Accelerating the construction of a "City of Sports," football has permeated every aspect of Nansha's development.

Reported by journalist Wang Wei On the evening of July 24, the 2026 National Youth Women's Football Elite Tournament and the Centennial Schools Cup Women's Football Exchange Tournament wrapped up at the Guangzhou Nansha International Financial Island Football Park. The exciting contests on the pitch continued to enhance the prestige of Nansha as a global "City of Sports."

Sports are the most dynamic foundation of a city, and football has transformed the urban landscape of Nansha District. In the process of building Nansha into an international "City of Sports," sports have long moved beyond professional arenas, deeply integrating into towns and streets, rooting themselves in communities, and becoming part of daily life. They now serve as the capillaries of urban development and the vibrant backdrop of people's lives.

Football is a unique trait deeply embedded in the water town of Dongchong. In 1999, former national team player Zhao Dayu settled in Dongchong and founded the Yida Football Club. As one of Guangzhou's youth training bases, the club brought a professional and standardized football development system to the grassroots level. Over more than two decades of dedicated effort, the club has focused on nurturing young talent, supplying a large number of outstanding reserve players to provincial and municipal football circles, and laying a solid foundation for the professional and sustainable growth of Dongchong's football industry.

Campus football thrives, and the legacy is passed down through generations. Dongchong Town has consistently adhered to the concept of "educating through football," building a tiered and comprehensive campus football development system. Yuwotou Middle School, as a Guangzhou football training base, has been recognized as a key campus football school at both the district and municipal levels. It regularly conducts professional training and competitions, using sportsmanship to cultivate students' character. In the 2025 Guangdong Football Super League, the Nansha Bay Area Youth Team shone brightly, with six local players all hailing from Dongchong. Among them, three players and one coach are graduates of Yuwotou Middle School, fully demonstrating the strength of Dongchong's campus football development.

In 2025, Dongchong Second Primary School was successfully designated as a "National Youth Campus Football Characteristic School," further enhancing the town's campus football training system. At the unveiling ceremony, students from the school's football team shared that training not only strengthens their bodies and sharpens their will but also teaches them persistence and determination, reinforcing their original dream of chasing the ball on the green field. From elite training at professional clubs to universal participation in primary and secondary schools, Dongchong has formed a complete chain for nurturing young football talent, allowing football dreams to take root in the hearts of water town youth.

The strong atmosphere of nationwide sports participation is inseparable from Dongchong Town's leadership and persistent efforts. Zhang Jiamao, the Party Secretary of Dongchong Town in Nansha District, Guangzhou, is passionate about football and strongly supports sports development. In his view, football is not just a competitive sport but also an important vehicle for uniting people, nurturing local culture, and fostering new social norms. "We are deeply committed to grassroots football. Our goal is not only to cultivate sports talent and enhance event brands but also to use the spirit of hard work and perseverance in sports to empower grassroots governance and support rural revitalization," he said.

With its deep football heritage and a strong fitness culture, Dongchong Town successfully hosted the opening ceremony of the 2026 "Tunan Cup" Nansha City Football League (the first Nansha Super League). In the opening match, the Dongchong Charm Water Town team secured a 3-0 start at their home ground, Dongchong Middle School Football Field. The team fought hard and eventually finished as runners-up in the inaugural Nansha Super League. This grassroots team, composed of local workers, young residents, and ordinary citizens, showcased the spirit of unity, hard work, and daring to challenge, vividly reflecting the determined and enterprising character of Dongchong's people.

Dongchong boasts a comprehensive transportation network including high-speed rail, subways, and expressways, reaching Hong Kong in 35 minutes and connecting to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Dongguan within half an hour. It is an ideal micro-vacation destination in the Greater Bay Area, offering excellent conditions for hosting sports events and integrating culture and sports. Leveraging the "Hundreds, Thousands, and Tens of Thousands of Projects" initiative, Dongchong revitalizes idle urban and rural resources, improves fitness facilities, and innovates "Sports+" integration models, upgrading sports from a single competitive focus to a comprehensive approach that benefits the people, boosts industries, and enriches culture.

Currently, Dongchong Town has nearly 100 public sports venues, including football fields, basketball courts, swimming pools, and badminton courts, with a per capita sports area of 2.62 square meters. Guided by the "Hundreds, Thousands, and Tens of Thousands of Projects," Dongchong uses sports as a leverage point, skillfully integrating cultural tourism resources, activating urban and rural spaces, and enhancing people's well-being. Villages like Make, Tianyi, Yuwotou, and Dawen have transformed abandoned plots into colorful, well-equipped community parks and pocket parks, covering a total area of about 15,000 square meters. These "golden corners and silver edges" bloom everywhere, providing residents with high-quality spaces for exercise and relaxation right at their doorsteps. For instance, the idle space under the bridge in Shipai Village has been lightly renovated into a multifunctional park combining fitness, children's play, and interactive learning, becoming a popular spot for nearby residents to exercise and enjoy leisure.

Zhang Jiamao, Party Secretary of Dongchong Town, stated: "We adhere to a people-oriented approach in sports, turning idle spaces into sports venues and transforming livelihood shortcomings into development highlights. By improving sports facilities and regularly holding mass events, we continuously expand the radius of happiness for nationwide fitness, allowing residents to enjoy the benefits of sports right at their doorsteps."

