The 2018 CFA Youth Super League (CYSL) opening ceremony was held at Beijing Sinobo Guoan FC Shunyi Training Center at 14:30 BJT of April 1 2018. The assistant director and member of the Party Leadership Group of General Administration of Sport of China, CFA Secretary of the Party Committee and Youth Commission Director Du Zhaocai inaugurated the 2018 CFA Youth Super League (CYSL) opening ceremony. The opening match was contested by Beijing Sinobo Guoan U17 team and Qingdao Huanghai U17 team. Beijing seized a 5-1 win at home thanks to the goals made by Ji Haoxiang, Xu Yi, Hu Jianfeng and He Yitao.

To implement the Overall Plan for China’s Football Reform and Development, further promoting the developments of youth football and improve the performance of Chinese young players, the CFA introduced a region-based home-road weekend youth super league in 2017 for the first time with school football offices across China. Last year CYSL adopted a three-tier competing system of U14, U15 and U16. This year three new tiers, namely, U13, U17 and U19, were introduced in the competing system along with U14 and U15. The five-tier tournament will see 274 teams competing in over 2,700 matches, with more than 100 games per week. The adjusted competing system of CYSL boosts the reform of youth football competing system. The combination of weekend league and round robin creates a well-balanced competing system. It will help build a football competing platform for young players.

Based on the four-year experience of elite tiered team league, the CFA reviewed and regulated the framework of the CYSL. Besides the U17 tier match in the opening game, the 2018 CYSL season will include the elite tiered team league as the newly introduced U19 series. The CYSL U19 Series kicked off on April 3 2018.

CFA Vice President Li Yuyi said that the CYSL started in 2017 is a milestone of China’s football reform and development. The new season of the CYSL gives priority to ensure a high quality competition, and sets out its objective as improving players’ performance, overall quality and compatibility to the league. Based on meeting the development demand of players at different age, and led by home-road league system, the CYSL aims at building and improving the competing system, hold more top-class tournaments contested by professional clubs, football association affiliated teams on provincial and municipal level, amateur clubs and school teams, and improve young players’ performance. Building a strong CYSL, in particular the U19 series, gives hope to the development of China’s football and facilitates the improvement of football culture, football concepts and football environment in our society. It provides opportunities for a wide range of promising young players and helps them fulfill their talent. This year, CYSL saw over 100 matches held per week. It is CFA’s top priority to organize successful CYSL matches of all age tiers this year.

The CYSL creates a platform for youth football competition, builds a well-balanced youth competing system, strengthens talent cultivation measures, improves talent drafting mechanisms, and provides opportunities and ways for excellent players showing their strength and promoting talented young players. The league also facilitates the CFA member association reform, sports-education integration, decentralized management, and a better youth training system.

(edit：李鑫)