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== History ==
== History ==
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Chinese youth football rose to political prominence under the leadership of [[Deng Xiaoping]], who pursued an '[[Open Door Policy|open door policy]]' which allowed for an increase in [[Westernization|western influence]] within the country.<ref>Howell, J. (1991) 'The impact of the open door policy on the Chinese state', in The Chinese State in the Era of Economic Reform. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 119–146</ref> Similarly, the introduction of the [[Workweek and weekend|5-day work week]] boosted football interest due to the ensuing activity gap. Officials saw the potential financial gains that were to be made from football, as a major [[international sport]], and basic reform began in the 1980s. With respect to youth football, Deng began to push the importance of [[Early childhood education|early education]] in January 1979, as he took control of the physical education commission. The system was characterized by a traditional [[pyramid]] structure that featured specialized sports schools and professional teams but lacked sufficient [[grassroots]] initiatives.<ref>Peng, Q. et al. (2022) 'The new hope of Chinese football? Youth football reforms and policy conflicts in the implementation process', European sport management quarterly, pp. 1–23. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2022.2083649</ref>
Chinese youth football rose to political prominence under the leadership of [[Deng Xiaoping]], who pursued an '[[Open Door Policy|open door policy]]' which allowed for an increase in [[Westernization|western influence]] within the country.<ref>Howell, J. (1991) 'The impact of the open door policy on the Chinese state', in The Chinese State in the Era of Economic Reform. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 119–146</ref> Similarly, the introduction of the [[Workweek and weekend|5-day work week]] boosted football interest due to the ensuing activity gap. Officials saw the potential financial gains that were to be made from football, as a major [[international sport]], and basic reform began in the 1980s. With respect to youth football, Deng began to push the importance of [[Early childhood education|early education]] in January 1979, as he took control of the physical education commission. The system was characterized by a traditional [[pyramid]] structure that featured specialized sports schools and professional teams but lacked sufficient [[grassroots]] initiatives.<ref>Peng, Q. et al. (2022) 'The new hope of Chinese football? Youth football reforms and policy conflicts in the implementation process', European sport management quarterly, pp. 1–23. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2022.2083649</ref>


Throughout the 1980s, youth football in [[China]] saw a huge boom – but this was generally surface-level and short-lived. Initial successes were seen internationally but this was dampened following suspicion surrounding success in the [[1985 FIFA World Youth Championship]]. The [[Chinese Football Association|CFA]] did strict testing of the [[bone age]] of youth players and found an extortionate number of cases of [[Age fraud in association football|age fraud]] within youth football. For example, 120 football players in [[Guangxi]] [[Wuzhou]] alone had bone ages exceeding their claimed biological age. Within this time frame, the 5.19 had just taken place when 80,000 football fans rioted in [[Beijing]] over China's third loss in the [[World cup|World Cup]] qualification. Within the context of the [[one-child policy]], poor [[social security]] and subpar education within sports schools, parents became increasingly hesitant to push their children into youth football as a result of the high elimination rate of professional football. Similarly, the initially ambitious U15 [[Jianlibao Group|Jianlibao]] youth talent team, founded in 1992, was funded by the CFA to go to [[Brazil]] for training, but consequently received no training from Brazilian coaches or matches with other teams in their first two years, making the trip futile.<ref>Tan, G. (2017) 'When will China win the world cup? A study of China's youth football development', The international journal of the history of sport, 34(17–18), pp. 1883–1897. doi: 10.1080/09523367.2018.1481831</ref>
Throughout the 1980s, youth football in China saw a huge boom – but this was generally surface-level and short-lived. Initial successes were seen internationally but this was dampened following suspicion surrounding success in the [[1985 FIFA World Youth Championship]]. The [[Chinese Football Association|CFA]] did strict testing of the [[bone age]] of youth players and found an extortionate number of cases of [[Age fraud in association football|age fraud]] within youth football. For example, 120 football players in [[Wuzhou]] alone had bone ages exceeding their claimed biological age. Within this time frame, the 5.19 had just taken place when 80,000 football fans rioted in [[Beijing]] over China's third loss in the [[World cup|World Cup]] qualification. Within the context of the [[one-child policy]], poor [[social security]] and subpar education within sports schools, parents became increasingly hesitant to push their children into youth football as a result of the high elimination rate of professional football. Similarly, the initially ambitious U15 [[Jianlibao Group|Jianlibao]] youth talent team, founded in 1992, was funded by the CFA to go to Brazil for training, but consequently received no training from Brazilian coaches or matches with other teams in their first two years, making the trip futile.<ref>Tan, G. (2017) 'When will China win the world cup? A study of China's youth football development', The international journal of the history of sport, 34(17–18), pp. 1883–1897. doi: 10.1080/09523367.2018.1481831</ref>


