Kodeshi Football Association

The Kodeshi Football Association (KFA) or (: 中國足球協會;Zhōngguó Zúqiú Xiéhuì) is the governing body of in the Kodeshia. Originally formed in Chenghai in 1964, the association would affiliate itself with AIFA Since joining AIFA, the KFA claims to be a non-governmental and a nonprofit organization, but in fact the KCFA is the same bureau with Management Centre of Football, which is a department of the Kodeshi State General Administration of Sports.

Overview
The original Kodeshia Football Association was founded in 1916 but was disbanded in 1932 following the end of the Kodeshian Civil War. In 1964 the modern organisation was reformed. In 1994, the KFA formed a professional league consisting of the Kodeshi-A League and the Kodeshi-B League, each having twelve clubs with two clubs being promoted and relegated from their respective leagues every year. Beginning with the 2004 season, the former Kodeshia-A League was replaced by the Kodeshia Men's Super League, with the Kodeshi-B League renamed as the new Kodeshi Men's League One. The current structure has four major tiers – Kodeshia National First Division, National Second Division, Third Division and Fourth Division. Each tier consists of 12 teams, except for the fourth division where there are 16 teams. At least three divisions have promotion slots available for winning third places between them, whilst the top team in either the National First Division, National Second Division or National Third Division automatically qualify for the next stage of qualification for the AFC Champions League via play-offs. Kodeshia also has national football teams for both Kodeshia men's national football team and Kodeshia women's national football team. Historically, the women have been more competitive internationally than the men.

History While traditionally the indigenous cuju has predominated the sport throughout its existence, since ancient times this competitive game that involves kicking a ball through and opening into a net has had its place. During its early years, cuju tournaments were organised annually at least once during summer months where participants could compete against others from nearby provinces. While this game resembles modern association football, there was no formal organisation until the 19th century leading up to the start of the Grand Campaigns. The first Kodeshi Football Association was founded in 1916 following several international victories that saw players like Yung-Chang, Li-Yuan and Chien-Hsiang become famous across the globe. However, after Civil War, things changed dramatically with several factors including economic instability, industrialisation, urbanization and increased nationalism all contributing towards an increase in militarism on the continent. During the 1930s and 40s several nationalist movements rose up leading to a revival of cuju over football under various guises. The Great Kesh War saw decline in popularity as due to the conflict several great names in the sport such as Lai-Tzu, Tsao-Ling and Hsu-Shan vanished forever or died in the war. After war things improved and by the 1964 Xuanyi Restoration saw the establishment of the Kodeshia Football Association as well as several other sports associations on the continent.

During the 1970s cup competitions became popular again as part of an effort to reestablish interest in traditional cuju games. Due to poor infrastructure many cups were held outside of major cities, however these events helped promote the growth of youth leagues as well as grassroots development around the world as many young people took inspiration from their peers abroad as well as returning victorious heroes from foreign tours. In recent decades it has seen resurgence as one of Kesh's most important cultural traditions as well as becoming increasingly popular amongst middle class families as well as foreigners living here who are drawn to its simplicity. At present it has several thousand registered clubs spread out from small rural areas right down to the capital Songhari as per a census conducted by Songhari Imperial University. This has seen a rise in participation as well as growth in strength meaning that multi-million dollar investments have already begun to flow into developing talent as well as professional teams all of whom hope to attract fans from the capital as they continue to grow.

Cuju remains a strong influence upon Kodeshi society today and exists alongside the internationally focused football league and several national team sides who regularly tour overseas. In the 21st century the main competition is now the Kodeshia Cup, also known as the Kodeshian International Cuju Tournament. Held every year in March in honour of Emperor, it consists primarily of amateur club and university teams as opposed to professionals competing directly with each other. It sees some semi-professional matches while still retaining a high degree of enthusiasm as shown in last season when two former champions played in front of thousands despite being retired not too long ago. The event features both men's as well as women's side but as it is open only to amateurs it tends to focus more heavily towards male spectators as it attracts more passionate supporters who believe that it is better to encourage passion within children rather than let them forget about the past. It is broadcast live on television with hundreds of millions watching worldwide though it does feature some highlights from previous seasons online afterwards. A highlight video is available free on its website which can be viewed instantly without registration while those interested should sign up on its site, although it is usually filled quickly so viewers need patience whilst waiting. Fans come from across the globe to watch it due to it featuring some big names such as Shaolin Warriors, Royal Dragons, Songhai Tigers, Hanging Horsemen, Black Eagles etc. who may otherwise never get the chance to play against these opponents. Competitors themselves travel far distances just to participate at this prestigious tournament because it is felt it provides participants great experience even if it fails to win but it draws criticism from some quarters who feel it encourages gambling which might lead some players to take excessive risks which could potentially prove dangerous during the match. However, it helps build the game's popularity which is reflected on the revenue generated by ticket sales.

