The 2026 Governor's Cup Jiangsu Youth Campus Soccer League opens in Nanjing. [Photo/WeChat account: jssjyt]

The 2026 Governor's Cup Jiangsu Youth Campus Soccer League opened in Nanjing on April 2.

This year's competition features eight divisions: boys' and girls' categories at the high school, junior high school and primary school levels, with the primary school section further divided into Group A and Group B.

The high school boys' competition has introduced a promotion and relegation system for the first time, splitting teams into a Super Division and a Standard Division to allow tiered competition and more targeted development.

The new format is expected to create a more competitive and sustainable pathway for young players, while helping raise the overall standard of campus soccer across Jiangsu.

Over the past 29 years, Jiangsu has steadily improved its youth campus soccer competition system, building a stronger foundation for the sport at the grassroots level.

The province has established 376 national kindergartens and 3,141 schools offering soccer programs. It has also encouraged every student to own a soccer ball, and every class to form a team and engage in daily training, a weekly lesson, a monthly match and a soccer culture festival each semester.

Jiangsu has also worked to strengthen coaching and officiate resources through a diversified talent development model, including recruiting retired athletes, helping in-service teachers transition into education roles, and bringing in international coaches to work on campus. To date, the province has trained more than 12,000 coaches and over 6,000 referees.