A Different Liaoning Derby! Return and "Collision," Hope Amid the Heat

Reporter Chen Yong reports After 12 years, Liaoning football once again witnesses a top-tier "Liaoning Derby." The new Dalian football and the new Liaoning football meet again on the top league stage, and the second leg, held at Dalian Yingbo's home ground, Dalian Suoyu Bay, which boasts the best attendance in the CSL, naturally draws even more attention. Compared to the relatively calm first leg of the Liaoning Derby, the return match sparked more interest due to a "short essay" published by the Liaoning Tieren club.

This "episode" put immense pressure on referee Shan Dano, making him noticeably cautious in his calls, which to some extent affected the game's excitement. However, this is not the core essence of the match. The real thought-provoking aspect is that nearly 10,000 away fans traveled to Dalian to watch the game, truly driving cultural tourism and boosting the economy. At the same time, the excellent football atmosphere and booming ticket market demonstrated by Dalian Yingbo over the past two years, along with the diverse ways matchday economy manifests, serve as a typical case in China's professional football reform, worthy of further study and reflection.

A month before the match, Dalian Yingbo began "preparations," focusing not only on security measures but also on the impressive full-field mosaic TIFO and suspended TIFO that were ultimately displayed.

The two TIFOs were designed by the North Stand. One detail of the full-field mosaic TIFO was particularly impressive: the away fan section is usually a challenge for such displays, but Dalian Yingbo's design used a dragon head facing the away fans, making the red cheering gear of Liaoning Tieren fans look like flames spewing from the dragon's mouth, achieving a perfect integration across the entire fan area. This creative idea was undeniably clever.

The truly stunning part was the suspended TIFO, which sparked widespread discussion across the CSL. This suspended TIFO featured the wizard Gandalf, but with his face replaced by Stanciu. His magic wand was electronic and could emit light. The most ingenious touch was the two red books in Stanciu's hands, using the color of Liaoning Tieren's jersey to imply "red books" (a pun on "losing" in Chinese). The dates on the books were the match dates when Dalian Yingbo had previously defeated Liaoning Tieren twice. Another interesting detail was that during the game, Dalian Yingbo fans chanted "Tiexi Library," a pun meaning "Tiexi Library—all books (all losses)."

After the match, Stanciu also came to the North Stand. Previously, only Fei Yu and Robertson had stepped onto the North Stand; Fei Yu did so for his retirement ceremony, and Robertson was a key player in Dalian Yingbo's promotion to the CSL.

The suspended TIFO was brilliantly creative, but turning the idea into reality was no easy task. The entire TIFO weighed about 500 kilograms and was extremely large, requiring careful consideration of the support structure, as well as factors like wind resistance and resonance. The suspended TIFO ultimately had to be reviewed by the Academy of Building Sciences, with every detail undergoing technical verification. The entire process, from concept to verification to final approval, took a full month.

Tickets for this match sold out in less than three minutes. "The popularity of this game is second only to Dalian Yingbo's promotion battle in 2024," Dalian Yingbo General Manager Chen Dong told reporters.

Three hours before kickoff, Suoyu Bay Stadium was already packed with Dalian fans. A heartening phenomenon was the high proportion of fans bringing children, thanks to improvements in Dalian Yingbo's fan culture. For example, the stadium strictly prohibits swearing, especially clear requirements for fan associations, allowing more parents to feel comfortable bringing their kids to the game. In turn, these children further strengthen Dalian's fan base.

Suoyu Bay Stadium set up two fan markets on the north and west sides, which is why many fans arrived several hours early. They strolled through the markets, ate or had a drink, or visited the nearby outlet mall, creating a further synergy between "commercial culture" and "sports culture." This is actually the best demonstration of the "matchday economy" advocated by the state.

Outside the Dalian Yingbo official fan store, fans queued up in long lines. Some vendors saw an opportunity and hawked small items on both sides of the queue. At that point, the reporter noticed that selling cushions remains a traditional part of Dalian's football culture. After the match, fans also threw cushions into the air as usual. This is quite fun, but the only issue is that it may increase the difficulty for police to identify dangerous items being thrown. However, Dalian police cooperated very well, unlike in other places where such behavior is strictly prohibited, and excessive security measures even lead to the rejection of carefully prepared TIFOs by fan groups, wasting their efforts.

So far, Dalian Yingbo's merchandise sales revenue (not profit) has approached 10 million yuan, with total sales expected to reach 15 million yuan this season. The club has set up a dedicated design department. This active exploration and the enthusiastic response from fans represent hope for the club's ability to generate its own income.

