FromApril30toMay7,2016,matchesbetweenU15,U14,andU13rivalsoftheChineseNationalYouthFootballLeaguewereplayed.IncludingkidsfromU12teamsabouttoparticipateintheNationalYouthFootballSummerCamp,whichwasfirstlaunchedbyChina’sMinistryofEducationin2009,participationtotalednearly3,000playersin106teams.
TheseyoungChineseplayersarecarefullyselectedtojointhecountry’s“competitiveprofessionalfootballpopulation,”afterundergoingboneageassessmentinaccordancewiththerequirementsofChineseFootballAssociation.Thispopulationdoesn’tincludeplayersinprofessionalfootballschools.
May31,2016:StudentsofZhonglianchuanElementarySchoolplayfootballinYuzhongCounty,GansuProvince.China’sschoolfootballisundergoingmajordevelopmentthesedays.byChenBin/XinhuaBytheendof2015,thenumberoffootballspecialtyschoolsatbothnationalandlocallevelstotaled16,186.Injustoneyear,theNationalLeadingGroupOfficeforYouthSchoolFootballtrainedmorethan2,000directorsofeducationaladministrationsatprefecture,city,andcountylevels,morethan3,000headmastersofelementaryandmiddleschools,5,400elementaryandmiddleschoolP.E.teachers,and1,000coaches,referees,andretiredathletes.
StatisticsshownotonlythatChinaiswitnessingasignificantriseinprofessionalyouthfootballtraining,butalsothatgreatchangesarehappeningaroundthecountry’sschoolfootballdevelopment.
QuantitativeChanges
OncethedominantpowerinAsia,Chinesefootballbeganitsprofessionalizationprocessinthe1990s.Althoughthesportenjoyedrenewedvigorbroughtbythatreform,itsooncrashedandanotherhigh-levelnationalorprofessionalteamneveremerged.ThemajorreasonforthisphenomenonisChina’slackoffootballprofessionals.
In2008,Chinabegandevelopingfootballinschools.China’sGeneralAdministrationofSportandMinistryofEducationformulatedaten-yearplanforyouthfootballdevelopmentinschools,andsetuptheNationalLeadingGroupOfficeforYouthSchoolFootball.Soon,localofficestopromoteyouthfootballinschoolswereestablishedacrossChina.
OnMarch16,2015,theChinesegovernmentissuedOverallPlanforChineseFootballReformandDevelopment.Accordingtotheplan,China’sMinistryofEducationwouldoverseefootballdevelopmentacrossthecountry,combiningtheaimsofsportsdevelopmentwithtalentcultivation.Thisactmarkedtheelevationofschoolfootballdevelopmenttoanationalstrategy.OnApril11,2016,theMediumandLong-TermDevelopmentPlanforChineseFootball(2016-2050)wasannouncedbytheChinesegovernment,inwhichgoalsforschoolfootballdevelopmentweremadeevenclearer:By2020,thecountryshouldhave20,000schoolsspecializinginfootball,70,000-pluspitches,and30millionelementaryandmiddleschoolstudentsregularlyplayingthesportamongmorethan50millionChinesepeopleactiveinthegame.
Withstronggovernmentalsupport,quantitativechangeistakingplaceinChina’sschoolfootball.FourcompetitiveleaguesatdifferentlevelsarenowavailabletoChineseschools.Thetopamateurleague,theChinaUniversityFootballLeague,hasreceivedahistoricinfluxofparticipation,with529participatingteamsquicklyjumpingto800andquantityofmatchessoaringtomorethan1,500duringits2015-2016season.Ontheyoungerside,leaguesforelementaryandmiddleschoolstudentsinShenzhen,Guangzhou,andShanghaiareexpanding.