In 2025, NBA star James Harden visited the Dongchong basketball court, wearing a local Danjia hat. This deep collision of trendy basketball culture with Lingnan water town folk culture made Dongchong's sports and tourism go viral online, effectively converting sports traffic into cultural tourism popularity and town fame.

Using events to attract visitors and culture to gather momentum, Dongchong continues to create immersive "Sports+" consumption scenarios. During major events, food markets, traditional Chinese performances, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and fun sports carnivals are launched simultaneously around the venues. Watching games, visiting markets, appreciating traditional culture, and tasting food have become new leisure trends, effectively boosting the night economy and local vibrancy. Each sports event transforms into a water town cultural tourism feast that involves the whole community and fills the entire area with excitement.

When sports thrive, the city thrives; when sports are strong, people's well-being is strong. Over the years, Dongchong has focused on football as its specialty and mass sports as its foundation, achieving comprehensive development in youth training, event empowerment, cultural and sports integration, and people's welfare. The sports gene has been fully integrated into the urban development fabric.

Dongchong will continue to increase investment in sports, deepen cooperation with professional sports institutions, football clubs, and event operation platforms, and scientifically plan and steadily advance key projects such as standardized football fields, comprehensive sports venues, and youth football training bases. It will persistently address facility shortcomings, upgrade event hosting conditions, and improve the youth training system. Moving forward, Dongchong will amplify its sports brand advantages, delve into the "Sports+" integrated development model, and use vibrant sports energy to empower the "Hundreds, Thousands, and Tens of Thousands of Projects," contributing steadily to Nansha's goal of becoming an international "City of Sports."

Leveraging the "Hundreds, Thousands, and Tens of Thousands of Projects," Nansha Street in Nansha District continues to revitalize urban "golden corners and silver edges," addressing sports facility deficiencies and transforming idle spaces into high-quality sports venues. In 2017, the Jinwan Football Field in Dongguayu Village was completed and put into use, becoming the core home ground for grassroots football development in the area. In recent years, the street has continuously upgraded hardware, renovating and improving 10 sites, including one multifunctional sports field and nine village-level courts. It is also accelerating the planning and construction of a public sports park, promoting the coverage of sports facilities from scattered points to the entire area, ensuring that sports spaces are truly accessible to the people.

Zhong Huibiao, Party Secretary of Nansha Street, stated: "We have always regarded sports as a key tool to enhance urban vitality, improve people's well-being, and innovate grassroots governance. We continue to increase investment in public sports facilities, promoting their coverage from point to surface, so that fitness venues are truly 'within reach.'"

Nansha Street insists on regular events and high-quality branding, creating diverse cultural and sports IPs such as the "Jiaohe Cup" football tournament, the "Street BA" basketball tournament, and the Rainbow Bubble Run, achieving "activities every week, events every month."

For the 2026 "Tunan Cup" Nansha City Football League, Nansha Street formed the "Lion Roar Football Team" to compete. Centered on the veteran grassroots team from Dongguayu Village, the team gathered the best football talents from the entire street, designed unique team emblems, flags, and jerseys, and used the lion's roar as a spiritual totem to embody the street's spirit of daring to fight and striving for leadership. The team united as one, won consecutive matches, and topped the league with a perfect record.

Xia Wei, a fourth-level researcher at Nansha Street and the leader of the Nansha Lion Roar Team, said: "Football is not just a sport; it is a carrier and epitome of spiritual culture. The championship of the Nansha Street Lion Roar Football Team is not just a victory in a competition but a victory of spirit and culture."

Nansha Street's football heritage stems from more than 30 years of persistent effort. In 1994, Zhu Jiayuan returned to his hometown after demobilization and led the formation of the Dongguayu Village football team. In the early days, training conditions were tough, but the villagers' passion remained unchanged. Every event brought everyone together, with drums and cheers, rooting a strong grassroots football culture deeply in the local soil. Over three decades, the team has maintained a tradition of "veterans mentoring newcomers," forming a comprehensive tiered system covering ages 14 to 55, with three generations of football players running the relay and passing the torch. Fan Weiqin, president of the Nansha Street Football Association, stated that the street insists on "going out and bringing in," regularly holding friendly matches and internal brand events to build exchange platforms for football enthusiasts from all walks of life, continuously strengthening the grassroots football team and enhancing the atmosphere of mass sports.

Nansha Street has nurtured several young players. Zheng Yang, who grew up immersed in the village football atmosphere, pursued his dream on the green field under the careful guidance of his seniors, eventually becoming a member of the Guangzhou Leopard team's reserve squad. The new-generation player Tan Leheng inherited his father's football passion, growing up following his father and the team, and through the teachings of older players, he has held onto his love and continued to pass on Nansha's local football spirit.

Nansha Street actively explores the "Sports+" integrated development path, promoting events into commercial areas and integrating sports into the night economy, converting the traffic from events into consumption growth and governance energy. Football events not only enrich people's spiritual lives but also turn the pitch into a "bridge of hearts" where neighbors get to know and support each other, effectively shortening neighborhood distances. Using sports as a "small entry point," the street achieves significant results in grassroots governance and improving people's livelihoods.