Chasing a Football Dream

　　For years Chinese football fans have sufferedthe pain and embarrassment of watching their men’snational side fail consistently at the international level,posting abysmally low rankings worldwide. According toFIFA statistics, in July the team ranked 100th out of the209 national teams playing globally.

　　“It’s really a shame that in China, with a populationof more than 1.3 billion, we cannot find 11 people thatcan do a good job in playing football,” Chen Wanyuan,an advocate for spreading football culture in China, toldChinAfrica.

　　Chen, 62, has been engaged in football for nearly 50years, first in north China’s Shanxi Province and then inBeijing. Now, he works for Yinchao Football Club, a trainingclub for children in Beijing. According to Chen, theblame for the dismal showing of the national side shouldbe placed squarely at the door of the China Football Association,the top football administration authority in inthe country.

　　“It [China Football Association] is shortsighted as itfocuses its attention on the national football team onlyfor quick success, but usually gets the results that runcounter to its wishes,” said Chen.

　　Focus on the problem

　　The facts back up Chen’s claim. Since the first FIFA WorldCup was held in 1930, the Chinese team has qualified onlyonce - at the 2002 event jointly held in neighboring Japanand South Korea.

　　Chen said only by the China Football Associationlooking ahead and focusing more of its efforts on trainingand attracting youngsters to the game, can they ensure anational team that performs.

　　Chen played football on behalf of Beijing when he wasin primary and junior middle schools. “I played footballwhen I was a boy, and I personally know that childhood isa very important period for football players to lay a solidfoundation,” said Chen. During the years he worked inShanxi Province, he taught children playing football when-ever he had time.

　　In 1990, he came back to Beijing and worked first inthe Sport Commission of Tongzhou District and later inthe China Football Association, where he was in charge ofyouth football. Two years ago, he retired, but he continuedhis work as a coach training young footballers.

　　“China can never achieve success in its national footballteam without popularizing football among children,”said Chen. “Thoughthe China FootballAssociation realizes theproblem, no one in theassociation ever doesthe work in a down-tothe-earth manner.”

　　Youth developmentlackingInsufficient exposureto football when younghas a direct corelationto low-level footballproficiency among adults. “We cannot find enoughchildren who are interested in playing football; we cannotfind sufficient football pitches for them; and schools focustoo much on children’s study and ignore their physicaldevelopment,” said Chen.

　　According to a survey conducted in 18 primaryschools in Haidian District by the Beijing Municipal Commissionof Education and Beijing Municipal Bureau ofSports in May, only four of the schools have standardfootball pitches; and only three have football courses intheir curricula.

　　“The schools should free students from their heavyhomework so that they can go out and play football. Otherwise,China’s football can never develop,” said Chen.

　　At the 27th Universiade held in Kazan, Russia fromJuly 6 to 17, the Chinese football team, consisting mainlyof student players from Beijing Institute of Technology,drew with Mexico and Ireland, and was defeated by Russia,returning without a win in the group matches.

　　“The Beijing Institute of Technology has one of thebest football teams of the universities in China. But itstill had no win in the Universiade. You can see [fromthis] the level of Chinese football in the world,” saidChen.

　　Positive moves

　　Actually, China has done a lot of work inrecent years to promote football on schoolcampuses. Starting in 2009, China’s GeneralAdministration of Sport earmarked 40 millionyuan ($6.54 million) annually from sportlottery funds to promote football on campusnationwide. This year, the figure increased to56 million yuan ($9.15 million). Local governments are alsorequired to contribute the same amount.

　　In 1984, China launched the Baidui Cup footballmatches among youth in Beijing, an initiative Chen said isa very good model to popularize youth football.

　　“But only this one [initiative] in Beijing is definitely notenough. We need more,” he said. “Actually, China hasmany good models in developing its football, such as theJianlibao Football Team. But we failed to go further.”

　　In 1992, the China Football Association and GuangdongJianlibao Co. Ltd. selected 22 youngsters of 13-14years old and sent them to Brazil for a seven-year training.This was widely considered as a bold attempt, and alsobuilt up much hope in the Chinese people that theirfootball dreams would come true. But soon after theyreturned in 1998, the China Football Association could notmake use of these players as they were still contractedto their previous football clubs before going to Brazil. Thismeant they were therefore not eligible to play for the JianlibaoFootball Team rendering the project a non-starter.

　　“The China Football Association should find solutionsto continue the Jianlibao model,” said Chen, adding thatthey should pursue and adhere to a long-term plan andstop chopping and changing what they do.

　　“If you have a dream, you should do your best topursue the dream,” said Chen.

　　Chen’s dream

　　Though Chen is not satisfied with the work of the ChinaFootball Association, he is delighted to see many footballclubs training youngsters, like Yinchao, springing upnationwide.

　　“These clubs can help arouse children’s interest inplaying football and they have professional coaches,” saidChen. Besides Yinchao, he is also employed by severalfootball clubs as a coach.

　　Talking about his students clearly makes Chen happy.

　　“Many of my [former] students are working in footballadministration authorities and the China Football Association,and many others are very good football players,”said Chen. A string of players such as Wang Xiaolong andZhang Xinxin, all of whom are key players in China’sSuper League teams, were coached by Chen.

　　“Most importantly, coaches at youth footballclubs should be professional, otherwise thechildren would be misled,” said Chen.

　　In appointing these professional coaches, Chenemphasized that a good football player is not necessarilya good football coach. “So, the authorityshould examine every coach’s qualifications andgrant certificates only to those who are qualified,”said Chen, who has gained an A-levelcertificate, the highest coaching level in China.

　　“Teaching more youth football coursesis my dream and I will pursue my dreamthroughout my life,” said Chen.

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