Players contest the ball during the opening match of the Hangzhou City Football League at Shangcheng Sports Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Jan 18. [Photo/IC]

Zhejiang is seeing a surge in grassroots football activity as its first provincial city football league gets underway, with city-level qualifiers kicking off across the province.

The Zhejiang Provincial City Football League, a provincewide amateur competition, is structured in two stages: preliminary rounds held within individual cities, followed by intercity knockout matches.

In Wenzhou, the Wenzhou City Football League has entered a busy competition phase. In Longwan district, where the opening match was staged, local authorities have built a consumption-oriented event zone centered on the stadium, integrating match viewing with shopping and dining.

Organizers said additional offline activities will be rolled out during county- and district-level contests to convert matchday foot traffic into new consumer spending.

While matches have energized local communities, efforts to strengthen the foundation of football development are also advancing. On Dec 30, 2025, the Ningbo Football Academy was launched at Ningbo University. The academy is built on the university's established sports disciplines and will focus on professional football education and training.

Its core undergraduate program in football studies has completed registration in line with national standards and is expected to begin enrollment in September. With its launch, Zhejiang now hosts three football academies, following earlier establishments in Hangzhou and Wenzhou.

Policy support has also been reinforced. Measures to promote high-quality football development in Zhejiang took effect on Jan 5, 2026, aiming to expand football's presence in schools and make the sport more accessible to young people.