The sound of sixty thousand people yelling in unison was deafening. With organized groups banging on drums and gongs and holding up banners, it felt like the very ground was shaking.
On the main grandstand, Tang Hemin couldn’t help but marvel, "Sixty thousand people!"
He surveyed the scene, his face beaming with pride.
He’d seen matches at the Worker’s Stadium, where the roar of the crowd’s infamous "Beijing jeers" felt like a tsunami, making the ground tremble.
There weren’t many stadiums in China that could hold over fifty thousand people.
Of the fifteen teams in the Chinese Super League, besides Pioneer, only the Worker’s Stadium and Modu Stadium could hold more than fifty thousand.
The home stadiums for the remaining teams generally only held around thirty thousand people.
The infrastructure itself limited attendance.
As far as Tang Hemin knew, back in ’95 and ’96, at the height of Jia A’s popularity, the average attendance was just over twenty thousand.
This year, however, aside from the season opener which drew nearly thirty thousand, the average attendance over the first six rounds was just a little over ten thousand.
Under these circumstances, to see a sixty-thousand-seat stadium completely sold out, with tickets nearly impossible to find, was truly a rare sight.
Tang Hemin wasn’t clear on the exact ticket sales figures, but he knew prices started at 30 yuan, with other tiers at 80, 150, and 300 yuan.
The 300-yuan tickets were generally selling for double the price, thanks to scalpers.
If the average ticket price was 100 yuan, then with sixty thousand people, the ticket revenue for this single match would reach six million.
’How much did Chen Yu even spend to buy the team?’
’And that’s not even counting other revenue.’
The match was at 2 p.m., but many people had already arrived in the morning.
’Buying food, drinks, little horns, small team flags... that’s all money.’
’Just the bus fare to get here adds up.’
’And all of this could be considered revenue for the sports industry, generating GDP.’
As he was lost in thought, another ear-splitting roar, like a tidal wave, erupted from the crowd.
Down on the pitch, Batty had received the ball just outside the penalty box. He wound up and unleashed one of his signature, thunderous shots. Though it was aimed right at the Huanghe Tower goalkeeper and was parried away, it still drew a collective gasp from the entire stadium.
For many fans, just seeing Batty play in person was satisfaction enough.
Tang Hemin applauded.
Nearly thirty minutes into the match, the score was still 0-0.
In terms of strength, Huanghe Tower had managed to get promoted to the Super League just before the cutoff when promotion and relegation were canceled. They had since shown the makings of a dark horse, and after a few rounds, they were sitting at the top of the league table.
Today, however, they were clearly playing with more restraint.
Perhaps it was the influence of the home crowd. Whenever Batty or Kaginya touched the ball, the stadium erupted in cheers so loud they seemed to shake the earth. The sheer force of it was honestly a little intimidating.
It was also possible that their young players felt star-struck and hesitant facing world-class players like Batty and Kaginya.
Even their two Brazilian foreign players were underperforming.
Tang Hemin noticed, however, that even when Pioneer had a few close calls near their own goal, Chen Yu’s expression remained placid, as if he wasn’t particularly concerned about the match’s outcome.
He felt it would be impolite to ask, so after a moment’s thought, he changed the subject to make small talk.
"Dr. Chen, about that community football sponsorship program you proposed—our Sports Commission is very interested. We’ve discussed it in several meetings, reported it to the city leadership, and Vice Mayor Tan has already given instructions to support it."
"He said it’s a plan that aligns with the national ’Fitness for All’ directive and would be very beneficial for community development. However, there might be a few details to iron out regarding the specific implementation plan."
A short while ago, Chen Yu had proposed a plan to fund and have the Pioneer Club sponsor the creation of football leagues in various districts and neighborhoods.
The plan called for amateurs to actively participate.
The costs for renting fields, referees, and event organization would be seventy percent covered by Pioneer’s sponsorship, with the remaining thirty percent covered by the Sports Commission.
Any revenue from advertising or other sponsorships would also be split according to the same ratio.
"Dr. Chen, I’m a bit curious. What made you think of doing this?"
Tang Hemin studied Chen Yu, trying to discern the true motive behind his actions from his expression.
Since he’d first met Chen Yu, Tang Hemin had been very clear on one thing: Chen Yu’s purpose for investing in and buying the team was to make money.
But this plan to sponsor community leagues was clearly a money-losing venture.
’He can’t seriously expect to discover some so-called football prodigy from these community matches, can he?’
