SOCCER fans finally returned to stadiums as the 2023 Chinese Super League (CSL) season started over the weekend, with 17 goals scored in the first round.

During the past three years, due to the pandemic, the CSL matches were held in designated cities rather than playing in the traditional home-and-away format, with only a very limited number of fans attending. Starting last weekend, the CSL matches returned to normal and the new season kicked off Saturday with four matches held in Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian and Huzhou.

Nearly 47,000 fans attended the Beijing match at the iconic Workers’ Stadium, which was kept from its full capacity of 68,000 seats due to security concerns. During the match, host Beijing Guoan was held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Meizhou Hakka. Flying flags, rhythmic drumbeats, dynamic lights and waves of cheering echoed over the grounds.

When Gao Hongbo, vice president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), announced the beginning of the 2023 season at the stadium, a tifo that said “creating a new future together” emerged and covered the lower east-side stand, showcasing the theme of the new season.

Sixteen young soccer players from the academies of each CSL club appeared at the opening ceremony, as the sport’s governing body wants to underline the importance of strengthening youth soccer capabilities across the country.

Singer Wei Wei, a former pop diva in the 1990s, gave an encore of her singing performance of “Asian Mighty Winds” 33 years ago at the Workers’ Stadium, when it hosted the opening ceremony of the 1990 Asian Games.

The Workers’ Stadium, a historic site that has witnessed Chinese sports history since it hosted the first National Games in 1959, has been reshaped into a professional soccer venue as the traditional running tracks were removed during the renovation in the past three years. The removal of the track around the pitch brought fans closer to the players, and the increased slope of the stands provides a wider view for spectators.

Looking from the outside, the new stadium remains unchanged in its structural proportions and appearance, but going inside, a professional soccer stadium that meets the highest FIFA standards appears right in front.

Apparently the legacy of the stadium and the bond with its soccer fans continue. The return of home-and-away league matches and fans in attendance are a vital part of boosting the sport’s popularity amid corruption scandals that have seen several senior CFA officials targeted by disciplinary probes.

Other highlights of the first round over the weekend include Shenzhen F.C. beating Qingdao Hainiu 2-1 on its home pitch at Shenzhen Universiade Center on Sunday. Shanghai Port, which finished in fourth place in the 2022 season, defeated last season’s champion Wuhan Three Towns 2-0 in an away game Saturday.

(Global Times, Xinhua)