On the evening of October 5th at 8:00, the 17th edition of the "Jianlibao Cup" Foshan Corporate Football League (Foshan"La Liga") witnessed its decisive moment. In the end, Juejun Building Materials triumphed 5-3 over Guangdong Feng Aluminum. The Yunxiu Mountain Sports Stadium in Sanshui, Foshan was packed to capacity that night, with over 20,000 spectators coming together to witness the crowning of the champions.
Since its opening on August 5th, the Foshan"La Liga" has set the city ablaze from summer to golden autumn, creating a "La Liga Weekend" for citizens and tourists, boosting the night economy and cultural tourism industry in Sanshui. According to statistics, the total number of spectators for this event has exceeded one million, with live streaming reaching over 90 million views online and total media coverage exceeding one billion, making it the edition with the highest number of participating teams, the highest attendance rate, and the widest coverage.
Over a million spectators are attracted to attend the matches
The Foshan"La Liga" is one of the few 11-a-side grassroots football events for adult men within Guangdong Province. It is also the most widely participated mass sports activity in Sanshui District. Since its inception in 2002, it has been held for seventeen editions. The event gained its name Foshan"La Liga" because it has been held in the southwestern streets of the Sanshui area throughout the years. Coincidentally, at that time, CCTV started broadcasting the Spanish La Liga, and local football fans hoped that football in their region could also reach a top-tier level.
The birth and growth of Foshan"La Liga" stem from the passion of the people in Sanshui, Foshan, for football. In the 1950s, after the Southwest Vegetable Market in Sanshui closed daily, it transformed into an impromptu football field, and the phrase "selling vegetables in the morning, playing football in the afternoon" became a cherished tale. In the 1970s, local communities began organizing football matches at the factory level. By the 1980s and 1990s, Yunxiu Mountain Sports Stadium hosted frequent events, and "going to Yunxiu Mountain to watch football" became a popular entertainment choice among the citizens.
With the continuous improvement in the level and popularity of Foshan"La Liga", the league’s format has gradually shifted from local to invitational. In this edition of Foshan"La Liga", the duration of the event has extended from half a month to two months, and the number of participating teams has increased from the previous 12 to 26. The teams mainly consist of local industrial workers' teams from Foshan, but also include teams from external companies within the city, as well as joint teams from Hong Kong and Macao. For the first time, the tournament has attracted teams from "Fortune Global 500" companies such as Tencent and GAC (Guangzhou Automobile Group).
Building a cultural exchange platform for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao through Football
Since the beginning of this edition of Foshan"La Liga", it has boosted the surrounding cultural, tourism, catering, and accommodation industries. During the event, the cumulative foot traffic of the night markets at Beer Square and Jiangbian Warehouse exceeded 700,000 people, with sales exceeding 3.7 million yuan. Three A-level tourist attractions in the downtown area received 240,000 tourists, showing a year-on-year growth of 96.8%.
At the same time, this edition of Foshan"La Liga" also invited Hong Kong celebrity football teams, Hong Kong U23 football team, Hong Kong Eastern team, and other teams from Hong Kong and Macao to participate in friendly matches, highlighting the unique characteristics of the Greater Bay Area.
The organizers expressed their hope that through the grassroots football event of Foshan"La Liga", a platform for cultural exchanges among people from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao could be established. They aim to strengthen communication with compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao, fostering friendships through sports and unifying the people through physical activities.
燃爆！佛山“西甲”吸引超百万人次入场观赛
10月5日晚上8点，“健力宝杯”第十七届佛山“西甲”职工足球联赛（以下简称“佛山‘西甲’”）迎来决战之夜，最终，珏骏建材5：3战胜广东凤铝。当晚，佛山三水云秀山体育场内座无虚席，超2万名观众共同见证冠军诞生。
佛山“西甲”自8月5日开幕以来，从夏天燃爆至金秋，为广大市民游客打造了“西甲周末”，带旺三水夜经济和文旅产业。据统计，本届赛事入场观赛人数超100万人次，全网直播流量超9000万，全媒体总流量超10亿，成为参赛队最多、上座率最高、传播度最广的一届。
吸引超百万人次入场观赛
佛山“西甲”是广东省内为数不多的11人制成年男子草根足球赛事，也是三水区群众参与度最高的群众体育活动，从2002年至今已举办十七届。因为历年来在三水辖区西南街道举行，恰好当时央视开始转播西班牙甲级联赛，球迷们希望本土足球也能踢出一流水平，便把赛事称为佛山“西甲”联赛。
佛山“西甲”的诞生与发展，源于佛山三水人对足球运动的热爱。20世纪50年代，三水西南菜市场每天休市后，便成为临时球场，“上午卖菜、下午踢球”一度传为美谈；20世纪70年代，当地开始以工厂为单位组织足球赛；到了20世纪八九十年代，云秀山体育场赛事频繁，“去云秀山看球”更是成为了市民潮流娱乐项目。
随着佛山“西甲”水平和知名度不断提升，联赛的模式也从本土化逐步向邀请赛方向转变。本届佛山“西甲”赛事战线从原来的半个月延长至2个月，参赛队伍从往年的12支扩军至26支，以佛山本地产业工人球队为主，还包括市外企业球队、港澳联队等各路队伍，并首次吸引腾讯、广汽等“世界500强”企业球队参赛。
以球为媒搭建粤港澳人文交流平台
本届佛山“西甲”开赛以来，带旺了赛场周边文旅、餐饮、住宿等行业。赛事期间，啤酒广场、江边仓两个周边夜市的累计客流量超过70万人次，销售额超370万元；中心城区3个A级旅游景区的接待旅游人数24万人次，同比增长96.8%。
与此同时，本届佛山“西甲”还邀请了香港明星足球队、香港U23足球队、香港东方队等港澳球队参加友谊赛，湾区特色明显。
主办方表示，希望通过佛山“西甲”草根足球盛会搭建粤港澳人文交流的平台，加强与港澳同胞的交流，实现以球会友、以体聚民。
文丨记者 梁正杰 通讯员 三宣
图丨主办方提供
翻译丨陈萱
来源丨羊城晚报·羊城派
责编丨古司祺
校对丨周勇