Nanjing players bring real-life grit to the Jiangsu Football City League

At 4 am on June 24 in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Miao Ming was already hard at work with his father at their crab farm. Clad in a black T-shirt, shorts and rubber boots, it was hard to tell that just days earlier, he had been fiercely competing for the Nanjing team in the 2025 Jiangsu Football City League, known as Suchao.

For over 30 years, Miao's parents have dedicated themselves to crab farming. Yet at age 11, Miao's path took an unexpected turn when he joined the Jiangsu Sainty youth team. His parents, though often too busy to accompany him, realized that football could be a promising new path for him, so they have supported him ever since.

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"I enjoy playing football and relaxing through crab farming," Miao said. After completing his tasks at the crab farm, he returns home to his wife and children, seamlessly transitioning between his roles as an athlete, a farmer and a family man.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Nanjing, his teammates Ruan Zhexiang and Li Jiajun embody the spirit of "football youth training".

At Nanjing Yihe Primary School, youth coach Ruan shares his experiences and techniques from his matches in Suchao with his students, who are thrilled to see their coach compete in the league, enriching their training sessions with real-world experiences. After school, he makes the long drive to the Nanjing team's training ground, finding deep fulfillment in his dual calling.

Li, a promising talent that has emerged from the Nanjing football youth training system, returns to his alma mater, Yuhuatai High School, to inspire younger students with his perseverance and dedication to the sport.

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On July 5, as a new round of Suchao matches unfolded in Nanjing, these three players, each with a unique story, converged on the same field. Their ordinary lives, interwoven with extraordinary dreams, created a day that was anything but ordinary. As they stood united, they proved that through dedication both on and off the field, dreams can indeed become reality.