Initiative to boost soccer development yields results

Shanghai has achieved rapid progress in soccer development over the past few years, as evidenced by the number of soccer schools and coaches that have emerged.

In 2015, the government released a national soccer development blueprint which aims to have 20,000 soccer-themed schools — educational institutions that employ professional soccer coaches and have regular soccer classes — in the country by 2020.

According to statistics by the Ministry of Education which was released in February, China already has 20,218 soccer-themed schools, compared with 5,000 in 2015.

Shanghai is home to 252 of these schools. In addition, there are presently 73,300 soccer coaches, with 15,594 of them coming from professional soccer backgrounds.

The progress of the sport can also be seen in the growth of the School Soccer League, an initiative by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and Shanghai Administration of Sports that was established in 2012. The league started with 226 institutions, including primary schools, middle schools and colleges.

Today, more than 400 schools are participating in the league. Meanwhile, the number of registered school soccer players in the league has burgeoned from just 900 to more than 10,000 within a few years.

"Soccer training is our brand," said Fan Jianjun, the principle of Shanghai Xiangyang Primary School, one of the first pilot schools to include soccer training in its curriculum. "We aim not only to promote soccer as a sport on campus, but also to promote a positive and healthy lifestyle."

As a soccer-themed school, Xiangyang has one regular soccer class each week for all pupils as well as a training session every day from 3 to 5 pm that involves a select group of students. Each grade has a soccer team comprising students from all classes in that level and they are managed by a professional soccer coach.

The school has also created a three-on-three soccer competition which is popular with the students.

Ji Xingsheng, the coach of the school's Grade Four soccer team, said that the sport has been a positive influence on students as it improves their fitness and character.

While some parents expressed concerns that the regular training sessions might affect their children's studies, Ji said that the school has taken necessary measures to ensure that this does not happen.

For instance, students are required to maintain their grades in order to take part in training. Ji added that the majority of students have managed to excel in both their studies and the sport.

"I was suspended once from training for more than two weeks because my grade dropped from B to C," said Zhong Fanli, a fourth-grade student of Xiangyang Primary School.

"As a result, I worked harder to improve my grades because I couldn't wait to return to training. I love soccer. It makes me fitter and improves my thinking ability," he added.

According to Zhang Yun, the sports director of Wujiaochang Primary School in Yangpu district, the state of the domestic soccer scene today is much better compared to five years ago when few students were interested in the sport.

He said that the number of soccer matches have at least doubled both at city and district levels. The school currently participates in competitions almost every weekend.

"More schools are offering soccer training now and the overall atmosphere has become more vibrant. The scene today is better funded and has more coaches and facilities," he said.