’That’s completely impossible.’
Chen Yu first expressed his thanks, then said, "Well, you could say it’s a way of managing the club’s brand and cultivating fan culture."
"We’re a team, and we make money from our fans. Once we’re profitable, we want to give a portion of that revenue back to the fans, to help them get more involved in the sport, feel a greater sense of participation, and deepen their love for the team."
"Look at the NBA. They frequently hold community outreach events where all the players participate to give back to the community."
"And in Europe, many teams are still member-owned. They’re rooted in their communities, and everything revolves around the fans. Sometimes, when a club is struggling financially, the fans will even crowdfund to save it."
"So we can’t just focus on making a profit. If we cultivate a strong fan base first, it creates a win-win situation, and that’s how you make real money in the long run."
The sports industry isn’t a one-time transaction; it requires years of work to manage the business and cultivate a fan base.
Profitability is a long-term game.
That’s why, from the very beginning, Chen Yu was determined to manage the fan experience well.
Sponsoring local matches in the club’s name to stir up fan enthusiasm for football was just one piece of the puzzle. The operations department had many more plans waiting to be implemented.
If the Guang City Sports Commission was willing to chip in and offer some support, that would be the best possible outcome.
It might even become a triple-win situation.
Tang Hemin understood and nodded in agreement. "Dr. Chen, I completely agree with one thing you said: teams are rooted in their communities, and everything should revolve around the fans."
For a club, the fans are their lifeblood.
Yet many teams in China have absolutely no awareness of this.
After a brief pause, Tang Hemin seemed to recall something. He smiled and said, "Dr. Chen, speaking of football culture and fans, let me tell you a story."
Chen Yu nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
Tang Hemin leaned back slightly in his seat and chuckled. "It’s a personal story. I was born in the residential compound of a large machinery factory. I won’t say which one, specifically."
"Back then, our factory employed sixty or seventy thousand people. It had several different plant areas, a number of supporting factories, and more than a dozen residential compounds for the families."
"Our factory director loved football, so the sport was a huge part of our factory’s culture."
"During the autumn and winter, when production quotas weren’t as heavy, the factory would organize a football tournament. Every workshop could field a team, and we’d even play a round-robin format with a points system."
"I remember the games were usually on weekends, held on the field of our factory’s vocational school. They were typically in the evening, right after dinner. Every family would bring out their own stools to claim a spot. If you were late, you couldn’t even find a place to stand."
"The field was lit up by searchlights, and there were vendors selling snacks nearby. My favorite part about the matches back then was that all the pretty girls from the factory would come out to watch."
At this, Tang Hemin’s weathered face couldn’t help but flush slightly, and he let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Chen Yu laughed as well.
Tang Hemin continued, "Back then, making the team was a huge point of pride. If you won, you’d get your picture on the factory’s bulletin board and be featured in the factory newspaper. There were also rewards from the workshop, and you’d barely have to do any actual work."
"I have a younger uncle who was an amazing player. The director of his workshop, Workshop Four, straight-up told him to just come in and clock in, then focus on practicing. That year, he helped the team reach the main factory finals, and they even gave him an ’Outstanding Individual’ award."
"And it wasn’t just within our factory. We’d also go out and play against other factories in our industrial sector. The factory would even organize groups of people to go and watch the away games. Thinking back on it now, the football atmosphere back then was truly incredible."
"Because they were our own people, people we knew. When someone was good at football, it was a source of pride for everyone. You just had to support them with everything you had."
Chen Yu nodded slightly.
This was remarkably similar to the culture in North America and Europe.
In the United States, communities have tons of teams for football, baseball, and basketball.
The AAU leagues, for example, are essentially community-based leagues.
And in Europe, the lower-division football leagues are as common as grass, with a dozen or more tiers. Some of today’s powerhouse clubs started out in a small community and worked their way up, level by level.
"What happened later, then? Why did those kinds of competitions disappear?" Chen Yu asked.
During his earlier investigations around the country, Chen Yu had also noticed that China had almost no community leagues, and the football culture was very weak.
The question made Tang Hemin fall into a thoughtful silence.
After a long moment, Tang Hemin said quietly, "Maybe everyone just got too tired. The ’iron rice bowls’ disappeared. Adults have to worry about supporting their families, kids have to study for college entrance exams... Everyone is exhausted. Who has the time or energy to play or watch football anymore?"
Chen Yu frowned slightly and fell silent.

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