Jin cuju league system
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| Country | Da Huang |
|---|---|
| Sport | Cuju |
| Promotion and relegation | Yes |
| National system | |
| Federation | Cuju Association of Jinae |
| Confederation | OAFF |
| Top division | Men Jin Jia Liansai Women Mulan Chaoji Liansai |
| Second division | Men Jin Yi Liansai Women Jin Jia Nuzi Liansai |
| Cup competition | Men Jin Royal Men's Cup Jin Champions Cup Jin League Cup Women Jin Royal Women's Cup CAJ Women's Champion Cup CAJ Women's League Cup |
The Jin cuju league system, or the Jin association football league system, is a series of hierarchically interconnected league systems for club football in Da Huang and Yangcheng run by the Cuju Association of Jinae (CAJ). The Jin cuju league system is organised in a pyramidical shape, with twelve official levels for both the men's leagues women's leagues. The principle of promotion and relegation binds these leagues, and due to their hierarchical format, it is theoretically possible for the lowest amateur club of the lowest level to rise to the very top of their system.
The top three professional levels of the men's leagues contain one division each. Below this, the semi-professional and amateur levels have progressively more parallel divisions, each covering progressively localised regional areas.
The women's leagues follow a similar organisation to the men's leagues, with the top four levels playing professionally with one division each. Below that are levels 5–7 semi-professional leagues administered by the Junuxianzhuang (聚女賢莊; jù nǚ xián zhuāng; lit. Heroine's Gathering Manor), then the regional amateur leagues from levels 8–12 administered jointly by the Liuhumen (六虎門; Liù hǔmén; lit. Six Tigers School) and Junuxianzhuang.
The exact number of clubs at the amateur level varies from year to year as clubs join and leave leagues, merge, or fold altogether. On average, there are 15 clubs per division, with the numbers decreasing further away from the coastal population centre and into Da Huang's interior. The number of clubs between genders also differs significantly, with a 1:2 average ratio of male-to-female clubs registered in the Jin League system. However, as there are no official definitions of any level below levels twelve and ten for the men's and women's leagues, any references to the structure below these levels should not be regarded as definitive.
History
The Jin ball game of cuju has a history dating back over 2,000 years, with mythical origins harking back to an even earlier age. Jin historians and cuju officials claim to have organised the world's first cuju league (or association football as it is known internationally), known as the Shan yue zheng sai (山岳正賽; Shān yuè zhèng sài; lit. Mountain Peaks Grand Tournament), which was opened to clubs of both genders [1], from as early as the 9th century CE. This claim has, however, been disputed by international associations of the sport, and many association football historians have noted similar organised games played in other parts of the world. Nevertheless, the modern Jin cuju league, the Jin Jia Liansai, can be counted among some of the world's earliest men's leagues. Created in 1919 by General Dong Fangzhuo (董方卓; Dǒng Fāngzhuó; born 23 January 1985) of the Republic of Jin (ROJ), the true purpose of the league was more for the ROJ to consolidate and monitor the existing local cuju games and clubs throughout Da Huang that was occasionally used as illegal gatherings by the Jianghu, royalist, criminals, unregistered martial artist sects and clans disguised as cuju clubs. Following the fall of the republic, the men's league became defunct. It was only refounded under the emperor's auspices in 1993, owing to the years of relative stability following the 1991 constitutional reforms.