Men's national team
The Kodeshia national football team represents the country during international football matches. The team is colloquially referred to as "Yellow Dragons". The squad has participated regularly in international tournaments since its formation in 1996 when Kodeshia joined the AIFA. In 2020 Kodeshia men's team beat Svenskt 2-0 in the Group A but then lost 1-2 against Agrana y Griegro and to Jungastia 0-2 in Anterra Cup in Tilenno. The Kodeshia side had a great performance and showed a good fight, especially in defence, against a strong opponent.

Women's national team
The Kodeshia women's national football team, represents the counry in international association football. The team is colloquially referred to as "the Blue Dragons". The Women's Team has competed regularly since its creation in 1995. They have been runners up at the 2002 and 2003 editions of the IFFHS World's Best Woman Player Awards. They were invited into the AIFA in 2002 after beating Akiteiwa 3-1 in the final game of the 2002 season. In 2016, the Kodeishis won the South East Region of the FAFU Cup in the quarter finals before losing to Akitei in Semi Finals.

Member associations
As of 2020, there are total 17 member associations directly affiliated to the KFA. They are:
 * The Cuju Organisation (Southern Region)
 * The New Cuju Organisation (Northern Region)
 * The Central Football Alliance (Central Region)
 * The Kesh-Tethys Soccer Association (International)
 * The Yi United Soccer Club (Eastern Region)
 * The Jade Sea Soccer Union (Jade Sea Autonomous Region)
 * The Kodeshi Athletic Federation (National)
 * The Yi United Cuju (Western Region)
 * The Jianghua Football Club (Guangshui Province)
 * The Yu'an Football Union (Yu'an Province)
 * The Guangshui Cuju Alliance (Guangshui Province)
 * The Chenghai Sporting Society (Yu'an Province)
 * The Jianghua Schooling Youth (Guangshui Province)
 * The Songhari Clouds High League (Songhari City)
 * The Zhongbin Football Federation (Zhongbin Province)
 * The Songhari Palace Imperial Cuju Society (Songhari City)
 * The Kodeshi Athletic & Cultural Society (National)

Clubs
The members are divided into 6 groups according to their location: Northern Group: Xuemai, Beifu, Changbei, Guangshan, Guanggu; Eastern Group: Beihai, Anbei, Xiabei, Zhongbin, Nanbin; Central Group: Shizhou, Dazhong, Dachuan, Tianlin; Southern Group: Yanhe, Linshan Yu'an; Western Group: Xiabei, Hongfu, Yueshan, Guangshui; Island Group: Yuhai. Each group plays a separate league and competitions for promotion to other leagues will also take place. However matches involving two sides from the same province cannot occur during the regular season unless both teams come from the same geographical area within a province. There is no relegation system in place. However if one side wins all of its games then the losing team can request another game against the winning team. If they lose again, then the loser becomes relegated to the next lower tier. However the winner remains at this level until it loses, thus ensuring the competition maintains balance between the tiers. However as the winners of each section must meet twice in the semi-finals to reach the final match, it means the bottom four in any given round only need to win once to avoid being eliminated from contention. To encourage more home grown talent to join, the academy system was instituted where players aged 15–18 years old train in youth academies instead. At 18 years old a player may choose to enter the main senior squad but remain eligible for selection as a reserve/youth squad member. This system enables young talented Kodeshi's to gain experience playing competitive football early on before moving up to full professional status upon reaching age 20. However due to lack of funds this system was discontinued after three seasons.

Each club is allowed to field at least 12 players in the first division however the number varies depending on how well a particular club performs. Clubs with the worst record in the previous year's 2nd Division get the right to make a new squad of 16 players. Every other week from the weekend, the clubs in the 1st, 3rd Divisions play a double header with the top 8 finishing in those divisions. It is worth noting that there are no restrictions on non-Kodeshi citizens to be selected in the squads. However the Kodeshia Cup takes precedence over every cup played in Kesh so it would not happen naturally as the Kesh Superleague does not allow foreigners. However because of financial constraints most foreign players tend to stay abroad rather than returning permanently in order to compete regularly as the Kesh Superleague tends to attract better paying sponsors who pay higher wages to lure in star players away from overseas. It should be noted that some fans prefer having foreign stars to represent them as opposed to locals especially when compared to big name signings by rival countries.

