Chinese Women's Super League launched to promote women's soccer

Female players of the Chinese Women's Super League clubs model their respective team jerseys at the league launching ceremony in Beijing on Wednesday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"We appreciate LeTV's support at a tough time when women's soccer struggles in a low period with little public attention," said Yu Hongchen, vice president of CFA.

Once out of the media focus, this season's CWSL will enjoy television broadcast presented by LeTV, which will deliver at least 30 live games out of the total of 56 matches to a national audience on its streaming website.

Wen Lirong, a former national teammate of Liu, applauded the cooperation, expecting the female games to be better promoted nationwide.

"Women's soccer has its unique beauty of athleticism combining feminine charm. I believe the league will attract more fans with the media coverage and inspire more young women to play," said Wen, who now serves the CFA's female department.

Led by the veterans dubbed as "steel roses" including Liu and Wen, Chinese female soccer was once a world dominating power in the 1990s, during which the national team finished second at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 1999 Women's World Cup in the United States.

Retirements of the golden generation and the thin reserve talent pool saw the national teams struggle to regain their prowess on the world stage in recent years.

Ranking No 16 in the world currently, the Chinese national team made its way back to compete in the 2015 Women's World Cup held in Canada in June after missing out on the prestigious tournament in 2011.