Village Super League inspires passion for football and life

It was a football match with no red carpet, no stars and no professional players. Yet at least 50,000 spectators watched it on site and millions others online.

Saturday night's Village Super League finals in Rongjiang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province saw very few people concerned about the outcome. It was the passion and sportsmanship demonstrated by these amateur players and the jolly, warm and relaxing atmosphere on the field that inspired the crowd.

"The match itself is more important than its result," said Dong Yongheng, whose team is named after his village, Zhongcheng -- meaning loyalty. "By running, fighting and giving my all on the field, I am reminded that I still possess a deep passion for life and football."

It was a close match, and Dong's team was defeated by Chejiang First Village team only in the penalty shootout. "It was a great experience and I'm happy to have participated," he added.

Dong runs a snack bar in the village but has loved football since a very younger age. During this season of the Village Super League that began on May 13, he scored multiple goals, earning him popularity among the spectators who have closely followed the matches.

Like Dong, all the players participating in the Village Super League are from different walks of life. Some are students, while others are butchers, vendors, construction workers, excavator drivers, or business people. Among the referees are school teachers, government workers and ordinary villagers. All are brought together by a passion for football.

Such passion is boosted by a prevalent football culture and adequate infrastructure. Rongjiang County, with less than 400,000 permanent residents, has 14 standard football fields and nearly 40 amateur teams consisting of more than 1,200 players.

"It's truly a football match of the people," said Wang Lina, a tourist from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region situated in the far north. "The players and spectators are all immersed in the simple joy of the sport."

In the fully packed stadium, avid fans waved flags, screamed and beat drums, gongs and even pans to raise the morale of the players.

"This passionate crowd and the beautiful landscape of Rongjiang are my best memories of this summer," said Zhang Shunfu, 60, as he tried to cool himself off with a fan.

Rongjiang is an ethnic community, with over 80 percent of the residents belonging to the ethnic minority groups like Miao, Dong, Shui, or Yao.

At halftime, a chorus of the Dong ethnic group captivated the audience with their cappella rendition of folk songs. "I didn't understand any of the lyrics, but I was deeply touched by their beautiful voice and I can feel their love for life," said Wang Jia, a tourist hailing from Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

For the spectators who have traveled from across the country to witness one of China's most popular sports events this year, the Village Super League is more than a mid-summer football fest. It is also a successful campaign presenting everything unique about Rongjiang County, including its culture, landscape, folklore and food.

The awards for the winners are also local specialties like beef for the champion, pork for the runner-up, a lamb for the third-place winner and goose for the fourth.

The matches were watched by at least a million people on the ground and more than 50 million online. Videos and live broadcasts of the event have gone viral, having received more than 30 billion clicks so far.

The phenomenal event has boosted local economic growth. The county has received more than 2.5 million visitors since the matches started in May. Tourism revenue has exceeded 2.8 billion yuan (about 392 million U.S. dollars), at least twice that of the same period last year, according to local authorities.

The latest statistics show that from July 1 to 16, the county received 921,200 visitors and earned over 1.07 billion yuan in tourism revenue.