Girls show soccer skills in Norwegian PM’s visit
Print Edition
DURING her official visit to China from April 7-11, aimed largely at increasing business between Norway and China, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg visited the Shanghai Meilong Middle School in Putuo District on April 8.
Solberg celebrated retired Chinese female soccer player Sun Wen and the school women’s soccer team.
Solberg kicked the ball off to start a match between the young players.
Sun Ping, deputy secretary of the CPC Committee of Putuo District, accompanied Solberg.
Putuo is famous for its achievements in the development of soccer. Shanghai Meilong Middle School is one of the district’s schools which have adopted an experimental format of combining sports and education.
A few women’s soccer teams have been nurtured in the school, as well as Shanghai Caoyang No. 2 High School and the Jinshajiang Road Primary School.
Over the years, the Meilong Middle School has cultivated more than 60 outstanding female players for the country. Many of the school’s players comprise the starting lineup of the Shanghai’s female soccer team. These footballers from Putuo are dubbed “steel roses” for their tenacious style and fighting spirit.
They have played many times for the national team and won many gold medals in its football competitions. They have become the pride of Putuo.
But when it comes to female players in the district, the “hidden heroes” — Qian Hui and Zhang Xiang, have played a leading role.
Qian is chief coach of the district women’s soccer team and Zhang is president of the district football school.
Since 1993, they have devoted themselves to the campus football education of local schools.
They first promoted the concept of campus women’s soccer at the Shanghai Meilong Middle School, Shanghai Caoyang No. 2 High School and the Jinshajiang Road Primary School.
All three schools supported them. And over the past two decades the remarkable progress in the schools has been sustained and the schools have now become a major force in promoting soccer.
“The format combining sports with education has offered sustainable growth to the female soccer players,” said Wei Hongguang, president of Shanghai Meilong Middle School.
“It is a kind of guarantee for the future all-round development of the players. In addition to playing football, many of them are active in other fields with a good educational background and good experience.”
The success of the format has been spread to many more district schools to nurture talent. With strong support from the local government, more than 40 district schools have been involved in advancing men’s and women’s soccer.
A total of 12 middle and primary schools have received the title of “national characteristics of the school campus football.”
In addition to setting up campus soccer teams, Putuo has also founded a campus football league, a youth soccer training base and campus soccer training camps. Professional coaching is offered to football lovers and talent.
The training offered by the camps is becoming more diverse. And the Meilong Middle School is expanding its successful soccer formula to other sports, including basketball, badminton, ping-pong and aerobics.
School teams are set up with the guidance of teachers and professional coaches.
A football class is included in the Putuo schools’ weekly sports curriculum.
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