With the start of the summer vacation, the city’s most popular amateur football event for middle and high school students – the Shanghai Port-SAIC Xinmin Evening News Students’ Football Tournament – is returning in July.

In its 39th edition, the tournament will hold preliminary round matches in July in seven competition areas: Pudong, Huangpu, Jing’an, Putuo, Minhang, Songjiang and Lingang.

Since 2021, the tournament has expanded its geographical scope to include teams from the Yangtze River Delta region. This year, a competition area will be set in Nantong, neighboring Jiangsu Province.

The finals will be held in Shanghai in August, featuring regional winners from the preliminary round.

For the first time, women’s group competitions will be set in the finals, inviting teams from south-western Tibet Autonomous Region and the Kashgar area of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to exchange skills with Shanghai women players.

At the tournament’s launch ceremony on Sunday, Chinese Super League side Shanghai Port’s Argentine striker Matías Vargas was named this year’s tournament ambassador.

“Meeting so many young football enthusiasts in Shanghai reminds me of my home country where football is also extremely popular,” said Vargas. “You are lucky to have such decent pitches and facilities. Just invite your friends to form teams and have fun!”

With the support of Shanghai Port, charity activities will be held in remote regions during the tournament. Port’s youth training director Cheng Yaodong will bring football courses to Kashgar area this year.

Also, the Best Player of this year’s tournament will be invited to take part in Shanghai Port’s professional youth training and seek a potential professional football career.