The 2026 Jiangsu Football City League - popularly known as the Su Super League - kicked off in Changzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, on April 11, 2026. Photo: VCG

"Last year, every 1 yuan ($0.15) spent on Su Super League tickets generated 7.3 yuan in peripheral consumption," Shen Jianrong, vice governor of East China's Jiangsu Province, said on Thursday, as the province continues to unleash the potential of sports consumption, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Shen made the remarks at a press conference on a strong start to the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, during which the official said that Jiangsu will continue to preserve the grassroots essence, and the lively, down-to-earth atmosphere of the Su Super League, further promoting its deep integration with business, tourism, culture, sports, and wellness industries, while enhancing the quality of event organization, according to Xinhua.

Shen said that in order to channel the on-site enthusiasm and crowds from the stadiums into various sectors of the economy, the province has launched more than 100 themed tourism routes and more than 100 "Su Super League Carnival" events. 

Statistics showed that on the Su Super League match days during this year's May Day holidays, key monitored cultural and tourism scenic spots across Jiangsu received approximately 37.6 million domestic and international tourists, a year-on-year increase of 7.2 percent. Cultural and tourism consumption rose 6.7 percent year-on-year.

In addition to the Su Super League and the Provincial Games, the province will host more than 60 international events, more than 300 national-level competitions, and more than 500 provincial-level events this year. Focusing on improving the spectator experience for the general public, Jiangsu will actively expand a variety of consumption scenarios, including themed tourism, water sports, and ice and snow sports, to further unleash the potential of sports consumption, according to Xinhua.

"After its launch last year, the Su Super League quickly became a huge hit. It achieved significant innovation in the sports event economy and, thanks to its replicability, can be promoted nationwide, thereby further stimulating surrounding consumption and related industries," Zhang Yi, CEO of the iiMedia Research Institute, told the Global Times on Thursday.

This year, provinces such as East China's Zhejiang, Central China's Hubei, and South China's Guangdong have joined this grassroots football feast, according to media reports.

The 2026 Hubei Provincial Urban Football League officially kicked off on April 12, with the regular season scheduled to conclude during the National Day holiday period, and the knockout stage set to wrap up in mid-November. Fans can enjoy cultural and tourism discounts across multiple locations by presenting their match tickets. The event will also introduce an award that will recognize and honor the top five competition zones for their outstanding contributions to driving consumption, local media reported.

The Zhejiang Provincial Urban Football League will run until mid-June. Outside the venues, markets will be set up to showcase or sell specialty agricultural products from across the province, intangible cultural heritage handicrafts, and cultural and creative trendy items. Nearby restaurants and shopping malls will also establish secondary live viewing sites and launch exclusive fan discount packages, according to local media.

"The sports events have a very strong pulling effect on consumption with significant benefits and positive spillover effects," Zhang said, noting that the event economy unleashes greater potential and more possibilities for the cultural and tourism industries.

The recently concluded May Day holidays provided the latest window into this trend. According to official statistics from the Chinese Football Association, during the five-day period, more than 1.56 million spectators nationwide attended football matches in stadiums, with an average attendance of 12,224 per match.

According to the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for national economic and social development, the vitality of improvement-oriented consumption will be stimulated, expanding cultural, sports, and tourism consumption, and optimizing the approval and management of commercial performances and sports events. The integration of commerce, tourism, culture, sports, and health will be deepened to create immersive and interactive new consumption scenarios.

Zhang said that during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the driving effect of sports events on the economy will continue to become evident. "This is expected to become a significant new driver on the consumption side, providing strong support for enhancing regional economic vitality," he said.