Volume One: Our Own League Chapter 68: The Current State of Youth Training in Chinese Football

A new week had begun, and with it, a fresh Monday. At Seventeenth Middle School in Jin'guan City, the new semester was underway.

In the principal’s office, a gathering of faculty filled the room. Principal Wang looked over the assembled group and spoke straightforwardly, “I’ve called you here today to discuss the First Year Football League.”

The people before him were the school’s physical education teachers. Today, Principal Wang had summoned them to plan the First Year Football League. Since the school had decided to vigorously promote campus football, it was time to take concrete action.

Principal Wang continued, “If we’re to develop campus football, the league must go ahead. But restricting this football league to only first-year students seems rather limited. I believe our school should organize a campus-wide football league, using this First Year League as a model. What do you think?”

The PE teachers nodded in agreement, convinced by Principal Wang’s reasoning. Their response pleased him, but it wasn’t the answer he was truly seeking. So, he turned his attention to Chai Kun and asked for his opinion.

Chai Kun felt uneasy as Principal Wang looked his way. After a moment of deliberation, he said, “I think the principal’s suggestion is absolutely right. Establishing a school-wide football league would allow more students to participate. If we don’t limit participation to first-year students, second- and third-year students could join as well, promoting football across the whole school.”

Principal Wang nodded approvingly, clearly agreeing, but he added, “We do want more kids involved, but third-year students should be excluded—their studies are more important. Second-year students, though, can participate. But how should we organize the league? Should first- and second-year students compete separately, or together?”

This was indeed a pressing issue.

Football culture among second-year students wasn’t particularly strong, and organizing a league solely for them might not work out. Of course, if the school mandated each class to form a football team, the second-year cohort could produce plenty of teams. However, the skill level of these players would be uncertain, and it wouldn’t necessarily strengthen the school’s overall football prowess nor advance campus football development.

If first- and second-year students played together, would it be unfair to the younger students, given the differences in age and physicality?

Principal Wang looked at Chai Kun again. Chai Kun promptly replied, “I still believe a campus-wide football league is best, involving both first- and second-year students. Our school’s first-year students have a stronger football culture and are more skilled. The school team will mainly comprise first-year students, so having them compete against second-year students now will aid their preparation for national tournaments.”

Principal Wang nodded in agreement. He had been considering this approach himself. Yet, the school was not governed solely by his opinion, so he wished to hear the teachers’ thoughts. Clearly, their views aligned with his own.

Principal Wang addressed the group, “So, shall we organize a school-wide football league?”

Chai Kun and the other PE teachers responded enthusiastically, “Excellent idea, Principal!”

A smile crept across Principal Wang’s face, unable to be concealed.

But the task ahead was far from simple. To run this league successfully, many issues needed to be resolved.

Principal Wang asked, “How many of you are familiar with football? I hope you’ll step up as coaches for these teams, so the students can receive more professional training and improve their skills. After all, our goal remains the national tournament.”

His plan was sound—each team would have a coach. Yet, reality proved problematic.

Most of the school’s PE teachers had graduated from Tianjin or specialized in basketball, not football. None were football professionals. Some had a passion for the sport, but lacked formal training. They worried about leading students astray if they took on coaching duties.

The teachers sat in thoughtful silence, weighing whether to accept the responsibility.

Truth be told, Principal Wang was well aware of their backgrounds. He was forced to assign them this role. Through his connections, he had learned that youth football coaches in China were exceedingly rare; the qualified coaches had been snapped up by professional club academies, making it nearly impossible for schools to recruit them.

Even if they managed to find one, there was no guarantee the coach would accept, and the salaries required were prohibitively high.

Principal Wang had no choice but to proceed as he did. For class teams, the teachers would suffice, but for the school team, he planned to recruit professional coaches—perhaps even those with a bit of fame.

After all, the school’s ambition was the national tournament. Principal Wang hoped the team would perform well and make a splash on that stage.

He cared deeply about this initiative.

Seeing the teachers’ hesitation, Principal Wang pressed, “What do you think? Can you take charge of some teams?”

