Chris Edwards

    2045038940@qq.com

    REGULAR readers of the opinion pages of the Shenzhen Daily will recall that I have occasionally written about soccer and China.

    I truly believe that China can become a much stronger soccer-playing nation in the future. It clearly has the funding to do so, the separation of the China Football Association from the government was an excellent move and the huge spending power of the clubs has enormous potential to bring more fans to the game.

    However, one area not discussed often enough is the stadiums. As a big soccer fan, I think the best atmosphere comes from grounds where the crowds are close to the action. New and renovated stadiums around the world put the fans closer to the action, with tiered stands so that the crowds feel on top of the action.

    Based on my research, almost all of the stadiums currently used by the Chinese Super League clubs have athletic tracks around them — a throwback to the days when players were to be kept away from the crowds. The exceptions appear to be Hong Kou Stadium in Shanghai, where the stadium has been converted or made specifically for soccer.

    It is my firm belief that the clubs make sufficient money that they should be permitted to buy and redevelop the stadiums themselves.

    Now, I am not advocating for ALL stadiums in each city to be placed in the hands of soccer clubs — far from it. There is always a place for athletics stadiums in cities. However, with Xi Jinping’s stated goal of China becoming a footballing superpower, there must be an improvement in facilities not just for players, but also for fans.

    Fans of Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao, who have been to Tianhe Stadium, may be able to imagine that stadium with seats all the way down to the field — adding another 5,000 or so seats for active fans increases revenue for the club. Not only that, a crowd close to the field looks great on TV.

    More than that, the ability to improve food and drink options means that more arrangements that are commercial in nature become available to the clubs. Technology can improve substantially given the leaps and bounds made by Chinese firms, and modern stadiums can encourage alternative events. A rectangular stadium is not just used for soccer — there are many events that can use such a stadium.

    If clubs prepare themselves and start upgrading stadiums now, imagine how good a World Cup bid in China would look — modern stadiums around the country already built, combined with numerous training facilities, excellent transport links and the ability to put millions of fans from across the world right on top of the action.

    I say this as a fan of soccer and sport in general — I have sat in sports stadiums to watch events where I could not see anything, on wooden seats with cold food that was supposed to be hot and warm drinks that were supposed to be cold. A high-quality stadium, such as AAMI Stadium in Melbourne, draws people back for events — and Chinese soccer clubs should start investing more in their home stadiums.

    (The author is an Australian teacher of English teaching in Futian.)