Similar to the men's leagues, women's cuju shared a common history with the men's game in which the Cuju Youxi Guize (蹴鞠游戏规则; cùjū yóuxì guīzé; lit. Rules of the game of Cuju) were codified. While the development and popularity of men's cuju suffered greatly due to the nation's troubled history, women's cuju flourished throughout the centuries, and the sport's popularity peaked in the late 19th to early 20th century[2]. It was not until the reintroduction of the men's Jin Jia Liansai that the popularity of women's cuju declined slightly. However, women's cuju remains a popular sport, with a higher average attendance than the men's league at similar levels. Unlike the men's leagues, the women's leagues continue to be organised under an association of private investors, martial clans, families, schools, sects, merchant unions, and private and community-own organisations, of which the most recent association is known as the Junuxianzhuang (聚女賢莊; jù nǚ xián zhuāng; lit. Heroine's Gathering Manor). Prior to the CAJ restructuring of the Jin cuju league system, the Junuxianzhuang administered the upper levels of the women pro-am Qiushuilian (秋水联; qiū shuǐ lián; Autumn Water Tournament) and Chunhulian (春湖聯; chūn hú lián; lit. Spring Lake Tournament). Together with the Liuhumen (六虎門; Liù hǔmén; lit. Six Tigers School), the two co-administrations administered the Ganzhilian (干支蹴鞠聯; gānzhī cùjū lián; lit. Stem-branches Cuju Tournament) leagues[3]. The two co-administrations enjoyed significant autonomy from the central government until 1993; as part of the CAJ restructuring of the Jin cuju league system, the independence of the two federations was subordinated to the CAJ, making the CAJ the overall governing body of all cuju leagues in Da Huang.
Structure
The top three levels of the association football league system are operated by the J League, which consists of the J League 1 (JL1), J League 2 (JL2), and J League 3 (JL3). All clubs in the J League are required to be entirely professional, and clubs in the top two flights must have a women's team that competes in the Women's League.
The fourth level, the CAJ Silk Road Champions League (SRCL), is the semi-professional league and the largest division of the Jin leagues, involving up to 64 teams from across the country. It consists of a mix of amateur, professional, and company clubs, serving as the football finals of each season.
Men's Leagues
|
Level |
League(s)/Division(s) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional leagues | |||||||||||||
|
1 |
Jin Jia Liansai (JL1) | ||||||||||||
|
2 |
Jin Yi Liansai (JL2) | ||||||||||||
|
3 |
Jin Bing Liansai (JL3) | ||||||||||||
| Semi-professional leagues | |||||||||||||
|
4 |
Jinxia Guanjun Liansai (JCL) | ||||||||||||
| A Zu 24 clubs |
B Zu 24 clubs | ||||||||||||
|
5–8 |
Jinxia Diqu Liansai (JDL) | ||||||||||||
|
Zhongnan Diqu Liansai |
Dongbei Diqu Liansai |
Xibei Diqu Liansai |
Jinbei Diqu Liansai |
Dongnan Diqu Liansai |
Xinan Diqu Liansai | ||||||||
| Non-professional leagues | |||||||||||||
|
9+ |
Jinxia Shenshi Chaoji Liansai (JSCL) | ||||||||||||
| A Bu 4 Divisions (3p, 3r) |
B Bu 3 Divisions (2p, 2r) |
C Bu 1 Divisions |
D Bu 2 Divisions (1p, 1r) |
E Bu 2 Divisions (2p, 2r) |
F Bu 1 Division |
G Bu 1 Division |
H Bu 1 Division |
I Bu 3 Divisions (2p, 2r) |
J Bu 3 Divisions (2p, 2r) |
K Bu 3 Divisions (2p, 2r) |
L Bu 2 Divisions (1p, 1r) | ||
History of the Jin men's league system
| Tier\Years | 9th century |
10th century |
11th century |
12th century |
13th century |
14th century |
15th century |
16th century |
17th century |
18th century |
19th century |
1900–19 | 1919–31 | 1931–43 | 1943–1992 | 1993–2001 | 2001–2013 | 2013–2017 | 2017–2020 | Since 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shan Yue Zheng Sai** | Bayarid Invasion |
Yu Jue Sai** | Kra Invasion |
Sa Nam Pa Theut* | Jin Rebellion |
Zhao Xia Qiu Sai** | First Jin Civil War |
Jin Jia Liansai*** | Second Jin Civil War |
None | Jin Jia Liansai*** | ||||||||
| 2 | None | None | None | Sa Nam Pa Man** | Bao Lian Sai** | None | Lower* | Jin Yi Liansai | ||||||||||||
| 3 | None | None | Lower* | Jin Bing Liansai | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Jinxia Diqu Liansai | Jinxia Guanjun Liansai | ||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Lower* | Jinxia Diqu Liansai | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Lower* | Jinxia Shenshi Chaoji Liansai | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 9+ | ||||||||||||||||||||
* From 1993 to 2020 the Jin pyramid was organised with two simultaneous and independent pyramids, the national pyramid, and the regional pyramid. The regional pyramid was later integrated into the national pyramid as the Jinxia Shenshi Chaoji Liansai.
