In October this year, the "Sino-UK School Football Project" held its first training course. More than 70 physical education teachers from across the country received training from 6 professional School football coaches selected by the FA. Nowadays, the training class has been completed for nearly a month, and the concepts and methods of English school football have been brought back to their schools by the participating physical education teachers to practice, and have received good results. What many teachers empathize with is that the difference in the concept of school football guidance between China and Britain is reflected in both the micro level and the macro management.

Che Qiang, a physical education teacher from Boshan Experimental Primary School in Zibo City, Shandong Province, learned for the first time in the "Sino-UK School Football Project" training class, "When children are exposed to football, there is no need to force them to kick." . In an interview with reporters, Che Qiang said: "Children can play football without their feet". To him, a physical education teacher who has received traditional Chinese football education for many years, it is completely subversive. "I am a primary school. Physical education teachers face children who are beginners to football. According to our football teaching method, if we don’t teach children to play with their feet, will they still teach football?"

"In fact, the concept of school football in the UK is very simple. If you want more children to participate in football, you must first let the children like football." After Che Qiang attended the training class, he thought of his many years of teaching practice and suddenly realized. "Children have different physical conditions, and some children have good coordination. They can learn to play with their feet soon after they come into contact with football, but many children find it difficult to adapt to this requirement. They are used to using their familiar methods. To control the ball, such as by hand. If we use traditional teaching methods to force them to use their feet, this part of the children will feel pressure and will not like football. The British method is to first cultivate the fun of playing ball, which is a guarantee Most of them stay on the foundation of the football field."

What if the child develops the habit of catching the ball with his hands? Che Qiang also has such doubts. The British school football coach said that there is no need to worry that children will keep catching the ball with their hands. When the first child starts to try to kick the ball, other children will follow suit. In the end, without being forced by the teacher, they will find the fun of playing football.

“One of the most commonly used actions when the English teach children to play football is to give the child a thumbs up.” Zhou Fengjun, a physical education teacher at Xincheng Street Primary School in Changchun City, Jilin Province, told reporters about his feelings. “During the training class, a English school the football coach gave a practical teaching class to the first and second grade pupils in Guangzhou. I found that no matter how well the children play, the coach first praises the children for what they do well. In our traditional youth football teaching practice, Children often criticize more and praise less. In fact, whether children can keep their interest in playing football has a lot to do with the teacher’s teaching methods. It is conceivable that students who are often criticized by the teacher may not like this The teacher’s class, and children who are often praised and encouraged by the teacher, they will also be very interested in taking this teacher’s class."

"In the British philosophy, there should be no punishment mechanism for teaching children to play football. This also surprised us Chinese physical education teachers." Che Qiang said, "In our football class, children who do well will be Praise, children who do not perform well will be punished, such as running or doing push-ups. This teaching method may be used by all Chinese physical education teachers. But the British coach said that we do not develop school football to train football players, but The focus is on getting more children to participate in football. Then, cultivating children’s interest is the first, and the punishment mechanism will discourage children’s interest and enthusiasm."

Compared with the British people's tolerance for children's technical moves, they attach great importance to their children's football awareness. Lou Xiangbao, a physical education teacher at Tongji No. 1 Middle School in Shanghai, because he took both the school's football lessons and the coach of the school's football team, he felt deeply about the shortcomings of Chinese football teenagers who still lack creativity and control when playing football. "I found that the English coaches put a lot of emphasis on teaching children to play: observe first before catching the ball. This seemingly simple sentence reflects the importance of the British in cultivating youth football awareness. Another point is that the English coach asked us to When teaching football, don’t interfere too much with the children’s kicking behavior. However, many football coaches in China are accustomed to directing the children on the football field off the field. As a result, our children have been directed to lose themselves. The imagination to play."

The rigorous style of British coaches in campus football teaching has also made Chinese physical education teachers sigh, "All their training courses follow the principle of easy to difficult, and their comments on students are profound and detailed.

The short 7-day training has only allowed more than 70 Chinese physical education teachers to complete the initial stage of the FA school football course, but it has already made these Chinese school football front-line workers feel very rewarding, "using new ideas and After teaching the method, I found that the distance between me and the children was closer," Zhou Fengjun said. Lou Xiangbao felt that the students’ football lessons were more efficient. “The time for a class seems to pass quickly, but the students have gained more than before.”

