Passion for football brings girls together in Xinjiang's prefecture(1/6)

Players compete during a football match at a school in Hotan prefecture, Northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Jan 26, 2015. The Xinjiang Teenagers Football League attracted 37 teams from middle and elementary schools in Hotan. Football has become popular in the prefecture in recent years, especially among female students. The number of female football teams increased from 8 to 19 this year. The first female football team was formed in the No.4 Middle School of Hotan and won the third place in the autonomous region’s football league in Feb 2014. [Photo: China News Service/Liu Xin]