The varsity squad of Nanjing Medical University marches in during the opening ceremony of the 2017 Jiangsu University Intercity Football League, which kicks off at the Jiangning Campus of Hohai University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province on April 8. [Photo/sohu.com]

The 2017 Jiangsu University Intercity Football League kicked off at the Jiangning Campus of Hohai University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province on April 8.

As the first football tournament targeting collegiate athletes, the event was a joint effort of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, the Jiangsu Provincial Sports Bureau, the Jiangsu school football workgroup, the Jiangsu football association and the Suning Sports Group.

More than 2,000 government officials, enterprise leaders, coaches, athletes and local students and teachers were in attendance.

With the theme of “More than a Match”, the three-month tournament has attracted more than 600 collegiate athletes from 20 Jiangsu universities, such as the renowned Nanjing University, Southeast University, Hohai University and Jiangsu University.

By employing the home-visiting site system and dividing participating teams into groups of five, the tournament will play host to 92 matches, all being broadcast online.

The name of the final winning team will be engraved on a mobile trophy to be awarded at the tournament’s end.