Qingdao witnessed historic moments on November 28th. Qingdao Sea Bulls Football Club had their moment of glory at their training base. That afternoon, they thrashed Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard 7-1 in the 32nd round of the First Division League, completing the surpassing of their rivals two rounds ahead of schedule. This season's Chinese Super League will once again usher in the Qilu Derby, and the Sea Bulls have been waiting for this moment for nine years and a cumulative total of 3,312 days.
Qingdao Hainiu Football Club, established in 1993, was the city's first professional soccer team and one of the founding members of the Chinese Super League. 1994 saw the team win the First B League, but the following year the team was relegated to the First A League. After a series of ups and downs, the team was taken over by the Yizhong Group in 1997, renamed Qingdao Yizhong Hainiu, and won the CFA Cup in 2002, before being taken over by the China Energy Group in 2004 and renamed Qingdao Zhongneng.
In 2011, under the leadership of South Korean coach Zhang Wailong, Qingdao Jonoon experienced a youthful storm and eventually finished sixth in the Chinese Super League. That season, youngster Song Wenjie became the league's best newcomer after scoring two goals in the Qilu derby, while captain Liu Jian was selected for the national team.
However, the arrival of the Golden Dollar Era has presented Qingdao Jonoon with a huge challenge. The strong rise of Guangzhou Evergrande drove the domestic giants to follow suit, and the Chinese Super League entered the Golden Dollar Era. 2013 saw Qingdao Jonoon struggling with operational difficulties, and the squad underwent huge changes.
After being relegated to the First Division, Qingdao Football did not give up.In 2021, the team was renamed Qingdao Hainiu in accordance with the policy of the Football Association, and underwent a major blood-shedding, bringing in a large number of powerful players. Under the leadership of veteran coach Yin Tiesheng, Qingdao Hainiu was successfully promoted to the first division, and eventually finished two rounds ahead of schedule, becoming the first team in China to return to the Chinese Super League after being relegated from the Chinese Super League to the Chinese B League.
On November 28, 2022, Qingdao Hainiu returned to the Chinese Super League after a nine-year wait, a moment celebrated by fans and the club. The official microblog of the Sea Bulls said that this is the victory for nine years of wages, courage, battles and difficulties, and the best reward for the team's persistence.
As one of the only two clubs in China that have been invested by private enterprises since the first year of professional soccer, Qingdao Hainiu has become a clear stream of Chinese professional soccer with its stable investment, solid youth training layout, and internal and external groundwork. Their success has undoubtedly provided a valuable reference for the future of Chinese professional soccer.