Despite a spike in interest in the 1980s, the number of youth football players in China fell from 650,000 in 1995 to a mere 13,524 in 2008.<ref>Liu, W. (2018) 'The realistic contradiction of the development of chinese football undertaking and its reform path in the perspective of the requirements for deepening the system reform of the 19th national congress report', Journal of Guangzhou Sport University, 38(2), pp. 4–7</ref>
Despite a spike in interest in the 1980s, the number of youth football players in China fell from 650,000 in 1995 to a mere 13,524 in 2008.<ref>Liu, W. (2018) 'The realistic contradiction of the development of chinese football undertaking and its reform path in the perspective of the requirements for deepening the system reform of the 19th national congress report', Journal of Guangzhou Sport University, 38(2), pp. 4–7</ref>


=== Xi era (2012 - present) ===
=== Xi era (2012 - present) ===
[[Xi Jinping]] has been very vocal about the importance of growing youth football and has been a driver of football reform since he became [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|General Secretary]] in 2012. Xi is known to be an avid football fan. On a visit to [[Germany]] in 2014 to observe a Chinese youth development team, Xi said that "I have confidence in you, in your generation. I hope you will become outstanding football players in the future".<ref>CNTV (2015) China issues ambitious football reform - China.org.cn, Org.cn. Available at: http://www.china.org.cn/video/2015-03/17/content_35075500.htm (Accessed: 15 November 2022)</ref> Visiting football stadiums and matches has been a common theme of Xi's foreign visits and he views it as an integral part of China's future.<ref>CNTV (2015) China issues ambitious football reform - China.org.cn, Org.cn. Available at: http://www.china.org.cn/video/2015-03/17/content_35075500.htm (Accessed: 15 November 2022)</ref>
[[Xi Jinping]] has been very vocal about the importance of growing youth football and has been a driver of football reform since he became [[General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party|General Secretary]] in 2012. Xi is known to be an avid football fan. On a visit to Germany in 2014 to observe a Chinese youth development team, Xi said that "I have confidence in you, in your generation. I hope you will become outstanding football players in the future".<ref>CNTV (2015) China issues ambitious football reform - China.org.cn, Org.cn. Available at: http://www.china.org.cn/video/2015-03/17/content_35075500.htm (Accessed: 15 November 2022)</ref> Visiting football stadiums and matches has been a common theme of Xi's foreign visits and he views it as an integral part of China's future.<ref>CNTV (2015) China issues ambitious football reform - China.org.cn, Org.cn. Available at: http://www.china.org.cn/video/2015-03/17/content_35075500.htm (Accessed: 15 November 2022)</ref>


In addition, there has been a selection of policy initiatives implemented by the Chinese government to curtail the influence of foreign players within the [[Chinese Super League|CSL]].<ref>'The Overall Chinese Football Reform and Development Programme (2015) (2017) China Football 8. Available at: http://china-football-8.com/reform-programme-2015/ (Accessed: 27 November 2022)</ref> The aim of this initiative is to promote the CSL as an avenue for local Chinese football talent rather than as a commercial project which it has recently been viewed as. Due to the previous system, there has been a lack of depth within professional squads, and this aims to provide a direct avenue for [[professional]] football from the youth system.
In addition, there has been a selection of policy initiatives implemented by the Chinese government to curtail the influence of foreign players within the [[Chinese Super League|CSL]].<ref>'The Overall Chinese Football Reform and Development Programme (2015) (2017) China Football 8. Available at: http://china-football-8.com/reform-programme-2015/ (Accessed: 27 November 2022)</ref> The aim of this initiative is to promote the CSL as an avenue for local Chinese football talent rather than as a commercial project which it has recently been viewed as. Due to the previous system, there has been a lack of depth within professional squads, and this aims to provide a direct avenue for professional football from the youth system.


