Let's Go Jiangsu Sainty!!!

One of the coolest experiences I’ve had so far in China is attending the Jiangsu Sainty’s soccer games. Nanjing hosts the home field of the Jiangsu province soccer team, in the national league. Two weekends ago, I attended one of the games with about 15 other foreign teachers. This game was huge; Jiangsu, who was placed second in the league, was playing Guangzhou, the first place team, with only three games to go to fight for the top position.

The game was on Saturday at 7:30pm, so we head across town around 4pm, to hang out around outside the stadium, throw a football around, and have a picnic (aka drink beers) before the game. It was apparent from the busy subway that there were going to be a lot of people at the game, but we definitely had no idea what we were getting into.

There are two main entrances into the stadium, and we were sitting on a field just outside of the east gate. We watched as people lined up in orderly lines, waiting to be let into the stadium. They would open the gates in stages, and let groups of people in at a time, then close them. About 45 minutes before kickoff, we decided we should probably head into the stadium. By this time, the front gates were closed, and there were no more nice orderly lines. There was just a huge mass of people gathered around the gate, waiting. Well, nothing to do but join the crowd! As we waited there, and it became closer and closer to game time, the crowd behind and around us grew bigger and bigger, and more and more restless. They began to chant “Open, open, open!” (in Chinese), and at one point people started throwing empty plastic bottles towards the front.

By lifting Nichole onto Brian’s shoulders, we quickly learned what the problem was; for a crowd of about 5000 people (not an exaggeration), there were three doors to enter through, and maybe four security guards. At this point I actually began to get scared, because it was past the start of the game and people were starting to push. I felt at any moment there could be either a riot or a stampede. The crowd starting surging towards the front – there was literally nowhere to go except carefully step forward, move with the crowd, and whatever you do don’t fall! By the time we got to the front, people were just pushing through the doors. The security guards could do nothing, and nobody was even checking tickets.  As soon as we got into some open space, I felt like I could breathe again. Wow, talk about an adrenaline rush!

We quickly realized that there was no way we would make it to our usual spot in the lower level. In fact, we ended up going to the fourth level balcony, way up in the nosebleeds, just to get seats. I’ve never seen so many people in a stadium before. The final count was 70,000 people! One section of the lower level was for the opposing team. This was obvious not only because they were all wearing red, but also because there was a twenty seat wide buffer between them and the rest of the crowd, separated by about 100 military men. There were also military men that marched around the field towards the end of the game, discouraging any potential rioters from even thinking about storming the field. Although the outcome of the game wasn’t the best, (it was a tie), it was a lot of fun to be a part of such a huge event.

The next weekend, this past Saturday, there was another Sainty’s game, at 3:30pm. Although not as big of a rivalry game, it was still crucial that we win in order to secure the championship title. Of course, the same group all decided to attend again. This time, however, we planned on going out downtown afterwards to celebrate Halloween. Of our large group of friends, half of us were wearing our Halloween costumes, and half of us were decked out in full Sainty’s gear, including jerseys, scarves, headbands, blue wigs, and tattoos. As we sat outside the stadium waiting to go in, you can imagine the kind of attention we attracted; 15 laowai's (foreigners) fully dressed up at a sporting event is not something the average Chinese person sees everyday.

This time when we entered the stadium, it was much different. There were still a lot of people at the game (55,000), but entering was much less chaotic. As we walked in, we noticed our usual spot behind the goal in the lower level was free. We entered in the side gate, and had to walk halfway around the field, on a path between the lower level and the upper balcony. What happened next was totally unexpected, and very overwhelming! The whole crowd erupted and started cheering for us. As we walked, everyone was cheering and giving us high fives from above and below. The Chinese fans seemed so surprised and excited to see so many foreigners proudly supporting their team. This crazy scene lasted for the five minutes it took us to find our seats, and some time afterwards. I’ve never seen so many cameras before!

The awesome part about Chinese soccer games is that they get really into their cheering. In one section, every single person wears blue, and there is a crew at the front that is solely dedicated to leading massive cheers. There are also people all along the front row in charge of waving huge flags. What a fun experience to be a part of, even though it was a no scoring tie game. After these two games, I definitely have a new appreciation and respect for Chinese sports fans, and large crowds!


Here is the link for my Facebook album in China:  Back To China Again Album