Storyline: Grassroots football tournament in China's Jiangsu energizes regional economy [Stand_up] Wang Tianyu, anchor-reporter: "Over 1.3 million people tried to grab just 26,000 tickets to this football match – a showdown between the top two teams in the Jiangsu Football City League, better known as “SuChao.” I was not lucky enough to get a ticket. But you don’t have to be inside the stadium to feel the heat." [Voice_over] It's the first season of the grassroots football tournament of Jiangsu Province. No one expected what a phenomenon it would become this summer. [Sound_bite] Local resident: "No chance of getting tickets on site." [Sound_bite] Local resident: "Tickets were gone in literally one second." [Voice_over] In the city of Nantong whose team is the top on the table, restaurants and shopping malls have turned into fan zones — with big screens, cold beer and lots of cheer. [Sound_bite] Local resident: "It's exciting to watch the match here. We’ve been to all three of the recent matches." [Sound_bite] Local resident: "My kids have been doing homework during the daytime, so I brought them out to chill and enjoy the summer vibes." [Voice_over] There are 188 live-stream fan zones like this across the city, where the excitement of the games has become the catalyst of consumption. According to the Nantong government, on the game day of July 19th alone, Nantong saw nearly 800,000 tourist visits with $67 million in tourism spending. It’s up around 50 percent from the same day last year when Suchao didn’t exist at all. [Sound_bite] Vendor: "If I knew it'd be this packed, I would've got some help. It's all thanks to 'Suchao'." [Voice_over] The amateur tournament is not just a football league, but a real economic driver. Fans with match tickets get free access to 40 top-rated tourist attractions across Nantong. So, it’s all part of a bigger push to boost tourism and local businesses. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]