Fans cheer from the stands during a match between Zhenhai and Yuyao in the preliminary round of the Zhejiang Provincial City Soccer League at the stadium of Eastern Institute of Technology in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, on Jan 10. [Photo/IC]

East China's Zhejiang has announced the launch of its first provincial city soccer league following a series of qualifying events across the province.

The competition includes a preliminary round and a city championship stage. The preliminary round is being organized by each city, which is integrating the qualifiers into existing grassroots soccer competitions.

During the preliminary round, counties, county-level cities, and districts will field grassroots soccer representative teams to compete in city-level leagues. These matches will be used to select eligible players for the provincial city soccer league.

The city championship stage will be organized by the league's organizing committee in coordination with host sub-venues. It is scheduled to run from mid-April to the end of July 2026.

Preparations are already underway across the province. All 11 cities in Zhejiang have entered an active preparation phase, with several cities moving into stages of team selection and competition organization.

Officials said the league is designed to strengthen grassroots soccer participation, improve the competitive pathway for amateur players, and promote balanced soccer development across cities in the province.