Alongsidemoreextensivefootballactivityinschools,trainingofeliteyouthfootballplayershasalsobeenenhanced.Attheendof2015,theGeneralAdministrationofSportsetupnational-levelyouthfootballtrainingcentersinfiveChinesepilotfootballcities:Chengdu,Qingdao,Wuhan,Guangzhou,andDalian.Also,variousyouthtrainingcentershavebeensetupin20citiesand38counties,whichareallfreetothegeneralpublic.“Youthtrainingcenterscanbenefitlocalkidsbyprovidingthemprofessionalfootballtraining,”remarkedWeiJixiang,vicepresidentofChineseFootballAssociation.“Ouraimisnotonlytocultivatefirst-classplayers,butalsotoexpandinterestinfootballandnurturethesport’ssocialatmosphere,whichweshouldhavedonelongago,”remarkedWei.
ThereislittledoubtthatChina’sschoolfootballandyouthtrainingcenters,whichareundergoingquantitativechanges,willbecomethedrivingforceforthecountry’sfuturefootballdevelopment.
ChangedbyFootball
SeniorfootballcommentatorXiaoLiangzhipointedoutthataccordingtotheOverallPlanforChineseFootballReformandDevelopment,thecountry’sreformofschoolfootballprovidesyoungplayerswithmoreopportunities,whichwillcertainlyencouragemoreChinesekidstoplay.
Accordingtotheoverallplan,Chinawillexploreandestablishfootballschoolsincertainuniversitiesandcolleges—anewtypeoffootballschoolcombiningacademicsandthesport.AccordingtodatafromChina’sMinistryofEducation,bytheendof2015,thecountryhadidentified8,627schoolsasspecializinginfootball.Foralongtime,Chineseparentsworriedthatbecauseonlyaverysmallproportionofplayerscanultimatelyplayprofessionally,thevastmajorityoffootballstudentswillbeleftwithlittleopportunity.Theestablishmentoffootballschoolsincollegeswillhelpsolvetheproblem.Forplayerswhofailtobeadmittedtoprofessionalteamsorregularuniversitiesafterturning18,theirspecialskillsinfootballmayallowthemtheopportunitytoenterauniversity’sfootballschool.
Tobetterdevelopschoolfootballandgetmoreteenagersinvolvedandpassionateaboutthegame,priorityshouldstillbeplacedonchangingcurrentideasaboutfootballeducation.
WangDengfeng,vicepresidentoftheChineseFootballAssociation,addedthatinthenextroundofChina’scurriculumreform,schoolswillbeencouragedtoteachstudentsoneortwospecificsportsinP.E.classsuchasfootball,basketball,andvolleyball,withtheaimofpromotingsportsskillsandimprovingphysiques.“Intermsofdevelopingschoolfootballversusothersports,ourfundamentalaimsarethesame,”heopined.“Wewanttoshowthateducationandsportsgohand-in-hand.”
Today,Chinaplacesmoreattentiononthecombinationoffootballtrainingandacademicswhenencouragingfootballdevel-opmentinschools.Increasingnumbersoffootballschoolheadmastersareattachingequalimportancetobothfootballtrainingandacademiclearning,andmoreChineseparentssupporttheirchildrenparticipatinginthegame.Movingbeyonddreamsofseeingkidsbecomefootballstars,headmastersandparentswantchildrentoreceiveaspecialbrandofeducationflavoredbyfootball,whichwillnodoubtleadtohealthydevelopmentofthegameinChina.
January30,2016:AboyfromtheschoolfootballteamofUrumqi’sNo.3MiddleSchoolrehearsesademonstrationofsnowfootballbeforethecloseofChina’s13thNationalWinterGames.byWangFei/XinhuaDecember26,2015:KidsparticipateintrainingorganizedbyChina’s“StarofHope”YouthFootballTrainingCampinLhasa.The“StarofHope”projectwaslaunchedbyChinaSportsFoundation.byJigmeDorje/XinhuaMarch17,2016:ADutchfootballcoachdirectsChinesestudentsinNo.134MiddleSchool,afootballspecialtyschoolinShenyangCity.China’sMinistryofEducationintroduced120foreignfootballteachersto40Chinesecitiesin2015.Xinhua