Amateur football gets a local kick
Print Edition
China’s lucky draw last month for preliminary qualification in the 2018 FIFA Asian World Cup has ignited football spirit in Songjiang, where interest in amateur teams, leagues and matches are on the rise.
The district Sports Bureau said Songjiang already has almost 50 registered football teams and more applications are pending.
Will football passion be a passing fad or will it lead to an established network of amateur clubs in serious local competition?
The double dilemma
The Cangqiao Town Cup, a new competition, drew 12 local football teams from surrounding villages and neighborhoods when it kicked off last month. However, the matches themselves were all held at Xiaokunshan School in nearby Xiaokunshan Town instead of Cangqiao.
“The original pitch at Cangqiao School wasn’t good enough as the cup expanded,” said Fan Zhongliang, one of the event’s founders. “So we had to change the site.”
The standard playing field is about 700 square meters. That’s a big requirement in a city where green open space is at a premium. Public pitches in Songjiang are limited, so teams often resort to schools for help.
“We have a lot of lobbying work to do there,” Fan said, noting that many schools are worried about safety issues and liability. “Who is responsibility when accidents occur? The schools certainly don’t want to bear that risk.”
In the case of the Cangqiao Cup, a physical education teacher at Xiaokunshan School who is also an avid football fan, volunteered to do all the coordinating work for the Cup, so the competition was moved to that school. Players were required to buy insurance policies covering injuries.
Zhang Jian, a football fan, and several friends in Songjiang are trying to launch a new league this year. They are finding it hard going. A league of, say, 16 teams requires not only adequate match sites but also professional planning and organization.
“We need referees, staff workers and training sessions,” Zhang said. “It all costs money.”
Each participating team is required to pay a 2,500 yuan (US$ 400) entry fee to cover basic costs, but sponsors with deep pockets are what’s really needed.
“It’s really hard to find sponsorship,” Zhang said. “Amateur football events are often organized by groups of fans out of sheer passion for the sport, but companies may not share that passion if they don’t see positive benefits.”
Both Zhang and Fan said they hope local government will step in to help the development of amateur football.
Let market forces prevail
In suburban districts such as Jinshan and Qingpu, local governments have helped set up football associations, giving support to the teams and players. Not so in Songjiang, where there is no such association.
“We don’t deny that Songjiang’s football development is slower than in other districts,” said Qin Zixin, deputy director of the Songjiang Sports Bureau.
Qin said football in Songjiang had a heyday in the 1980s and 90s, with more than 60 grassroots football teams and two leagues. In Sijing and Shihudang towns, there were even youth football centers. But football frenzy abated.
The sport’s revival is being fed, in part, by a State Council document urging faster development of sports industries in China. Since last year, many privately invested sports stadiums have been built, and even Songjiang now has its first night football pitch for office workers.
Qin said the district tried several times to set up its own football association. Such an action is more difficult nowadays because of the policy of “separating government and institutions” under a national clean-government initiative.
Then, too, there’s the argument that development of football shouldn’t really be a government function at all.
“A good football association requires a strong base of support to mobilize resources and organize events,” said Qin. “Passion is far from enough. Currently, Songjiang has no institution to handle all these requirements. We don’t want to act rashly and make a mess of it.”
The document issued by the State Council, China’s cabinet, seeks to encourage private investment in sporting facilities and team structures.
“Seen from a long-term view, growth of amateur football should be left to market forces, with government playing a supporting role,” Qin said.
Football education is to be upgraded to national policy status under the General Plan of China Football Development and Reform issued this March. The plan envisions 50 million students playing football by the end of 2025.
Locally, the Foreign Language Primary School attached to Shanghai Normal University in Songjiang is applying to be a “national level football designated school.”
Football education began five years ago at the school. Each class in five grades has a football team and each grade has a league.
The school employs professional players and coaches to teach the sport. All participating students are covered by accident insurance policies.
“At first, some parents and some teachers worried that football might be dangerous and would take time away from study, but that hasn’t been the case,” said deputy headmaster Zhang Hui.
“It turns out that football is a healthy activity for children,” he said. “It’s fun and can dispel some of the tension of studying. What’s more, it helps build a spirit of teamwork.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