For this match, 4,092 fans from within Liaoning Province purchased tickets. Adding the 4,800 fans from Liaoning Tieren and others from outside the province not yet counted, about 16% of the 62,075 fans were from other cities, naturally bringing more business opportunities to the city of Dalian.

Ten hours before kickoff, the already tense atmosphere suddenly intensified: around 8 a.m., the Liaoning Tieren club published a "short essay" directly targeting the referee Shan Dano. This was a very delicate timing—there was no longer enough time to change the referee. The "short essay" seemed more like an emotional release or a psychological tactic.

What baffled onlookers was that all the cases of Shan Dano's decisions listed in the article had nothing to do with Liaoning Tieren. Three of the CSL cases involved Shandong Taishan, and another was from the Northeast Super League. "What exactly did Liaoning Tieren mean to express?" some fans asked, while others joked, "Maybe there's a Shandong Taishan fan undercover in Liaoning Tieren." The colloquial phrase "ming zheng yan lou" (often written as "ming zheng yan lou") used in the article also sparked discussion; fans searched and found it was a Liaoning dialect meaning "something obvious that everyone knows."

Jokes aside, returning to the incident itself, Liaoning Tieren's "short essay" was actually a very unserious matter. The Chinese Football Association and the CSL League were very dissatisfied. The "short essay" was eventually deleted a few hours after publication, but the impact it had already caused could not be undone. Currently, the focus is on whether Liaoning Tieren's action will be penalized. All things considered, the likelihood of punishment is high; otherwise, if other clubs follow suit, the work of referees would become extremely difficult.

The match ended with Dalian Yingbo winning 1-0. The technical and tactical quality of the game was average, but the pace of transitions was decent. The only regret was the pitch condition—the stadium's structure, the type of grass, and damage caused by the Northeast Super League rehearsal and performance left the pitch as a rare disappointment.

After the match, as the song "Hometown by the Sea" played, Liaoning Tieren fans quietly left the stadium. Some fans took a special train back to Shenyang, while Dalian Yingbo fans celebrated at the stadium before continuing their celebrations elsewhere in the city.

Dalian football last played in Asian competitions in 2006, and its last top-tier league runner-up finish was also in 2006, with a top-four finish in 2007. This is the goal Dalian Yingbo is striving for this season. With this victory, Dalian Yingbo, with one game in hand, sits in third place with 32 points. However, the chasing pack is close behind with small point differences, so Dalian Yingbo must continue to work hard.

Looking back at the past 21 rounds, the club has faced pressure: after losing 1-4 away to Wuhan Three Towns in the second round of the CSL, a few fans called for "season ticket refunds." After losing 1-4 at home to Shanghai Shenhua in the 16th round, ultimately five fans refunded their season tickets. This became one of the biggest concerns for Chairman Wang Kui and General Manager Chen Dong this season. They constantly communicated with fans and made demands on the team, and Dalian Yingbo eventually turned things around with a three-game winning streak (including the FA Cup).

Regarding Dalian Yingbo's future development, Chairman Wang Kui pays close attention to young players. He consistently watches Dalian Yingbo B team matches. "In last year's U21 league, opinions differed on whether to aim for promotion to the China League Two. I was firm in our belief to push for promotion because young players need a higher professional platform to develop. After training in the China League Two this season, I feel three players from the B team have great potential, and we plan to use them in the first team next year. Dalian Yingbo's development strategy is to build on its own youth system and maintain a youthful rhythm," Wang Kui said.

The ticket market and commercial revenue are Dalian Yingbo's biggest highlights. Although ticket prices are significantly lower than those of clubs like Beijing Guoan, Dalian Yingbo makes up for it with a larger attendance, ensuring revenue growth this season. However, the costs of hosting a home match are also considerable—about one million yuan per home game, covering venue, security, and other expenses, such as the additional barriers installed for this Liaoning Derby.

Sponsorship revenue has also increased this season. "The government has given us tremendous support. A key point is that they have created a good football atmosphere and provided a better environment for the club to survive. Currently, Chinese professional leagues are constantly discussing club operations, especially self-sustainability. We very much hope to explore a new path in this regard," Wang Kui stated.

"For a professional club, the spirit and energy of the investors are crucial. If someone is willing to invest in football, and does so with excellent spirit, then they are the heroes of the city. Investing in football cannot be just out of passion; it also requires courage, wisdom, and guts. In the growth of Dalian Yingbo, I am pleased to see the rise of a new generation of football people like Mr. Wang," said Wang Wenyong, Deputy Director of the Dalian Municipal Sports Bureau.

Wang Wenyong previously worked in the Cultural Tourism Bureau and was a popular director. At Suoyu Bay Stadium, wherever Wang Wenyong went, fans greeted him. This glimpse shows the deep love and investment Dalian has for football.