Registration kicks off for students' football tourney
The 36th Shanghai Port-SAIC Xinmin Evening News Student's Football Tournament was launched on an expanded scale.
Registration has started for the 36th Shanghai Port-SAIC Xinmin Evening News Students' Football Tournament, the city's most popular amateur football event for middle and high school students.
Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, last year's competition format had to be tweaked, as teams were paired for single-match knockout all the way to the final.
This year the tournament will get back to its regular format but on an expanded scale.
According to organizers, three more competition divisions will be set this year in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province; Suzhou, Jiangsu Province; and Huangshan, Anhui Province, to enhance communication between young footballers in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Shanghai Port player Ablahan Halike, who is from northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, has become the tournament's charity ambassador.
Champion teams from Shanghai and the three other divisions will be joined by a team from northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region for a "national championship" to be held in Shanghai in August.
Captain of Chinese Super League side Shanghai Port Oscar has been named the ambassador of this year's tournament. The Brazil playmaker will attend matches and interact with young footballers.
Shanghai Port's Xinjiang player Ablahan Halike has become the tournament's charity ambassador, as organizers have planned some charity activities, including donating football facilities to schools in Xinjiang.
Registration for the 5-on-5 event will last through June 20.
