Dalian Yingbo successfully entered the Super League and Dalian returned to the Chinese Super League!
On November 5, 2023, the Dalian team lost 2:3 at home to Shanghai Haigang in the final game of the Chinese Super League, and finally ranked 15th in the standings and was relegated to the Chinese League One. Dalian once again bid farewell to the Chinese Super League, and the Dalian team also announced its disbandment later. After 364 days, another Dalian team suddenly emerged. In the 2024 Chinese League One that ended on November 3, Dalian Yingbo won the runner-up 2:1 Shanghai Jiading Huilong and surpassed the league in one fell swoop.
Since becoming professional, Dalian has only had two window periods in the top leagues. The first time was when Dalian Albin was relegated in the 2014 season. After playing for 3 seasons in the Chinese League One, it was changed to Dalianers and returned to the Chinese Super League. This time, after only one season, a different team made a comeback. Meanwhile, in the 2022 season, the Dalianers were supposed to compete in the Chinese Super League, but due to the withdrawal of Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic, the Dalianers returned to the Chinese Super League as a replacement.
Before this season, Dalian Yingbo was not very optimistic, and was not ranked among the top two in the Super League. As a club that jumped one level in one year, went all the way from the Chinese Championship to the Chinese First Division, and experienced huge turmoil and equity auctions last year, InBev's personnel base and investment level can only be regarded as average. However, with the joint efforts of the club, coaching staff, and players, the Yingbo team broke out twice in the first Chinese League One season, laying a solid foundation with four consecutive wins in the beginning and five consecutive wins in the second half. Finally, under the leadership of the head coach Under the leadership of Li Guoxu , they were successfully promoted to the Chinese Super League.
In this process, the most important thing to write home about is the support from the fans. This season, at Barracuda Bay Football Stadium, the Chinese League One attendance record has been continuously refreshed. As of now, Dalian Yingbo holds eight of the top 10 attendance games in Chinese League One history. During the match against Shijiazhuang Kungfu, a total of 56,595 fans poured into the stadium to cheer, creating a new high attendance rate in the history of the Chinese League One. In the final game on the 3rd, this record was refreshed. 60,951 fans gathered in Barracuda Bay to create history together.
The popularity of the football market is the result of multiple factors. Dalian's strong football heritage, the emotional gap left by the fans after the disbandment of the Dalianers, the immersive viewing experience at Barracuda Bay Football Stadium, and the low ticket prices all played an important role. More importantly, the Yingbo team has achieved excellent results in the Chinese League One this season. The Dalian team played in the Chinese Super League at the same stadium last season, and there was a clear gap between the popularity and the current level.
This also poses a new test to the highly successful Dalian InBev. After being promoted to the Chinese Super League, this team with a relatively weak foundation and limited investment level will face more fierce competition, and it is inevitable that its performance will decline. In the days to come, the fans will pay more attention to what kind of spirit the Yingbo team will appear in the Chinese Super League.
Peninsula Morning News, 39 Degrees Video Reporter Sui Haitao