Affiliated Clubs
Kodeshia Men's Super League

The Kodeshia Men's Super League (KMSL) is a football league in Kodeshia that takes place in the Kesh region. It was formed in 2005 when the Kodeshia A League merged with the Kodeshia B League. It has 12 clubs, which include the following: It has 4 teams in the first division and another 6 in the reserve team. Additionally there are the Kodeshi Men's League One, Kodeshi Men's League Two, Kodeshi Men's FA Cup, Kodeshi Men's FA Super Cup and the Kodeshi Men's Football Association Member Association Champions League. These are the other levels of competitions within the Men's game.
 * The Jianghua Men's F.C.
 * The Kodeshi Men's Tigers F.C.
 * The Chenghai Men's Fengcheng F.C.
 * The Songhari Men's Clouds High League
 * The Jiutai City Men's Cuju F.C.
 * The Nankang Men's Cuju F.C.
 * The Shangyu United Men's Cuju F.C.
 * The Malipo Men's Zengcheng F.C.
 * The Xishan Men's Dongfang F.C.
 * The Aodi Men's Yoyozhao F.C.
 * The Hua'an Men's Immortals F.C.
 * The Wujin Men's Atoms F.C.

Kodeshia Women's Super League The Kodeshia Women's Super League (KWSL) is a football league in Kodeshia that takes place in the Kesh region. It was formed in 2010 from the merger of two leagues - the Kodeshia C League and the Kodeshia D League. It currently consists of 12 clubs, all located in across the nation except one club located only outside Songhari province located at Sichuan Province along the border between Songhari & Qingcheng provinces. The clubs include the following:
 * The Songhari Woman's Clouds High League
 * The Jianghua Woman's Elephants F.C.
 * The Jiutai Woman's Eagles F.C.
 * The Wujin Woman's Atoms F.C.
 * The Xishan Woman's Suns F.C.
 * The Hua'an Woman's Wushuan F.C.
 * The Aodi Woman's Mountain Foxes F.C.
 * The Malipo Woman's Golden Jackels F.C.
 * The Nanbin Woman's Leopards F.C.
 * The Zhuhai Woman's Red Pandas F.C.
 * The Nankang Woman's Kingfishers F.C.
 * The Changbei Woman's Water Dragons F.C.

Kodeshi Football Association officials
When the Kodeshi Football Association established themselves in 1964, they would be a subordinate of the General Administration of Sport and would hire a president who had served with the Kodeshi men's national football team as either a manager or player during their career. This would change in 1989 when the association demanded more professionalism and started to separate itself as a non-governmental and a non-profit organization and hired a first vice president, which is usually held by the head of the governmental agency—Management Centre of Football, to oversee the development of football in Kodeshia. Dealing with the administration of disciplinary matters, the league and general organization of the national team, including the hiring and dismissing of national team managers, has made this role become the most prominent position within the whole of the KFA, while the role of the president has become purely ceremonial. The headquarters are located in Chenghai. The current president is Mr. Lee Xuyuan who replaced Ms. Guo Lihua in 2019. The secretary-general is Mr. Jingzhu Wang. The chairman of the board is Dr. Xiao Chunxin who succeeded his father-Dr. Xiao Junmin in 2018. The sports committee is headed by Mrs. Wen Jinying who succeeded her husband, Mr. Yang Songyun in 2017. The executive director is Mrs. Tang Siya who took over this position after she retired as a coach. Under them is a number of directors, who are responsible for a particular department within the Kodeshia Football Association. There is also a women's committee which deals mainly with female players and coaching staff. Below the Kodeshia FA, there is the Kodeshia Regional Division which covers the 22 provincial regions. They consist of the Kodeshia Districts, which cover the areas of the respective districts, the Kodeshia Prefectures, which includes the administrative centres of the prefecture (including city-governments), the Provincial Sports Centres which is where all youth teams train, and finally the Kodeshia Women's Clubs which consists of the clubs affiliated to the Songhari Women's Cloud High League. Each club will then feed into one of four leagues based on age, male/female split, and geographical location. For example: "Women 18" refers to the female U18s' division while "Men 38" refers to the men's senior-league/senior-team which competes against other provinces in the Kesh-Tethys Confederation Cup. While the higher-level divisions may not contain any professional teams, most amateur sides in the province play at the district, prefecture and provincial levels.


 * President
 * Lee Xuyuan (2019–present)


 * First Vice-President
 * Guo Baorong (2019–present)

Men's

 * Kodeshi Men's Super League
 * Kodeshi Men's League One
 * Kodeshi Men's League Two
 * Kodeshi Men's FA Cup
 * Kodeshi Men's FA Super Cup
 * Kodeshi Men's Football Association Member Association Champions League

Youth

 * Reserve League
 * U-19 league
 * U-17 league
 * U-15 league
 * U-14 league
 * U-13 league

Women's

 * Kodeshi Women's Super League
 * Kodeshi Women's League One
 * Kodeshi Women's League Two
 * Kodeshi Women's FA Cup
 * Kodeshi Women's FA Super Cup
 * Kodeshi Women's Football Association Member Association Champions League

Futsal

 * Futsal League
 * FA Futsal Cup

Beach football

 * Beach Football Championship