The stadium's seating sections had been upgraded, spectator standing areas tidied up, and the pitch surface and drainage and lighting systems improved.

When the final whistle was blown on Jan 24 in front of 16,000 roaring fans, the team from Zhanjiang, Guangdong, had defeated hometown favorite Yongzhou 2-1 to lift the trophy.

Yet, the victory also belonged to the host city and its contribution to the ongoing surge of grassroots soccer across China that this tournament, and the new-look stadium, embodied.

City roars to life

Yongzhou's fairy-tale journey began when the young team battled through a series of tough opponents to win the 2025 Hunan Football League, or Xiangchao, on Dec 27.

In a keenly contested match in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, in front of 43,695 spectators, Yongzhou defeated Changde 1-0 to take the championship.

Just months earlier, Yongzhou had played their home games in their rundown home venue, also called the "beggars' stadium".

Although the stadium underwent a two-month renovation before the league kicked off to meet the tournament's venue standards, several early matches were played while repair work was underway.

Facing reduced seating capacity, fans created ingenious methods to watch matches from vantage points in trees outside the ground and standing on makeshift platforms of bricks, calling them "tree tickets" and "brick tickets".

The supporters' passion never wavered. In the quarterfinals, when the Yongzhou team played an away game, more than 30,000 fans packed their home stadium to watch the match via a live broadcast. After the team emerged victorious, the fans spilled onto the streets for a citywide celebration.

These scenes, widely shared on social media, drew international attention, with netizens abroad describing the support as "what every team dreams of".

This raw enthusiasm and passion was a compelling reason why the national broadcaster chose Yongzhou to host the inaugural Yangchao tournament.

The city, virtually unknown beforehand, became a national focal point for showcasing the spirit of grassroots soccer.

Organizers embraced the fans' idea of "tree tickets". After ensuring their safety, 15 trees surrounding the stadium were designated as official viewing spots.

As a friendly gesture, 14 of the "tree tickets" were offered to visiting fans from outside provinces. The visiting supporters adorned their allocated trees with symbols representing their cities as well as encouraging slogans.

When the home team was not playing, local fans cheered for visiting teams, celebrating every goal.

Ahead of the championship match, supporters from Zhanjiang performed a vibrant Guangdong lion dance, offering their own cultural heritage as a "thank you" gift for the hospitality they had received.

Even after the Yongzhou team lost the final, giant screens in the city center glowed with a warm message for the players: "We love you when you win, we love you when you lose."

"The city has completely changed because of soccer," Chen Kexin, a local journalist, told People's Daily.

"Now, even when there is no match, you hear people talking about the sport on every street corner. Kids can turn a plastic water bottle or a crumpled piece of paper into a ball and start playing anywhere."