is one of the construction goals for Yunnan Yukun. From having only Qiu Shengjun as a local player at the formation stage to now having seven local players in the first team, only Zhao Yuhao is a starter. Club sports director Guo Guangqi believes that to change this situation, Yukun still has a long way to go. “Compared to other provinces and cities, the foundation of Yunnan football is quite weak, so establishing a solid youth training system is one of our future development directions.”

In his view, cultivating excellent local players can not only enhance the team’s competitiveness and fan loyalty but also serve as an important source of income and savings for the club in terms of transfers. At this stage, Yukun can only play the role of a buyer in the transfer market. “The mutual exchange of player trades is a sign of the club's healthy operation and long-term development,” he said. “Besides ticket sales, sponsorship, and other revenues, we also need to rely on youth training for survival and make money from players.”

Looking back on his personal experience of jumping from the China League to the Super League, he feels the strongest support comes from the provincial and municipal party committees and governments, the provincial sports bureau, the provincial football association, and various sponsors. “This journey has been difficult,” he said, expressing gratitude for the support from Yunnan's political and business sectors over the past four years. “We also want to rely entirely on market behavior to maintain the club's operation, but this is rare in the entire Super League. How to leverage the platform function of football? This is an important issue for Chinese football.”

Guo Guangqi stated that the club's ability to reach today after four years without owing a penny is a result of joint efforts from all parties and is no easy feat. The team has continuously set new historical records in leagues and cup competitions, which will inevitably have a positive impact on the future of Yunnan football and the next generation. “This is also a great promotion for Yuxi and Yunnan.” After 19 rounds, Yunnan Yukun ranks 9th with 26 points, maintaining a 15-point distance from the relegation zone. However, Guo Guangqi is currently most concerned about relegation. “After exceeding 30 points, we can consider higher goals,” he said. “If we cannot establish ourselves in the Super League, the consequences of a one-year stay will be very serious.”

Currently, Yukun is performing excellently in the league and has unprecedentedly reached the semifinals of the cup. Club general manager Bian Ji stated that the first team’s competitive achievements are due to the united efforts of everyone in the club. The new season has also shown a good trend of gradual improvement in market operations. For instance, developing an independent ticketing system has saved costs while increasing revenue; the development of peripheral products has already brought in 4 million, “This year’s target is 6 million, and we are very confident in achieving our annual expectations.”

From the public charity stand at home to the cinema’s second venue, from dedicated fan buses to high-speed rail special trains, from event cultural tourism packages to the “Yuxi Gourmet” long street feast… Yukun has made many new attempts in serving fans and the market, accurately targeting user groups, and has received excellent feedback. Bian Ji stated that in addition to strengthening the team’s competitiveness and the club’s social responsibility, cultivating a football culture that “highlights local ethnic characteristics” will be a key focus of their ongoing efforts. “Otherwise, why would local fans support you? Why would fans from outside come to Yuxi?”