The first Inner Mongolia International Youth Football Tournament kicked off here on Friday.

Besides teams from Russia and Mongolia, the tournament also invited domestic teams from five football pilot cities such as Dalian, Qingdao, Wuhan, Chengdu and Guangzhou, aiming at getting experiences from them.

Over 200 teenage players participated in the football winter camp, which launched at the end of January and provided training to players, coaches and local referees.

As the first football pilot autonomous region in China, Inner Mongolia was swept by the football enthusiasm since last September, and various kinds of league matches were boomed.

Hohhot Zhongyou football team, a newcomer in the second division of Chinese soccer league, will launch the new season in Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia.