(ECNS)-- A football team from Kinmen, off the coast of China's Fujian province, made its debut in the Fujian Football City League on Sunday, playing a friendly match against Xiamen at the Xiamen Sports Center.
More than 20,000 spectators attended the match, with Xiamen defeating Kinmen 5-2.
Before kickoff, a cross-Strait youth music group based in Xiamen performed songs in the Minnan dialect. The crowd joined in, creating a lively atmosphere. During the pre-match ceremony, the two captains exchanged gifts.
“Our players had never played in front of a crowd of more than 20,000 before,” Kinmen head coach You Kunming said after the match. “Xiamen gave them a stage to showcase themselves today, and they gave it everything they had. It was a truly rare opportunity, and I hope exchanges like this will continue.”
Xu Hongzhi, chairman of the Kinmen County Football Association, said he was deeply moved by the reception.
“Hearing the crowd cheer for us was incredibly exciting and brought us great joy,” Xu said. “Many young people in Kinmen play football, and I hope we will have more opportunities to engage with the Fujian Football City League in the future. The league offers young players in Kinmen more opportunities and pathways to pursue the sport.”
The league introduced measures to facilitate participation by players from Taiwan before the competition began. On May 27, organizers launched initiatives inviting people from Taiwan to compete, attend matches and take part in football exchanges.
According to the Fujian Provincial Bureau of Sports, 12 players from Taiwan have registered with Fujian Football City League teams so far. Eight have made match appearances, and three have scored goals.
(By intern Wu Jingjing)
京公网安备 11010202009201号