The teachers were reluctant, replying, “Principal, you know we’re not football specialists. We’re afraid…”

Principal Wang responded, “All sports share common principles. Even if you don’t know football specifics, you understand basic training. If you don’t know the details, you can learn. Look, here are study materials prepared by the school…”

With that, Principal Wang pushed forward a book titled “How to Teach Youth Football.” Beside him were other volumes—“Football Fundamentals,” “Basic Football Tactics,” “Manchester United Stars Teach Football,” “Four-Four-Two,” and so on.

The teachers were stunned.

Principal Wang was not one to act lightly; when he did, he made an impact.

At this point, the PE teachers realized they could no longer refuse. They said, “Principal, we’re willing to take charge of the teams, but we can’t guarantee results.”

The sight of so many books made their heads ache. Most had chosen the physical education field precisely because they struggled academically; now, as PE teachers, they found themselves back to studying textbooks.

Looking at the stack of football books, all they could do was smile wryly.

Principal Wang said, “Just do your best and work hard.”

To encourage them, he had also established a reward system: coaches whose teams won championships or achieved strong results would not only receive bonuses and salary increases, but also honors and certificates, all tied to future promotions.

Hearing this, the teachers were energized; some even had a gleam in their eyes.

Chai Kun and his colleagues promised, “Rest assured, Principal, we’ll give it our all and strive for outstanding results with these kids.”

Principal Wang was satisfied.

He distributed the “study materials” to the group, encouraged them, and then dismissed the teachers. However, he kept Chai Kun behind.

Chai Kun asked, “Principal, is there anything else?”

Principal Wang motioned him to sit, then said, “How’s the matter I asked you to look into last time? Are any top graduates from your university willing to join our school?”

At this, a troubled look crossed Chai Kun’s face.

He replied, “If this were in the past, it would be easy to find graduates specialized in football. But recently, the authorities have issued directives to promote campus football, so many schools have sprung into action and snatched up professional talent.”

Principal Wang nodded repeatedly; he was well aware. The school’s website had posted recruitment notices, but few professionals applied. He had also learned from other sources that talent was being aggressively poached. Graduates from the capital’s sports university were particularly sought after—high schools, middle schools, even primary schools were recruiting.

In the past, people would ask, ‘What’s most valuable in the twenty-first century?’ The answer: talent!

Now, finding a good football coach was incredibly difficult.

Chai Kun continued, “I originally had two friends who graduated with football degrees. They hadn’t secured jobs yet, so I thought I could invite them to our school. But by the time I contacted them, they had already accepted positions at schools in the capital, and had just started.”

Principal Wang sighed at this stroke of bad luck.

He knew this problem couldn’t be solved overnight. He said, “I’ll have to trouble you for a while longer. Please keep searching for talent in this area. Our school will continue recruiting, and you can tell candidates that our compensation is very competitive.”

Chai Kun nodded, “Understood, Principal.”

Truth be told, hearing about the generous compensation, he was tempted himself. But he hadn’t chosen the football specialty—he had studied basketball instead.

All he could do now was watch and wonder who would end up with this lucrative post.

Principal Wang didn’t linger on pleasantries. He said, “Mr. Chai, you’d better get back to work. I have to prepare for the staff meeting.”

Chai Kun took his leave.

At the staff meeting that day, Principal Wang announced the establishment of the “Seventeenth Middle School Jin’guan City Football League,” encouraging students to sign up enthusiastically. He also stated the school would invite a group of professional football coaches to instruct the students.

This news thrilled Xu He. He hadn’t expected the school would one day organize a football league, freeing them from furtive, apprehensive play. Now, he could confidently tell his mother, Tang Qian, about it.

Xu He wished the “Seventeenth Middle School Football League” would begin immediately.

Moreover, Principal Wang announced that the school would soon hold tryouts for the school football team, urging students to participate.

Xu He was beside himself with excitement.

He would be the first to sign up for the team, and he was confident he would pass the selection.

After the meeting, the members of Class Ten’s football team gathered to discuss the school-wide league and the team tryouts. Clearly, everyone was in high spirits and eagerly anticipated the upcoming events.

They all wished the tryouts could begin right away.

But Zhu Ge spoke up, “Enough about those matters for now. We need to focus on Friday’s semifinal. The Class Six team is no pushover—don’t take them lightly.”

Only then did everyone return their attention to the imminent league semifinal.