On the evening of July 17, at Jinjiang Rende Football Theme Park in Chengdu, the 'Red Heart' Football Volunteer Service Team from the Chengdu Blood Center warmed up for a friendly match against the football team from Sichuan Provincial Orthopedic Hospital. Instead of displaying tactical diagrams, banners along the sidelines promoted knowledge about voluntary blood donation.

This marked the 'Red Heart' team's first friendly match since its establishment. When asked about the difference between transitioning from an employee team to a volunteer service team, captain Wu Xiang replied, "We used to play for ourselves; now we run for life."

All 18 members of the team are regular blood donors, having collectively donated over 55,000 milliliters of blood. Five members have received the National Voluntary Blood Donation Contribution Award: Wu Xiang (Gold Award, 8,100 ml), Qin Sha (Silver Award, 7,600 ml), and three others with Bronze Awards (each donating at least 4,500 ml).

Deputy Director Gao Jialiang, who has donated 2,400 ml, is affectionately called the team's 'stabilizing pillar' by his teammates. The team originated as an employee squad founded in 2018, led by Wu Xiang—a former football professional—and has consistently participated in competitions for eight years, once finishing as runner-up in the health system's 'Health Cup'. Team members span a wide age range and represent all positions across the blood collection and supply chain.

On July 13 of this year, the team was officially upgraded to a volunteer service team. Wu Xiang accepted the team flag and, together with his teammates, pledged: 'We safeguard lives with our passion and convey love through action!' Now, whenever they play, they carry promotional materials and proactively share the message of blood donation with other football teams..

Why form such a team? According to Gao Jialiang, the goal is to create public-friendly charitable activities—team members are physically fit, regularly donate blood, and can effectively communicate the cause, aligning with the concept of 'healthy living and joyful blood donation'.

Team member Zhang Xiao described charity as an inner calling; Li Wenjun believes playing football strengthens the body while donating blood spreads warmth; technician Zhang Zuyue, though new to football, has already donated 4,500 ml. Qin Sha has been donating blood for 22 years and, just before the match, had completed another donation—his arm still bearing a bandage as he cheered from the sidelines, having also inspired a friend to donate for the first time.

Wei Tingsen, captain of the opposing Sichuan Provincial Orthopedic Hospital team, described the match atmosphere as warm and welcoming, noting that the educational banners felt approachable—he himself donates blood annually. Prior to kickoff, both teams jointly filmed a short video on blood donation awareness, which Wu Xiang referred to as a 'sideline science lesson' to be disseminated via new media platforms, aiming to 'bring medical knowledge out of hospitals, onto the pitch, and into households'.

The friendly match is only the beginning. Gao Jialiang explained that earlier this year, ten municipal departments jointly issued a directive promoting group blood donation drives. In the first half of the year alone, over 940 such events were held, resulting in 87,000 units of blood collected. The 'Passionate Chengdu: Medical Professionals Lead the Way' initiative is amplifying the exemplary role of healthcare workers. Future plans include hosting the 'Red Heart Cup' Charity Invitational Tournament in collaboration with medical institutions, as well as bringing integrated activities—combining sports, public education, free clinics, and group blood donation—to local leagues, campuses, government offices, industrial parks, and communities.

As these outreach efforts continue to expand, the core mission remains unchanged: to encourage more football enthusiasts and public-spirited individuals to roll up their sleeves and join the cause. On that summer night, after the match, the team packed up the display boards, placing the last one into their vehicle—the wind seemingly carrying the sound of another kind of 'goal'.

【本文部分内容由AI辅助生成，特此声明。The author(s) generated part of the content in this work with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), which is hereby declared.】