Ningbo Team: More Painful Than Losing the Game is the Relocation Transition Period

Reported by journalist Lu Mi In the opening match of the 2026 China League One season on March 14, Ningbo Team, the only club across the three-tier professional leagues this season to complete a relocation, lost 0-2 to Guangzhou Bao, failing to secure their first points after settling in the new city.

In fact, Ningbo Team's recruitment efforts this season have been substantial. Former Shanghai Port (2025 CSL champion) key midfielder Chitadini and former Cangzhou Mighty Lions relegation hero Solomon have joined the team. Additionally, Brazilian foreign player Leonardo, who helped Chongqing Tongliang Long achieve promotion last year, has strengthened the squad. Ningbo Team's foreign player quality is considered top-tier in the China League One. With the addition of several CSL veterans like Zhu Baojie, Ai Di, Bai Jiajun, and Liu Yang, the team's overall strength has significantly improved compared to previous years. However, from the first league match, issues with player integration are evident, and the team has not yet displayed its expected capabilities.

Before this round's match, foreign winger Solomon returned to Britain five days prior due to his wife's impending childbirth, forcing the team to field only two foreign players. This directly impacted tactical arrangements and in-game adjustment flexibility. Coach Yang Lin deployed a 343 formation for this match. Former Shanghai Shenhua defender Ai Di anchored the defensive core, Zhu Baojie partnered with Chitadini in midfield, and the attack relied on Brazilian foreign player Leonardo, who has promotion experience. Although aiming to solidify defense first, aside from Liu Yang, most of the defensive line consisted of new signings, resulting in noticeably insufficient coordination.

Guangzhou Bao's foreign attacking trio repeatedly launched threatening attacks, finding gaps between Ningbo Team's full-backs and center-backs, leading to a 0-2 deficit for Ningbo Team by halftime. In the second half, Yang Lin made multiple personnel adjustments, creating several scoring opportunities. Ningbo Team even led in statistics like possession rate and set-pieces compared to Guangzhou Bao, but still struggled to score. The final score remained 0-2, marking Ningbo Team's defeat in their opening match.

Compared to personnel shortages and lack of integration, Ningbo Team faces equally severe challenges off the field. Due to renovation and upgrade plans for the Fubang Stadium in downtown Ningbo, the team's home venue this season is located in Cixi, a county-level city under Ningbo's jurisdiction. To meet China League One requirements, Cixi Sports Center underwent upgrades to turf, lighting, and other hardware facilities. Consequently, Ningbo Team's first two rounds are away matches. More棘手的是, currently within Ningbo's administrative area, there is no suitable natural grass training场地 for a professional team. Therefore, since winter training, Ningbo Team has been training in Shanghai's Jiading District, their previous location. For home matches, they need to travel from Shanghai to Cixi two days提前, a schedule equivalent to traveling to nearby cities like南通, Suzhou, or无锡 for away matches. The team is长期处于在外漂泊的状态, which is extremely不利 for quickly adapting to the new venue and integrating into the new city after relocation.

Ningbo Team also faces numerous difficulties in commercial operations and financial保障. As a coastal economically发达 city, Ningbo's economic规模 ranks前列 in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region, with many local明星企业. However, for the first round, Ningbo Team's冠名, jersey advertising spaces, etc., were空白. At the new season出征仪式 on March 6, Ningbo Team displayed three sets of home and away kits. Many fans present questioned: Why are there no Ningbo enterprises sponsoring the team? It is reported that Ningbo Club publicly released招商方案 and contacted several local Ningbo enterprises, but no实质性结果 were achieved. During the Shanghai Jiading period, jersey advertising spaces were sponsored by local Shanghai enterprises annually. This year, after relocating to Ningbo, the team continuously recruited players, but faces the尴尬 of jersey广告位 "裸奔". It is understood that Ningbo's municipal-level资金扶持政策 for the club is still in the讨论阶段, adding some uncertainty to the team's future development.

The transformation from Shanghai Jiading Huilong to Ningbo Team is not merely a几百公里 migration across Hangzhou Bay. If暂不达标场地 conditions represent the阵痛 of relocating to a new city, then如何快速地融入新城市 and gaining新城市的认可 is the真正的考验 for the club. For Ningbo, a浙江第二城并列 with Shenzhen,厦门, Qingdao, and大连 as五大计划单列市,重新拥有职业足球队 after 17 years, many Ningbo fans已经开始畅想追赶省会杭州的步伐 and hope to soon see浙江德比 in the CSL.