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Feature: American football sees growing popularity in China

XINHUA

發布於 2022年09月29日03:23 • Wang Junbao

Chinese amateur football players train in Harbin, China. (Xinhua/Wang Junbao)

American football has become a fashion among young people in Harbin, China.

HARBIN, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Wearing professional uniforms to play American football has become a fashion among young people in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

On Chinese short-video platforms, Han Peiyu, 30, like many young people, regularly shoots videos in American football clothing.

During Han's college days, he once played with a football bought by his classmate and fell in love with the sport. "I played it for the first time at school, and gradually took the initiative to watch football games. I found it full of fighting spirit and teamwork, so I began to practice often," Han said.

Chinese amateur football players train in Harbin. (Xinhua/Wang Junbao)

In 2017, Han represented a local amateur American football team in Shenyang in China's National Amateur League.

Since there was no football team in Han's hometown at that time, he decided to promote it in Harbin. In April 2018, Han and his friends formed the Harbin Siberian Tigers team.

"The team started with only five people. Later, new players were recruited through the internet, ranging in age from teens to 40s, coming from all walks of life," Han said.

Although there is currently no professional American football league in Heilongjiang Province, the love of local young people for the sport never faded.

At 8 p.m., Han and a group of burly teammates train on a football field in Harbin. "Although the entire team is formed by amateur players, we train regularly. We have more than 60 players now," said Han, the team captain.

Born in 1993, Cao Zibo works in a bank. Weighing in at 230 pounds, he used to feel inferior because of his obesity, but football has made him more confident. "Participating in the sport of football is like recharging for work and allows me to make new friends. This sport brings me a lot of joy. It is very attractive and makes me energized every day," Cao said.

Chinese amateur football players play a match in Harbin. (Xinhua/Wang Junbao)

Han and his teammates always train after work. In recent years, their performance in national competitions may seem unsatisfactory, but they have made rapid progress.

"We are still amateurs after all, but every time we play against other teams, we have made progress," said player Ye Qi.

In 2018, Harbin hosted the World College Football Championship, which attracted 255 players from China, the United States, Mexico, South Korea and Japan. Since then, American football has had a greater influence locally, and many colleges in China have established football clubs.

Discussing the team's future, Han said: "The more members join, the better results we have." ■

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