Grassroots soccer fever spreads across nation

Awaiting new memes

The viral success of Suchao is closely linked to its funny memes, and emerging leagues are cultivating their own humorous banter.

On July 29, the Hunan Provincial Sports Bureau released regulations for the 2025 Hunan Football League, scheduled to run from September to December.

The youth-focused tournament will showcase "Xiang-style" soccer through sports-education and sports-tourism integration, while stimulating urban economies and regional cultural exchanges. The province is also known as Xiang, and the league is dubbed "Xiangchao", or the Hunan Super League.

However, even before a ball has been kicked taunts are being widely circulated on social media. Zhuzhou players face the ignominy of being referred to as "Zhu teammates" — a pun on "useless teammates" — and Zhangjiajie is being labeled "Global Zhang", an allusion to its national park's UNESCO World Heritage status and visits by 1.83 million international tourists in 2024.

Provincial capital Changsha (in Chinese, "sha" has the same pronunciation as "kill") faces relentless online teasing, with jokes about being "slaughtered by Zhuzhou", "swept by Hengyang", or "sliced by Shaoyang". The humorous digs are fueled by Changsha's economic dominance over the other cities and Hunan people's competitiveness.

"Watching Suchao feels like touring a city expo; watching Xiangchao feels like witnessing the defense of Changsha," quipped one netizen.

Referencing Suchao's most famous jibe — "Competition first, friendship fourteenth" — they joked Xiangchao follows "Friendship first, competition second, Changsha fourteenth".

Preparations are already underway for the start of the competition, with players enduring summer heat to hone their skills, embodying Hunan people's reputation for being able to endure hardship with a resolute fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, cities nationwide are also following the Suchao model.

Harbin, Heilongjiang province, launched its seven-a-side "Hachao "tournament on July 12, which features 32 teams in youth, adult, and senior divisions.

In Weifang, Shandong province, the "Victory Football Super Cup", dubbed "V Chao", ignited citywide passion with its core philosophy: "For every citizen, fight for our hometown".

As Shandong's first prefecture-wide home-and-away league, it includes teams from all 16 Weifang counties or districts. The opening match drew nearly 30,000 fans.

"This tops watching the Chinese Super League!" exclaimed fan Zhang Lei. "These players are our neighbors — delivery guys, teachers, factory workers… Seeing them pour their hearts out for our hometown is electrifying!"