Fans at fever pitch to own a piece of Guo'an history

Guo'an fans were at fever pitch to own a piece of the hallowed turf upon which their fleet-footed heroes performed their magic.

Nearly 4,000 fans visited the Workers' Stadium, home to Guo'an, to purchase parts of the pitch as souvenirs, according to the Beijing Times.

The stadium is relaying the pitch with new grass and a part of the old pitch was sold off to the fans.

The stadium launched the initiative online last month as a way to give something back to the fans for their support.

About one quarter of the pitch was divided into 5,000 pieces for sale on Wednesday.

Fans, who booked online at www.gongti.com.cn took a piece of the pitch for 40 yuan ($6.5) and visited the stadium to cut their own part.

"It's definitely worth the money. It feels like you have part of the club in your home. It's better than buying a club jersey or a scarf," Li Jinsong, the fan who bought and cut the first piece turf, told Beijing based newspaper, the Mirror.

Wang Jing, who waited for hours outside the stadium from daybreak, wants more from the club.

"In Europe, fans have a wide range of club merchandize but we have very little in China. Sometimes, it's hard to buy a jersey with your favorite player's name and number. We hope this is a start and we will see more than a piece of turf in the future."

Contact the writer at sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn