OnMay30,soonafteritsestablishment,theclubbroughthometherunner-uptrophyfromthe44thAsianSchoolFootballU-18ChampionshipinGyeongjiu,SouthKorea.TheirperformancewasthebestforaChinesemiddleschoolteamin10years.
The“Chinesemiddleschoolfootballleague”emergedaspartofanewstrategyforcampusfootballdevelopmentinChinamarkedbyorganizing“all-star”teamsofthebestmiddleschoolplayersinparticularregions.ItwasorganizedbytheChineseMiddleSchoolFootballAssociation,withtheMSARUCasthechair.May30,2016:China’sfirst“all-star”middleschoolfootballteambringshometherunner-uptrophyfromthe44thAsianSchoolFootballU-18ChampionshipinSouthKorea.Suchan“all-star”teamwasaboldstatementasChinahasfocusedoncampusfootballdevelopment.ItwasorganizedbytheChineseMiddleSchoolFootballAssociation,withtheMSARUCasthechair.FromTeamtoClub
MSARUCemergedasafootballpowerhouseearlyon.
In1985,LiLianjiang,thenheadoftheschool’sPhysicalEducationDepartment,firstproposedtheestablishmentofafootballteam.HepromisedtowintheBeijingchampionshipwithinthreeyearswithoutsacrificinganyoftheschool’scollege-boundrateof100percent,andthateveryteammemberwouldstrictlyadheretotheschool’scodeofconduct.
Hekepthisword.Injusttwoyears,theschool’steambeateveryoneelseinthecityayearaheadofschedule.Andthesituationactuallylookedbetterthananyonecouldhaveexpected:Oftheteamof16,14wererecruitedbytopChinesecollegeprogramsatTsinghuaandPekinguniversities,andtheothertwojoinedtheBeijingYouthFootballTeam.
Theschoolhasalsoblazedboldtrailsinattractingsocialinvestmentsandconnectingcampussportswiththerestofthecountry.In1988,itestablishedafootballschoolforkidsfromallwalksoflife.In1992,itregisteredayouthfootballclub,knownasSangao,ridingthetideofChina’sfootballsystemreform.
Youthfootballclubsarethefoundationofacountry’sfootballdevelopment,andSangaoFootballClubistheoldestinChina.
“ThemunicipalsportsadministrationofBeijinghadnoideahowtoprocessLiLianjiang’sapplicationtoestablishtheclubbecausenoneexistedatthetime,”recallsGongRenfeng,Sangao’sadministrativehead.“LihadtoturntoMaGuitian,thendirectoroftheadministration,whoforwardedthereporttoZhangBaifa,thenvicemayor,whoapprovedtheinitiativeandpledgedtoofferhisfullsupporttotheclub.TheteameventuallyreceivedfullgovernmentalsanctioningwhenitwasformallyregisteredwiththeBeijingCivilAffairsAdministration."
Theclubfacednewchallengesasitprogressedrapidly:Itwasalwayshardtofindenoughspacetotrain.Toooften,fourteamspracticedtogetherononefootballfield.
ThankstotheeffortsofLiuPengzhi,thenprincipalandpresidentoftheclub,afootballtrainingbasecovering180muwasestablishedinYongfengVillage,HaidianDistrict,afteraninvestmentof30millionyuan.Inlessthantwoyearsfromtheendof1998toSeptember2000,acomplexconsistingofdorms,ateachingbuilding,andsixprofessionalfootballfieldswascompleted.
BuildingChina’s“Ajax”
IntheChineselanguage,sangaomeans"threeheights."Sincethedayitwasestablished,theclubhasaimedtoproducefootballplayersofhighmoralquality,highculturalquality,andhighskill.
Trainingcansurelyinterferewithayoungster’sstudies.Asthenamesuggests,theclubhascommittedtoamissionoffosteringgoodqualitiesinthreeways.
Sangaohasinvestedallofitsresourcestothisend.TheclubhasrecruitedtopChinesecoaches.Ofits15coachestoday,sixareGradeAratedbytheChineseFootballAssociation,andoneisGradeSratedbytheUnionofEuropeanFootballAssociation.
Theclubalsoemploysstandoutacademicteachers,armedwiththelatesttextbooks,foreachagegroup.
“In1997,theclubtraveledabroadtotrainforthefirsttime,"notesDirectorGong.“ThreeteachersaccompaniedeighteenplayerstoMexico.Arrangingacademictutorstotravelwithplayershasbecomeatraditionsincethen.Everytimeateamleavesonatripforamatchortraining,teachersgoalongsothestudentsdon’tfallbehindontheiracademics.”
ByJune2016,Sangaohadfosteredapproximately20superbmiddleandhighschoolfootballteams.Nearly300graduateshavebeenrecruitedbyChina’sbestschoolssuchasTsinghuaandPekinguniversitiesduetotheirimpressiveacademicsaccompanyingthefootballskill.Moreover,some100alumnioftheprogramarenowfootballprofessionalsservingChina’snationalteam,China’sOlympicFootballTeam,BeijingGuo’an,andBelgium’sBruggeClub.In2013,graduateWangShangyuanbecamethefirstSangaoplayertogodirectlytoaprofessionalcareerinEurope.
DuringhisstayintheNetherlandsinJune1999,LiLianjiang,secretarygeneraloftheclub,visitedAjaxAmsterdam,hailedtheworld-famous“FootballFactory.”“Iwasdeeplyimpressedbytwothings,”Lirecalls.“Thefirstisthatcoachesmustfollowtheguidingprinciplesoftheclub.Anotheristhattheclubattachesgreatimportancetothecultureoflearning:Allmembersgotoclassinthemorningandtrainintheafternoon.”BothAjaxandSangaosharethesamephilosophy:Beagoodstudentbeforebecomingagoodplayer.“Thisishowfootballshouldbe,”continuesLi.“AndI’msurethatwecandevelopan‘Ajax’inChina.”
“Overthelastfewyears,ourclubhasblazedpathsforotherschoolstotrainfine-qualitysportsteamsandproducetop-shelftalent,”addsLi.
AsChinaacceleratesitsreformoffootball,Sangaoisundoubtedlyleadingthecountryinlayingasolidfoundation,sothatonedayitwillgrowintoafootballpowerhouse.
IntheChineselanguage,sangaomeans“threeheights.”Sincethedayitwasestablished,SangaoClubhasaimedtoproducefootballplayersofhighmoralquality,highculturalquality,andhighskill.