Back to the Past to Become a Fishing King

Chapter 850 - 571: Old Ma’s Grand Gesture

When Zhang Yang and his team completed the club adjustments, the entire competitive fishing circle in the country was abuzz with the news of the club league restart.

Although competitive fishing is not considered a mainstream sport, it has a substantial grassroots base in the country. Institutions have conducted professional statistics, indicating that out of China’s 1.3 billion citizens, tens of millions have taken part in outdoor fishing activities.

One major reason why the previous club leagues didn’t do well was the lack of official endorsement. But now, the Chinese Fishing Association, in conjunction with the National Sports Administration, has turned the club league into a nationally recognized competitive event akin to football or basketball.

With recognition from the national level, the trend is significant. Consequently, many leading fishing gear brands have actively responded, some even flocking to the scene.

In past years within the competitive fishing sphere, there were few fishing gear companies willing to spend money maintaining professional competitive teams, and only a handful of prominent ones like Hua Clan, Tianyuan, and Zhongsheng existed.

Without ongoing cultivation of talent and resource investment, how can one expect to gain a share when favorable policies arise?

The only solution is to throw money at it.

This stage is akin to a historical struggle for supremacy; aside from a few renowned fishing gear giants, all other clubs are at the same starting line. Assembling a powerful team can significantly benefit both the company’s development and brand promotion.

Many companies have the funds, but the number of unsigned anglers is limited, leading to a situation where any angler with some reputation sees their signing fees skyrocketing.

One club offered ten thousand for signing, while another offered fifteen thousand. Especially for anglers who’ve acquired titles as First, Second and Third-level Competitive Fishing Masters, the signing fees are considerable.

Even Zhang Yang, an angler with his own fishing gear company, received several indirect offers promising a thirty thousand signing fee for joining, along with a guarantee to start as the primary angler.

Zhang Yang naturally declined such invitations, but they left him feeling deeply reflective.

The club’s approval is still pending, but in the coming days, Zhang Yang and his team have begun preparations ahead of schedule.

Venue and rooms were ready long ago. The preparations now include standardizing team uniforms, fishing rods, box logos, fishing guards, caps, and other related products.

What’s a club without its own unified branding and gear setup?

For this, Zhang Yang and Old Zhao quickly arranged for the design of logos and team uniforms, hastily contacting various factories to initiate sampling and selection work.

Over the next week, Zhang Yang spent time in routine training and sporadically liaising with factories over sample feedback.

Gradually, the logo was chosen, a new batch of sunprotection clothing samples was completed, and a range of products branded with the Famous Fishing Club logo started arriving, slowly filling up the club’s equipment warehouse from sparse to packed.

Another week passed, and the club’s application approval finally came through. The Chinese Fishing Association and the National Sports Administration issued the stamped approval certificate, officially announcing the establishment of the Famous Fishing Club.

On the day of the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Old Zhao and Zhang Yang tapped into all their local connections in W City gathered over the past two years within official and fishing circles to举办 a lively event.

The company’s subsidiary matrix account livestreamed the event simultaneously. The president of the City Fishing Association and the deputy mayor in charge of cultural and sports categories all attended the ceremony in full dress.

Through these efforts, the reputation of the Famous Fishing Club saw an初步提升 online and offline, successfully establishing its presence among many newly formed clubs.

On the ribbon-cutting day, Zhang Yang and Old Zhao, along with club team members, went room to room to toast with guests. In high spirits, Zhang Yang drank quite a bit.

Although clubs are gradually挂牌, there’s still no schedule for the first round of the league this year, so everyone maintains a relaxed attitude.

During this period, Zhang Yang spent nearly every day at the club, tirelessly assisting team members with understanding competitive strategies, refining basic techniques, and providing tactical summary and analysis, aiming for good performance once the club league begins.

The passage of time continues at its own pace, and before anyone realized, April had arrived.

After Qingming Festival, outdoor temperatures in the north gradually warmed up, and common freshwater fish species began to feed.

During this time, Zhang Yang led the club team to participate in several regular four-category competitions in cities around his home base, securing two championships, one runner-up, and several other top positions.

Overall, with the addition of Wei Song, Zhang Yang’s squad currently demonstrates strong competitive power, rivaling top-tier teams from major clubs. The angling skills of new members have been refined through competitions, steadily enhancing the team’s strength.