The 2019 Shenzhen Youth Football Championships kicked off at Shenzhen Stadium on April 11. Team members from 14 age categories in new football uniforms of bright colors walked onto the football field, sang the national anthem and enjoyed a day of competitive football.

The 14 categories range from U8 to U17 for boys and girls, covering different age groups. The games attracted a total of 4,000 teenage athletes from nearly 200 teams.

Based on the different characteristics of different age groups, the event set up soccer matches of different sizes, including five-on-five, eight-on-eight and 11-on-11.

Different from previous Shenzhen Youth Football events, the event this year is no longer limited to school teams. Amateur sports schools, amateur clubs, and youth training institutions can all participate in the competition, thus providing more age-matched competition opportunities.

The sporting event was guided by the Shenzhen Culture, Radio and Television Bureau, Tourism and Sports Bureau and Shenzhen Education Bureau, and hosted by the Shenzhen Football Association. It has adopted a whole-new U-series competition system.

The event’s logo design employs the three alphabetical letters “SYC” as its main elements and incorporates six traditional Chinese colors in a round image shaped like a football.

(Chen Xiaochun)