** Games prior to the 1913 Jin Jia Liansai by the Republic of Jin operate by different sets of rules, varying from dynasties to dynasties. The earliest known cuju league was recorded in the Dongjing Meng Hua Lu[4], organised by the Qi Yun She (齊雲社; qí yún shè; lit. Cloud Unity Society), and was developed in the large Jin cities in Central Jinae. Members were typically local cuju lovers or professional martial art performers. Non-professionals had to formally appoint a professional as their teacher and pay a fee before becoming members. This process ensured an income for the professional players, unlike cuju teams of the earlier dynasties. The Qi Yun She organised annual the national cuju tournaments known as the Shan Yue Zheng Sai (山岳正賽; shānyuè zhèng sài; lit. Mountain Peaks Grand Tournament), the first professional "league" of Jin cuju.
*** The Jin Jia Liansai was first founded by the ROJ Cuju Assciation, but since 1993 is operated by the Cuju Association of Jinae.
Women's Leagues
|
Level |
League(s)/Division(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional leagues | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
1 |
Mulan Chaoji Liansai (MSL) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
2 |
Jin Jia Nuzi Liansai (JWL1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
3 |
Jin Yi Nuzi Liansai (JWL2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
4 |
Jin Bing Nuzi Liansai (JWL3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Semi-professional leagues | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
5 |
Qiushuilian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zhengbaiqi 19 clubs ↑ 2 promotion spots ↓ 4 relegation spots |
Zhenghuangqi 19 clubs ↑ 2 promotion spots ↓ 4 relegation spots | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
6–7 |
Chunhulian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xianghongqi 18 clubs ↑ 2 promotion spots ↓ 1 relegation spots |
Xiangbaiqi 23 clubs ↑ 2 promotion spots ↓ 1 relegation spots |
Xianghuangqi 21 clubs ↑ 2 promotion spots ↓ 1 relegation spots |
Xiangliangqi 22 clubs ↑ 2 promotion spots ↓ 1 relegation spots | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-professional leagues | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
8 |
Sifang Liansai | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
9 |
Dizhi Lian Jia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
10 |
Dizhi Lian Yi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
11 |
Dizhi Lian Bing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
12 |
Ershisifang Lian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
References
- ↑ Cuju clubs during its early history occasionally consisted of mixed gendered clubs. Clubs from both genders would play each other without distinction and the rules was a lot more different from the modern game. See History of cuju in Jinae, Cuju Youxi Guize, and Cuju (Jinae) for more details.
- ↑ Jin men have been, historically, drafted and conscripted into the nation's military. Thus during long periods of strife and conflict, especially during the 19th–20th century, organised men's sports in Da Huang have fell into sharp decline and stagnation. Women's cuju on the other hand, have maintain a signifcant cultural following, and with women training alongside men in sports societies (such as fencing, riding, and gymnastics), helped raised the profile of the game both as a women's sport and more generally. See Women's sports in Jinae, Women in Jinae, and Women's cuju in Jinae for more details.
- ↑ The lower level leagues of the Jin women's cuju leagues are collectively known as the Stem-brances Cuju Tournament, in reference to the 10 Heavenly Branches and the 12 Earthly Branches. The tournament are divided into the 24 cardinal points (lowest league), the 12 earthly branches (middling leagues), and the 4 corners (top league). Originally, the Qiushuilian, the Chunhulian, and the Ganzhilian are organised seperately and are not linked by the system of promotion and relegation.
- ↑ It is to be noted that the Dongjing Men Hua Lu was written by Meng Yuanlao (孟元老; mèng yuánlǎo) (c. 1431-1494) in the 15th century as a memoir, long after the loss of Central Jinae. Due to the significant lapse in time, modern historians have challenged the integrity of his accounts, arguing that Meng's records were more likely a retelling of older historical records or an exaggeration on his part. Modern official Jin historians maintained that Meng's memoirs are accurate and have since used them to justify association football being a Jin invention named cuju.