Grassroots Football in China: How a 13-city league sparked a summer craze – with FIFA’s Chen Jun

This week on Inside the China Room with Jiang Jiang, I’m joined by Chen Jun—better known as CJ—FIFA’s Football Development Manager for East Asia, to discuss a grassroots phenomenon that’s been capturing hearts across China this summer: the Su Super League.

The 2025 Jiangsu Football City League, dubbed with "Su Super League," -- made up of 13 city teams competing in the east China's Jiangsu province -- has become the most igniting sporting phenomenon in the country this summer. With no big name players and coaches, the amateur soccer league has captured the nation's imagination largely through the fierce passion from local participants and fans.

The Su Super League - like its Guizhou cousin, the Village Super League - are catching fire at a time when the national team continues to struggle. Just a month ago, China’s hopes for the 2026 FIFA World Cup came to an end after a 1-0 loss to Indonesia. It’s now been 25 years since the country last qualified for the tournament — back in 2002.

In this episode, CJ and I discussed what these grassroots leagues can tell us about the future of Chinese sports. We explored the differences on football culture in China and Europe, the challenges and opportunities China face in developing major team sports and the sustainability of amateur soccer leagues in China.

Before joining FIFA six years ago, CJ worked at the Chinese Football Association as an international relations officer — where we were colleagues. He’s also worked with the East Asian Football Federation and Manchester City Football Club.

Highlights:

03:58 - CJ’s journey: from Manchester City FC to the Chinese Football Association, and now FIFA

09:16 - Why an amateur football league captured headlines in China this summer？

13:44 - Football culture face-off: China vs. Europe

16:18 - The key to making football popular in China

21:12 - How FIFA supports football growth in China and East Asia

24:53 - Could the "Su Super League" rival China’s professional leagues?

32:06 - Team vs. individual sports: China's preference and future direction

34:15 - Prospects and challenges for amateur football leagues in China

38:28 - CJ’s recommended read: Mastery by Robert Greene

Recommendation:

CJ: Mastery, by Robert Greene

JJ: The Day of the Jackal (TV series)

You can also listen to Inside the China Room with Jiang Jiang on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.

This episode is edited by Yifei Shi.

Note: All views expressed in this episode are solely those of the speakers and do not represent the views of any organizations they are currently affiliated with or have been affiliated with in the past.