When roar of football pauses for quiet of dreams

NANJING -- A wildly popular grassroots football league sweeping across eastern China has deliberately gone silent this weekend - not due to weather or injuries, but out of respect for an exam that shapes the futures of millions.

The "Su Super League," an amateur city-derby tournament featuring 13 teams - each representing a city in Jiangsu province - has captured the collective imagination of around 195,700 live spectators, with online viewership soaring into the hundreds of millions. Its attendance has even surpassed that of some established professional leagues.

Yet despite overwhelming public enthusiasm, the league's organizers chose to pause play to accommodate China's national college entrance exam, or gaokao, which began Saturday.

With a staggering 13.35 million students registered this year, the gaokao is the world's largest standardized test and a vital gateway to higher education for millions of Chinese families. Its significance is deeply intertwined with the hopes and anxieties of an entire generation.

"In scheduling this season, we intentionally avoided matchdays that coincide with the gaokao, so that our youth can focus on their futures in a peaceful environment," said an organizing committee member of the white-hot football phenomenon.

A poster shared on the league's official social media bore a motivational message for examinees: "Strike the goal, scale the heights," inspiring students to overcome challenges and pursue excellence.

Lovingly dubbed the "Su Super League" in a playful nod to the English Premier League and Chinese Super League, the tournament draws its rosters from all walks of life - high schoolers, couriers, IT workers, and more.

Its grassroots charm has only deepened public understanding of the league's decision to temporarily step aside for the gaokao, especially in Jiangsu, a province renowned for its educational rigor.

"We absolutely support this decision! May the students walk from the exam halls onto the pitches, and continue to revel in the joy the league brings," read one popular social media comment, earning thousands of likes.

Despite China's struggles on the international football stage, passion for the sport runs deep - down to every city and community. The "Su Super League" has become a carnival of local pride and sporting delight, where laughter, banter and hometown loyalty intermingle in the stands and online.

The surge in fan engagement has also turbocharged local tourism and hospitality. According to data from Meituan, a leading service platform, searches for football bars in Jiangsu rose more than 400 percent in the past week alone.

The league will resume with its fourth round on June 14, continuing until November, promising to keep football fervor alive well into the summer before the world turns its attention to next year's World Cup.

But the league's spirit evidently goes beyond competition. On Friday, the Suqian division announced it would delay its June 14 home game to June 21 out of respect for the zhongkao, the high school entrance exam for middle schoolers.

"In honoring both the spirit of football and the ideals of education, we believe this brief pause is deeply meaningful," said local organizers in a statement. "It reflects a value we all hold dear - our unwavering support for the next generation."