The seventh "China Football Development Foundation Cup" Chinese City Children's Football League opened its Xining division on October 31 at Shanchuan School in Xining, according to 中国新闻网. A total of 395 students from primary schools across the city are taking part, the outlet reports.
中国新闻网 notes that Xining is the only division of this year's national league located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Ma Yanzhao of the Xining Municipal Sports Bureau's competitive sports section told 中国新闻网 that the event is organized around a "health first, happy football" principle. Organizers have lowered the threshold for entry and set up mixed-gender groups, the outlet reports, in an effort to encourage more girls to play and to bring football into more schools and communities.
According to 中国新闻网, the competition is also intended to strengthen Xining's local youth football competition system and help the city develop a pool of young talent.
The league's Xining division is now under way, with the 395 participating students competing in the mixed-gender format. Further details on the schedule and results were not included in the reporting.
What to watch next: whether organizers release match results or participation figures for later stages of the Xining division.
