Is it harder to get tickets for Chinese Super League matches than it is to get tickets to go home for the May 1st holiday?

As the May Day holiday approaches, many people planning to travel or visit relatives have found that train tickets to popular destinations are selling out quickly, making it extremely difficult to snatch them up. However, if you're a fan of the Chinese Super League (CSL), you may increasingly feel that "snatching tickets" has become the norm before every match.

On April 21st, Beijing Guoan played against Qingdao West Coast at home, and the number of spectators reached 50,231, marking the second time this season that the attendance at Guoan's home matches has exceeded 50,000. Just three weeks earlier, the Beijing Workers Stadium set a season attendance record with 53,898 people.

After seven rounds of matches, the CSL football market has continued its strong momentum from the previous season. Especially before the season's debut at the Workers Stadium, according to ticketing platforms, the individual tickets for this match were sold out in less than half an hour. The club then released an additional 1,000 tickets, which sold out in just one minute, highlighting the intense demand.

As the number of fans at the live matches steadily increases, the stories both inside and outside the stadium are also worth remembering. Before the start of this match, accompanied by the song "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky," more than 50,000 fans of both Beijing Guoan and Hebei China Fortune lit up the Workers' Stadium with their mobile phones to mourn the passing of Beijing Guoan fan Yang Xue due to illness. The Beijing Guoan club also permanently sealed Yang Xue's seat, demonstrating the warmth of Chinese football.

In addition to the major football cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu, the enthusiasm of fans in other regions has also surged. In the fourth round of the Chinese Super League, the total number of spectators for the 8 matches was 196,073, with an average of 24,509 per match, surpassing the previous season's highest of 191,553, setting a new attendance record for the Chinese Super League since 2020.

The popularity of the Chinese Super League is a cause for celebration, and the lower-level Chinese League One and League Two have also seen a wave of excitement.

In the fourth round of League One, the average attendance for the eight matches exceeded 10,000. In the match between Dalian Pro and Liaoning Shenyang Urban, 35,161 fans flocked to the Dalian Sports Center Stadium, ranking it among the top ten in the history of League One in terms of single-match attendance. In League Two, several "derby battles," including Chongde Ronghai vs. Shaanxi United in Xi'an, Shandong Taishan B vs. Tai'an Tiankang, and Guangxi Lanhang vs. Guangxi Hengchen, further ignited the enthusiasm of the fans, with attendance exceeding 10,000 in each match.

Some lower-level league teams stimulate the demand for watching games by organizing fan activities. For example, Dalian Kuncheng, which started the season with four wins and one draw, adopted a strategy of giving away free tickets to attract local fans.

With the bursting of the bubble in the era of big spending, in the past two years, many teams have started to focus on cultivating the market. On one hand, clubs are paying more attention to sponsorship cooperation with local businesses, such as the "Lotus Pond Moonlight" foot bath brand sponsoring Cangzhou Xiongshi, "Baotuquan Liquor Industry" becoming a partner of Shandong Taishan Club, and "Dalongyang Hotpot" becoming the official partner of Chengdu Rongcheng. These down-to-earth collaborations not only generate buzz, but also deepen the sense of belonging of the teams among local fans. It is also one of the effective ways for Chinese professional football to pursue market value at the current stage.

On the other hand, season tickets have always been an important part of football club ticket sales and the foundation of club box office revenue. After the booming market in the previous season, some Chinese Super League clubs have optimized their season ticket and single ticket policies, making their management teams more professional and market-oriented.

Ketisport has compiled a comparison chart of the 2024 Chinese Super League season ticket prices for the 16 teams, as well as a comparison chart of the attendance numbers for the home games of the top six teams in the first six rounds of the Chinese Super League. Let's take a look at these two charts to see what noteworthy phenomena are present in the various football markets in the Chinese Super League this season.

Phenomenon One: Speed Still Matters When Buying Season Tickets

Last season, the atmosphere at Fenghuang Mountain's games repeatedly made waves on various social media platforms, attracting many fans to come for the experience. Fenghuang Mountain has become a popular destination with social attributes. This season, the sales of season tickets for Chengdu Rongcheng were exceptionally brisk, with 8,350 sets of season tickets quickly selling out.

Interestingly, the club had previously offered 100 priority ticket purchasing slots. Fans who wished to obtain priority ticket purchasing rights had to purchase a high-priced bicycle priced at up to 9999 yuan. The merchandise sold out within seconds of being put on the shelves. The enthusiasm and demand of Chengdu fans for the matches are expected to bring considerable income to the club through ticket sales.

Echoing the booming football market in Chengdu Rongcheng is the veteran powerhouse, Beijing Guoan. Since the professionalization of Chinese football in 1994, Beijing Guoan has been one of the few teams that has not been relegated from the top league, gradually becoming a symbol of the city of Beijing.

Last season, with the completion of the new Workers' Stadium, Beijing Guoan's football market soared to new heights. On one hand, many nostalgic old fans brought their children to the new Workers' Stadium, nurturing the next generation of die-hard fans. On the other hand, many tourists visiting Beijing also choose to attend a Beijing Guoan match, making this phenomenon a trend.

Guoan's season ticket sales have always been booming. According to statistics, a total of 27,000 season tickets were sold this year, the most among Chinese Super League teams. From March 18th when season ticket selection opened to March 27th, regular season tickets were already sold out, while 700 business class season tickets priced at 7980 yuan were also sold out during the same period.