According to the "Sino-UK School Football Project" plan, five similar training courses will be introduced into China next year, but when the first course this year is over, students will share their gains and feelings with more physical education teachers Physical education teachers have given feedback to the "Sino-UK School Football Project". The five training sessions a year obviously cannot meet the needs of more first-line teachers in China's campus football. The Dr Sun Yi Xian's Youth Foundation is one of the initiators of the "Sino-UK School Football Project". The director-general of the foundation Mr Nelson Cheng hopes that the "Sino-UK School Football Project" can receive more support from relevant Chinese authorities so that Chinese school football can be established as soon as possible A development path that suits you. But when he attended a Chinese school football work conference not long ago, he learned that the traditional Chinese football player training concept and method is still the main method for many local departments to promote school football. Mr Nelson Cheng believes: "China's school football is not only The concept of frontline physical education teachers needs to be changed, and the macro thinking of the management department needs to be changed."

Newspaper, Beijing, November 17th

Source：China Youth Daily

Xinhuanet.com, Zhongshan, Guangdong, October 14 sports special telegram (Reporter Gongbing, Wang Haoming) was proposed and promoted by the Dr Sun Yi Xian's Youth Foundation (UK) for many years of Sino-UK School Football Project-the FA School Football International Teaching Course Training Project 14 Japan officially launched here, and the opening ceremony of the first training class was held.

The project takes "football education" as the core. Every year, the Football Association sends football lecturers to Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan to train and select the course teachers (not limited to physical education teachers, as long as teachers are interested in football. Selected) to help them learn the latest football education concepts in order to carry out campus football courses in the future. At the same time, St. George's Park, the national football center just completed by the FA, will also invite selected Chinese campus groups and football course teachers to visit the UK. The project aims to promote and strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and the UK in order to improve the level of youth football. This is the first time in the 150-year history of the FA to provide China with international basic training materials for school football and youth community football, popular football teaching methods, football laws and regulations, and rules and regulations.

More than 70 Chinese trainees who participated in the first training course came from 9 provinces and cities. They were all school teachers selected by local authorities and the Dr Sun Yi Xian's Youth Foundation according to standards. They will be trained by six English football experts during the eight-day training. Those who pass the course will be awarded a certificate of completion issued by the Football Association, so as to obtain the qualification to use the English school international football training materials.

Training includes not only theoretical learning, but also "practical teaching". All the coaches in charge of teaching are the coaches who hold the “Faculty of International Basic Coaching Teaching License”; the teaching materials are carefully designed by the professional technical team of the FA; the whole training is divided into three stages: basic courses, professional courses, and certificate courses.

The training courses are planned to be held four to six times a year starting next year. In addition to training classes, it also plans to hold a Sino-UK Youth Football Forum from time to time and build a Sino-UK School Football training center.

The project was proposed ten years ago, but it went through some twists and turns and was not realized. In April 2011, in order to effectively promote the project, the Dr Sun Yi Xian's Youth Foundation signed a 15-year (2011-2026) "Sunshine Sports-Sino-UK School Football Project" with the office of China’s "National Sunshine Sports Leading Group for Hundreds of Students". Football Cooperation Project Agreement".

In May 2012, the Dr Sun Yi Xian's Youth Foundation and the English Football Association Teaching Affairs Department jointly announced in London that the "Sino-UK School Football Project" had begun. Until today, the project has finally entered a specific stage of operation.

Mr Nelson Cheng, CEO of the Dr Sun Yi Xian's Youth Foundation, said that he firmly believes that with the assistance of experts in universal education of football in England, youth football will take root and blossom on Chinese schools.

Wang Dengfeng, director of the Department of Sports, Health and Art Education of the Ministry of Education of China, stated that school sports must achieve the goal of the Trinity: first, improve the physical health of young people; second, improve their motor skills; third, promote the development of a sound personality. "School physical education is an inseparable and important part of the entire education. Its foundation and the role of cultivating all-round development talents are self-evident. As far as the Sino-UK School Football Project is concerned, participating in football can not only improve the physical level of young people, but also It can also improve football skills, and at the same time promote the development of a healthy personality of young people. I hope this project will become a beginning and help the reform of physical education and teaching in our school to embark on a fast track."

