Vinh League 2015: An exciting competition

(Baonghean) - On the afternoon of March 21st, the opening ceremony of the Vinh League - Chuong Duong Cup 2015 amateur football tournament took place at Hung Phuc Ward Stadium (Vinh City). Twelve of the strongest amateur football clubs in the province participated, including: FC Chuong Duong, FC U38, FC Quang Vinh, FC 57, FC Hung Linh, FC An Thinh, FC Van Minh, FC Monkey, FC Fire, FC Hieu Giang, FC Free - Thanh Co, and FC Y Lan.

This is the third consecutive year that a tournament following the format of the National Professional Football Championship has been organized for the strongest amateur football clubs in Vinh City. This year, the tournament is organized by the Nghe An Provincial Amateur Football Association and has attracted many businesses to participate as sponsors, with the main sponsor, Chuong Duong Beverage Joint Stock Company, contributing 100 million VND.

Twelve teams participated in the Vinh League - 2015.

With the participation of many football stars who are currently or have previously played for SLNA Club and many professional clubs nationwide, such as Ngo Hoang Thinh, Thai Ba Phi (FC An Thinh), Nguyen Quang Tinh, Ho Khanh Diep (FC U38), Van Quyen, Huy Hoang, Minh Ngoc, Khac Trong (FC Free - Thanh Co), Nguyen Hai Nam, Nguyen Huu Hung, Nguyen Anh Ba Tu (FC Chuong Duong), Truong Dac Khanh, Nguyen Van The (FC Hung Linh), Phan Tien Hoai (FC 57), Dinh Hoan, Huy Le, Van Hung (FC Van Minh)... and more than 200 outstanding amateur football players, the Vinh League 2015 brought many spectacular moments to the competitions. In particular, the carefree nature characteristic of amateur football matches and the desire to showcase their skills from the players of yesteryear were the factors that made the matches always fierce and exciting, thus attracting hundreds of spectators to watch and cheer.

On the opening day, the first three matches of the first round were full of drama. FC Chuong Duong, led by former national team player Hai Nam, with a well-rounded squad, dominated FC U38 and took a 1-0 lead. However, in the latter half of the second half, with a sharp counter-attacking strategy, FC U38 staged a surprising comeback thanks to two headed goals from striker Ho Khanh Diep, taking the lead again at 2-1.

However, before referee Truong Dinh Thai blew the final whistle, FC Chuong Duong managed to salvage a point thanks to a highly dangerous shot by Nguyen Huu Hung after a quick attack and perfect teamwork. The match between FC Quang Vinh and FC 57 also ended in a draw with a score of 2-2. The third match between FC Hung Linh and FC An Thinh was considered evenly matched, with players from both teams showcasing many beautiful plays and spectacular back-and-forth scoring. Ultimately, FC An Thinh won 3-2, becoming the first team to secure 3 points in the first round.

It is evident that the establishment of the Nghe An Provincial Amateur Football Association has created a connection, helping to bring order to the activities of amateur football clubs in the area and significantly improving the quality of "amateur" matches. Thanks to the meticulous and elaborate preparation of dedicated members of the Provincial Amateur Football Association, as well as the support and agreement of many amateur football clubs in the city, this year's Vinh League has reached a new level. With a round-robin format of two legs (home and away) to determine points, similar to the V.League, six matches are played each week at Hung Phuc Ward Stadium (three on Saturday afternoons and three on Sunday afternoons), and the Vinh League 2015 will continue until May 31st.

The Nghe An Provincial Amateur Football Association has decided that, in addition to organizing the Vinh League for the 12 strongest clubs currently, after the league concludes, they will organize a First Division league for 14 weaker clubs. According to the organizing committee's regulations, the champion of the First Division will be promoted to the First Division, while the second-placed team will play a play-off match against the 12th-placed team in the 2015 Vinh League to compete for a spot in the following year's Vinh League.

Hoang Hao