The ticket manager of Beijing Guoan Football Club told Krypton Sports that this year's season tickets have already reached the maximum issuance. Considering the balance of club revenue and the demand from individual match spectators, the club will still reserve a certain proportion of individual tickets in the future.

It is worth noting that Beijing Guoan has always placed special emphasis on long-term supporters of the team, and the "priority seat selection for season ticket holders" has become the norm.

"In terms of ticket prices, the increase in season ticket categories is mainly in the low and mid-range, as the season tickets for prime locations were already fully open last year," the ticket manager said. "In addition, the family season tickets have been reorganized this year, with the seats fixed in the independent stand area, and the quantity has not increased."

According to observations by Krypton Sports, it is difficult for fans who do not continuously purchase season tickets to select seats with excellent views. This has indirectly stimulated the season ticket market and encouraged more fans to become long-term supporters.

Observation 2: Ticket price increases do not hinder the sales of top-tier clubs

Looking at the pricing of season tickets for the 16 teams, Shanghai Shenhua has the highest-priced season tickets among the 16 Chinese Super League teams, with the highest price being 5780 yuan, averaging 385 yuan per match. As a traditional powerhouse in the Chinese Super League, based in a first-tier city like Shanghai, Shanghai Shenhua has positioned the team at a high level. Even with the highest-priced season tickets in the entire Chinese Super League, the club remains optimistic about ticket sales.

As expected, in the match where Shanghai Shenhua hosted Beijing Guoan at the Shanghai Stadium, 31,941 fans flocked to the venue, indicating that the high ticket pricing of Shanghai Shenhua has not affected the enthusiasm of Shenhua fans. As of the seventh round of the Chinese Super League, Shanghai Shenhua has six wins and one draw, leading the league table, and the team's outstanding performance on the field is a reward for the support of the fans.

Regardless of the highest or lowest pricing, Changchun Yatai has the lowest-priced season tickets this season among the 16 Chinese Super League teams, ranging from 400/580/780/980/1380 yuan. If fans choose the 400 yuan category of season tickets, they can watch 15 Chinese Super League matches and the home matches before the semifinals of the Chinese FA Cup, averaging only 26 yuan per match, even cheaper than watching a movie, making it a very affordable option.

In addition to the aforementioned increase in season ticket prices by Shanghai Shenhua, their city rivals, Shanghai SIPG, also slightly raised their season ticket prices, ranging from 1300 yuan to 3880 yuan. Another traditional powerhouse in the Chinese Super League, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, also raised their season ticket prices, but the support from fans attending matches has not diminished. This season, the season ticket prices for Tianjin Jinmen Tiger are 680/1380/1980 yuan, compared to the two season ticket categories of 580/980 yuan offered last season, indicating a significant increase in prices.

In the first round of the Chinese Super League this season, in the match where Tianjin Jinmen Tiger drew with Nantong Zhiyun at home, a total of 28,550 fans attended the match, indicating the considerable approval of the team's performance by Tianjin fans.

As of the time of writing, many home matches have already set new attendance records, including Beijing Guoan, as well as Zhejiang's match against Shanghai SIPG with 32,087 attendees, and Shandong Luneng's match against Beijing Guoan with 48,397 attendees, all setting new historical attendance records. With the weather warming up, it is expected that the attendance at major home matches will achieve even better results.

In the current situation of widespread price increases, the strong sales of season tickets have brought new revenue growth points for various Chinese Super League clubs. From the perspective of fans, as long as the team's performance can satisfy them, they naturally can accept the increase in season ticket prices.

Phenomenon Three: Cultivating the Culture of "Promoted Teams" Still Needed

Not all teams are enjoying a booming football market.

Before the start of this season, newly promoted Sichuan Jiuniu changed its name and relocated to become Shenzhen New Pengcheng. They also made significant moves in the transfer market, securing 9 domestic and 3 international signings, including the previous season's Chinese Football Association League MVP and several national team-level players, raising high expectations for this new Shenzhen team.

Despite pricing their season tickets at 850/950/1200/1500 yuan, which is relatively low compared to other Chinese Super League teams, reality has dealt a blow to this newcomer. In the first three rounds of the CSL, Shenzhen New Pengcheng managed only one draw and two losses, failing to secure a win.

Attendance at their three home games has not surpassed ten thousand spectators. In a match against Hebei China Fortune at their home ground, the Bao'an Sports Center Stadium, which can accommodate forty thousand people, only 5237 spectators turned up, making Shenzhen New Pengcheng the team with the lowest home attendance in the CSL so far. These embarrassing figures have made it clear to New Pengcheng that there is still a long way to go to fully win over local fans in Shenzhen.

The good news is that in recent matches, New Pengcheng has found its rhythm, defeating both Beijing Guoan and Henan Jianye. With the team's performance improving and strong support from the local government, it is believed that New Pengcheng will be able to deliver more exciting performances and attract more attention from local fans.

After 30 years of professionalization, Chinese football in 2024 is still in a trough. However, the silver lining is that Chinese football has begun to take steps forward even amidst this downturn. Chinese Super League clubs are increasing their investment in commercial sponsorships, ticket sales, and team merchandise, attracting fans back to the stadiums. We look forward to seeing Chinese football bloom again amidst the challenges.