Source： Xinhuanet.com: Sino-UK School Football Project launched in Zhongshan

Zhongshan, Guangdong, 21 October (Reporter Chen Chenxi) On the 21st, the Sino-UK School Football Project-the FA School Football International Coaching Training Course ended in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province. 71 school football coaches received the careful guidance of 6 English football experts during the 8-day training. It is understood that in the next 10 years, similar training courses will continue at a frequency of 4-6 sessions per year.

The 71 Chinese trainees who participated in the first training course came from 9 provinces and cities. The training included not only theoretical learning, but also “practical teaching”. The entire training includes three stages: basic courses, professional courses, and certificate courses, which greatly benefited these students who are used to being teachers.

In the classroom of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Middle School, the FA lecturer Richard Cooper asked the students to rank 15 animals into a starting lineup of 11 people, which aroused great interest and heated discussions among the students. In the end, lions annotated as "king of the forest" and cheetahs "fast as lightning" were selected, but the "slow and thinking" moose were forgotten by everyone. Cooper said: "Why not give the moose some changes and some challenges? Because they want to win the game, because they are'bad', they lose the opportunity to play, not enjoy the joy of football, and also lose the opportunity to improve ourselves. We do this. , May win a lot of games, but may lose the real good players. Don’t forget that we are school football coaches, and the players are all children.” Cooper’s words made the otherwise lively classroom quiet.

The Sino-UK School Football Project was proposed 10 years ago, but it has not been realized due to various reasons. In April 2011, in order to effectively promote the project, the Dr Sun Yi Xian's Youth Foundation signed a 15-year (2011-2026) "Sunshine Sports-Sino-UK School Football Project" with the office of China’s "National Leading Group for Sunshine Sports for Hundreds of Students" Football Cooperation Project Agreement".

(Source:People's Daily Online)

European soccer clubs and players seek greener pastures in China

Italian coach Marcello Lippi (center) talks to his assistants during his first match

managing Guangzhou Evergrande. Provided to China Daily

Expectations are running high that big-ticket names would soon make a beeline for soccer clubs in China, after former Italian World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi decided to be a part of the Chinese Super League (CSL).

Who's next is the question most posed by soccer aficionados. Many expect that it will be Didier Drogba, the Cote d'Ivoire international who has just helped English side Chelsea win this year's European Champions League Final.

Besides of the big crowds that these names automatically draw, fans are also hopeful that they will be a much-needed shot-in-the-arm for the sport in China. Many believe that soccer is still a long way from reaching the heights achieved by China on the economic front or in the international arena.

There is also the flip side to this whole phenomenon in the sense that China could prove to be a safe haven, considering that Europe, the bastion of soccer, is not exactly in the pink of health. Interest in the game is increasing in China, along with the number of rich people who have bulging investment pockets.

Earlier this month, defending CSL champions Guangzhou Evergrande started the soccer frenzy by roping in Lippi, who led Italy to a World Cup win in 2006. Club owner Xu Jiayin, a real estate baron, feels that the high-profile international coach will not only boost Guangzhou Evergrande's fortune, but also help it achieve an international reputation.

"We made the decision to sign Lippi a year ago, as we felt that it was in tune with our long-term strategic needs. We are looking to transform the club into an international-level one," Xu says.

Though neither Xu nor Lippi would disclose the exact remuneration, the 64-year-old Italian coach admitted that money was one of the big attractions for him to sign on the dotted line.

"I have turned down invitations from other European clubs and some from Qatar. The Guangzhou side's offer was more on the lines of what I would have made with any European club. So I thought why not take up the China offer," Lippi says.

The Milan-based La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the Chinese club has offered Lippi in the region of 10 million euros for a single season.

The Italian coach is the biggest name to join Chinese soccer from Europe after Shanghai Shenhua signed French striker Nicolas Anelka from Chelsea at the beginning of this season.

Anelka's former Chelsea mate Drogba has also been linked to Shanghai, although his heroics in helping the London-based club win the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League could put a brake on his China plans.

Another reason why more soccer stars are heading toward China is the increased outlays being made by the clubs to acquire the services of foreign players, with a view to spruce up their international standings.

Paraguay international Lucas Barrios has agreed to a four-year transfer deal worth 8.5 million euros to play for Guangzhou Evergrande. The former Borussia Dortmund striker is expected to join the side next month.

The Guangzhou side has also signed a contract with Argentine midfielder Dario Conca, who set the Chinese league transfer record with a reported $10 million (7.9 million euros) deal last year.

Italian media also reported that 36-year-old AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf has traveled to China for talks with several CSL clubs, such as Beijing Guo'an, Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai Shenhua.

