GUIYANG, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The third session of the Guizhou Village Super League kicked off on Saturday, as Xiaorui Village and Panxue Village started a qualifier match on a football field in Rongjiang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province.

According to Wang Yonggui, deputy head of the Guizhou Village Super League office, a total of more than 3,000 football lovers from 108 teams participate in this year's competition, which registers a sharp increase in scale compared with the previous two years.

It is the first time for Dali Village to organize a team to attend the Village Super League. Yang Bo, assistant coach of the village's football team, said that the Village Super League increased the popularity of football in the county and helped unite the villagers by organizing their own teams, and he hopes that the event will help the village to find a fresh way to prosperity.

The Village Super League also attracted some foreign visitors. David Geary, a 31-year-old football fan from Britain and teacher at Guizhou University, had lived in Rongjiang at a young age and moved back to his mother country when he was 14 years old.

He said that his love for football and Guizhou made him return to China. Taking Rongjiang as his second hometown, Geary has been regarded as a villager in Liubaitang and was allowed to join the village team for two consecutive years.

"It's nice to see people playing football and cheer on the village. I'm proud to be a part of it, proud to be someone from Rongjiang," said Geary, adding that he hopes some young players will come through the Village Super League and go professional.

Besides the Guizhou Village Super League, Rongjiang County will organize the first session of a national-level Village Super League. Invitational events with Belt and Road countries are expected to be held during the National Day holiday this year, Wang added.

Rongjiang County, the birthplace of the Guizhou Village Super League, also known as "Cun Chao", has become a hit in China and abroad for locals' pure love of football and its rich ethnic cultures. ■