How amateur sport is making it to the big leagues in China
In the middle of last month, as two amateur football teams from two small cities in eastern China took to the field, a fleet of light aircraft flew over the stadium.
The fly-past at the Yangzhou Sports Park Stadium was testament to the popularity of the competition the two teams were playing in, the
Jiangsu City Football League – also known as the Su Super League.
The league, which is in its first season, pits 13 teams of amateurs from various cities in Jiangsu province against each other in six home and six away matches, with the top eight teams on points entering the knockout stage starting in October.
The players on the teams are diverse, with everyone from teens to farmers and middle-aged weekend warriors lining up for the matches.
Since the league's first game in May, millions of viewers have tuned in online and tens of thousands of fans have gone to stadiums, attracted by the local nature of the event.
So much so that fans petitioned the military's Eastern Theatre Command to send fighter jets over the stadium for the final in November.
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