BYD has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Dongrun Public Welfare Foundation to back the Dongrun Cup, a national high-school football tournament that reaches county-level schools across more than 20 Chinese provinces and regions, according to Sina Auto. The signing ceremony took place in Beijing, with BYD brand and PR general manager Li Yunfei and Dongrun founder and chairwoman Kong Dongmei in attendance.
The partnership marks the latest step in BYD's youth football push, which has so far focused on taking young players abroad. Since 2024, the automaker says it has organised more than 200 youth footballers to visit clubs in Europe, the Americas, Southeast Asia and Japan, and to attend tournaments such as the European Championship and the World Cup. The Dongrun Cup deal shifts that focus to domestic grassroots football, particularly in counties where schools often lack professional competition opportunities and training equipment.
Dongrun, a 5A-rated non-public foundation supervised by China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, runs the Dongrun Cup as its flagship amateur high-school football event. This year's tournament covers more than 20 provincial-level regions, involving 352 schools and over 4,000 players and coaches, with 20 provincial champions meeting in the finals. Beyond the matches themselves, the programme includes equipment donations and free training for grassroots coaches, with prize money earmarked for school team development.
From international stadiums to county pitches
"Football is the world's number one sport, and young people are China's future," Kong Dongmei said at the signing. "The Dongrun Cup not only selects football talent but also focuses on building character and nourishing the spirit, empowering young people's long-term growth." Li Yunfei added: "We cannot play for them, but we can bring them to the field."
BYD's involvement in football extends beyond youth development. The company is a major sponsor of international tournaments and has used high-profile football sponsorships as part of its global brand-building strategy. The Dongrun Cup deal, however, is aimed at the domestic grassroots level, where the automaker says it wants to help build a fairer competitive platform for teenagers in less-developed regions.
The partnership also reflects a broader trend among Chinese EV makers of tying brand activity to social programmes, particularly in education and sports, as they compete for domestic goodwill alongside market share. BYD, which leads China's BEV (battery-electric) and PHEV (plug-in hybrid) sales, has positioned the football initiative as part of its corporate social responsibility work.
No financial details of the agreement were disclosed. The two parties said they will combine their resources to support the Dongrun Cup's provincial leagues and finals, and to continue investing in grassroots school football in the coming years.
