A bird's eye view of the soccer town in Haimen district, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/ntfabu.com] 

Authorities in Haimen district in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, have been making efforts to make use of its soccer town to develop related industries in recent years. 

For example, cultural and tourism facilities, such as an exhibition hall and a sports leisure park, have been built in the town. 

The exhibition hall, which was rated as a national 3A scenic spot, showcases the town's planning blueprint, culture, and history. It is now a popular destination among residents to relax at weekends. 

A series of innovation platforms like the Huawei Digital Economy Innovation Center were also set up in the town to attract more high-quality projects. 

Eleven innovation projects, including a project funded by Spectrumedics Holding Pte Ltd, have been launched in the town. 

Authorities have also been channeling more resources towards improving the town's infrastructure, with the construction of a five-star hotel and a passenger terminal underway. 

The 3.1-square-kilometer soccer town, which had an investment of more than 5 billion yuan ($723.92 million) to build, is currently home to the Zhongnan Codion Football Club. The club has 25 coaches and over 200 players. It has cultivated more than 120 national players to date.

The town, which features soccer competitions, training, sports intelligent manufacturing, healthcare, and tourism, was designated as a special town by the Jiangsu Development and Reform Commission on Jan 11.