The "Centennial School Cup" for high school teams has successfully concluded, perfectly showcasing "Nansha Good Young."

Reporter Wang Wei reports The green field ignites passion, Nansha Good Young! After seven days of fierce competition, on the evening of July 20, the 2025 "Centennial School Cup" football tournament (high school group) concluded at Guangzhou Youlian School. In the final match that evening, Changsha Yali High School defeated Chongqing No. 7 High School with a score of 2-0, claiming the championship, while the latter secured the runner-up position; in the third and fourth place playoff, Hangzhou Senior High School Qiantang School triumphed over Xi'an No. 1 High School with a score of 2-0, taking third place, while the latter finished fourth. Wu Jialiang, Deputy Director of the Cultural, Broadcasting, Tourism, and Sports Bureau of Nansha District, Cai Gongliang, Deputy Director of the Nansha District Education Bureau, Li Dayun, Party Branch Secretary of Guangzhou Youlian Foreign Children’s School, Assistant Principal Huang Weiting, and Zhu Rongrui, Secretary-General of the Nansha District Football Association, presented awards to the winning teams.

From July 14 to July 21, 16 teams from 16 cities across the country gathered in Nansha, Guangzhou, competing in a week-long tournament consisting of 48 exciting matches at two high-standard venues: the football field of Guangzhou Youlian School and the Hengli Citizen Sports Park in Nansha District.

Nearly 400 coaches and players from across the country braved the scorching heat, demonstrating the fighting spirit of contemporary youth. The final match on the evening of July 20 featured Changsha Yali High School against Chongqing No. 7 High School, where Changsha Yali High School secured the championship with goals from Deng Yixuan in the 43rd minute and Yin Hanlei in the 53rd minute, winning 2-0.

Li Yuening from Changsha Yali High School was awarded the Best Player of the tournament, while Wang Yian from Hangzhou Senior High School Qiantang School claimed the top scorer title with six goals. Also from Changsha Yali High School, Zhong Junhao (shown below) was named the Best Goalkeeper.

Xie Chengguang, the head coach of Changsha Yali High School, expressed gratitude, stating, “We are very thankful to the Nansha District Cultural, Broadcasting, Tourism, and Sports Bureau and the Football News for providing us with such a great opportunity to participate. The team had a rich experience in both competition and life in Nansha, achieving our goals for this event. This tournament fostered friendships through football, allowing the kids to meet friends from various places. Additionally, the organizing committee arranged a day of study, providing students with a new experience and a deeper understanding of the Centennial School Cup and Nansha, Guangzhou. We hope to return to Nansha in the future.”

Li Yuening, the Best Player of the tournament from Changsha Yali High School (shown below), said, “I appreciate the organizing committee for providing us with such a great platform for the competition. Nansha left a deep impression on me; every match was of high quality. Most importantly, the place we stayed, Youlian School, was very comfortable. We hope to continue participating in the next Centennial School Cup, and I have already made plans with many players from other schools to return next year.”

Tang Jian, the head coach of Chongqing No. 7 High School football team, stated, “Through this Centennial School Cup competition, our team has become more united. We hope to bring the performance we displayed in the Centennial School Cup back to our competitions in Chongqing, and we wish for our players to develop even better in the future.” Player Yu Zexi from Chongqing No. 7 High School remarked, “Although we were just a step away from the championship, the runner-up result is also a reflection of our teammates' collective efforts, and we have no regrets. We are grateful to the Centennial School Cup for creating this platform for us, where we felt the warmth of Nansha and hope to return in the future.”

Wang Yian from Hangzhou Senior High School Qiantang School (shown below), who was the top scorer of this tournament, said, “I am very honored to receive the Best Scorer award in the Centennial School Cup football tournament. This award is a result of the hard work of the entire team. I hope to achieve good results in the upcoming competitions in Zhejiang Province and continue participating in the Centennial School Cup next year.”

Over the past week, the second "Centennial School Cup" was spectacularly held in Nansha, Guangzhou, marking a new milestone in Nansha's ability to host events. In an interview, Wu Jialiang, Deputy Director of the Cultural, Broadcasting, Tourism, and Sports Bureau of Nansha District, outlined the development of football in Nansha using three keywords: “The tide rises, striving to catch up, and initial results.” Now, with the successful hosting of the "Centennial School Cup" as a starting point, Nansha football and sports are steadily moving towards a high-quality development path with vigorous momentum.

It is understood that Nansha District will adhere to the concept of "joint consultation, construction, and sharing," planning a "membership-based" football club to provide the people of Nansha with their own football club, which will participate in this year's Guangdong Province Super League under the name of the Guangzhou Bay Area Youth Team.