Xu's company, Evergrande Real Estate Group, started its soccer involvement two years ago when it took over the Guangzhou club in March 2010 with an initial investment of 100 million yuan ($15.8 million, 12.7 million euros).

"Before being involved in China's sport sector, Xu's company was just a local real estate brand. But now it has gained an international reputation," says Xie Liang, a veteran soccer commentator with Radio Guangdong.

The company has continued with its investment in the soccer sector, and plans to start an international soccer school cooperative in September. Sources close to the company said its net profit increased from 8 billion yuan in 2010 to 11.8 billion yuan last year.

"As a businessman, Xu's goal in sports investment is very simple - to realize more profits in the long run," Xie says.

Apart from the Chinese sides hunting for famous coaches and top players, there has also been more interaction between China and the world's leading soccer powers in recent years.

English soccer education will also head toward China as FA Learning. The educational body of England's Football Association, based in London, reached an agreement last week to team up with London's Dr Sun Yi Xian's Youth Foundation.

According to the first partnership between China and the FA, the foundation will work with FA Learning to deliver a range of soccer training and education courses for coaches, players and referees in China.

Youth soccer education and training, the strength of English soccer according to Jamie Houchen, head of FA Learning, will be the focus of the partnership. A team of FA registered coaches is expected to visit China later this autumn to work with coaches from 62 Chinese cities.

Nelson Cheng, CEO of the foundation, praises the new partnership as "an exciting and immensely important step in developing cultural, educational, economic and sporting relations between China and the UK".

Economic interest, or revenue, however, has been the key driving force for Western clubs to enter and expand in the Chinese market in recent decades.

Playing commercial friendly matches in China was the most popular way till a few years back. Italian Serie A side Sampdoria, now in Serie B, played China's national team in Beijing in May 1994.

The match offered Chinese soccer fans the first ever chance to watch a leading European side play up close, and started a Sampdoria craze in China.

Following its early success, the Italian side came to China to play more commercial matches again in 1995, opening the door for other leading western clubs to follow suit.

Touring Asia and China is now a permanent fixture on the agenda of most European soccer clubs, especially in the period before the soccer season commences in Europe.

Past Serie A title and Coppa Italia winners, AC Milan and Inter Milan played their Suppercoppa Italiana match at the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing in 2011.

Super Copa de Espana matches, between the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey, will also be played in Beijing in the next four years, according to a deal announced last week.

Real Madrid, this year's La Liga winner, will take on the winner of this weekend's cup final between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao at a match in Beijing later this year.

Though the stakes are indeed high for European soccer players and clubs in China, there has also been criticism from several quarters that the foreign sides, officials and players have not done much to revitalize the game in China.

Revenue-oriented efforts in the Chinese market "don't necessarily" make European clubs "bad people", but "from a Chinese point of view, it's not necessarily in their (Chinese soccer fans) interests", says Sean Hamil, an expert on soccer management at Birkbeck College, University of London.

"I would raise serious questions about whether or not English clubs, for example, are going to China with a real idea of partnership," Hamil responds when asked to analyze English third-division League One side Sheffield United's unsuccessful experience in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

Kevin McCabe, Sheffield United chairman, returned to the southwestern Chinese city on Monday to "re-invest" in Chengdu Blades Soccer Club (CBFC), a Chinese second-division side Sheffield United sold in February 2011, according to reports in Chengdu Evening News.

Sheffield United took over the Chengdu side in 2006 from a local cigarette maker and renamed it Chengdu Blades, to share the same nickname.

Being promoted to the Chinese Super League more than one year later, the first ever English-owned Chinese side did not enjoy any lasting success and it was relegated to China League One in 2010 due to a match fixing scandal.

"We were very disappointed with our home team, as we initially expected the English club to spend huge sums on top players and also bring about advanced team management," says Zhang Jianning, a 57-year-old local fan.

"There is a question to be asked: is the relationship between European soccer clubs and the Chinese market opportunistic? Or is it genuinely strategic?" Hamil says, adding that limited financial resources might have hampered Sheffield United, as it is not a global brand by itself.

Noting he respect Sheffield United as a team, Hamil says that he considers the inability to shore up revenues as the prime reason the English club decided to move out of China.

source from: China Daily European Weekly - Ready for the big draw

China Daily European Weekly - Ready for the big draw PDF version