==== 2015 football reform plan ====
==== 2015 football reform plan ====
In 2015, the [[Government of China|Chinese government]] introduced the [https://www.lawinsport.com/topics/item/what-china-s-football-reform-plan-means-for-china-and-the-global-sports-industry Football Reform Plan]. This initiative had three goals in the medium to long term: by 2020 build 20,000 specialist football schools with 70,000 new football pitches producing between 30-50 million football-playing school children, by 2030 the 20,000 schools to become 50,000 schools with China's men's team to become one of the highest ranked teams in Asia and the women's team be one of the highest ranked in the world, by 2050 China becomes a football superpower within [[FIFA]]'s top 20 teams, hosted and won a World Cup.<ref>'The Overall Chinese Football Reform and Development Programme (2015) (2017) China Football 8. Available at: http://china-football-8.com/reform-programme-2015/ (Accessed: 27 November 2022)</ref>
In 2015, the Chinese government introduced the [https://www.lawinsport.com/topics/item/what-china-s-football-reform-plan-means-for-china-and-the-global-sports-industry Football Reform Plan]. This initiative had three goals in the medium to long term: by 2020 build 20,000 specialist football schools with 70,000 new football pitches producing between 30-50 million football-playing school children, by 2030 the 20,000 schools to become 50,000 schools with China's men's team to become one of the highest ranked teams in Asia and the women's team be one of the highest ranked in the world, by 2050 China becomes a football superpower within FIFA's top 20 teams, hosted and won a World Cup.<ref>'The Overall Chinese Football Reform and Development Programme (2015) (2017) China Football 8. Available at: http://china-football-8.com/reform-programme-2015/ (Accessed: 27 November 2022)</ref>


As a part of the Reform Plan, there was also a change to the set-up of domestic football in China. The plan detailed reforms to the [[Chinese Football Association]] (CFA) which gave it [[autonomy]] by removing the control that the [[General Administration of Sport of China|General Administration of Sport]] (GAS) used to have. As well as this, the plan details an improvement and reform of the structure and management model of professional football in China with a particular focus on rooting out corruption and gambling rings that had existed in the past.
As a part of the Reform Plan, there was also a change to the set-up of domestic football in China. The plan detailed reforms to the [[Chinese Football Association]] (CFA) which gave it [[autonomy]] by removing the control that the [[General Administration of Sport of China|General Administration of Sport]] (GAS) used to have. As well as this, the plan details an improvement and reform of the structure and management model of professional football in China with a particular focus on rooting out corruption and gambling rings that had existed in the past.
Line 32: Line 32:


=== School-based system ===
=== School-based system ===
The school-based system is whereby students of all ages develop their footballing skills whilst at school. The plan was to create 20,000 specialized football schools by 2020, with 30 to 50 million school kids playing the sport.<ref>Liu, Z., Chen, R. and Newman, J. I. (2021) 'The football dream of a sleeping dragon: Media framing(s), east–west geopolitics, and the crisis of the Chinese men's national team', Communication & sport, 9(1), pp. 55–87. doi: 10.1177/2167479519852141</ref> By 2030 China wants 50,000 specialized football schools.<ref>Leite Júnior, E. F. and Rodrigues, C. (2017) 'The Chinese football development plan: Soft power and national identity', HOLOS - ISSN 1807-1600, 5, p. 114. doi: 10.15628/holos.2017.5750.</ref> The school-based system has incorporated football teaching into the curriculum plan,<ref>Guanghui Y, Long Z, Gertrude V, Ramir S A (2021) 'Research on the Key Issues in the Development of Chinese Campus Football', Frontiers in Sport Research, 3(3), pp. 17–25</ref> which is the first time a sport has been part of the school curriculum. This demonstrates how seriously China is taking the development of youth football, by creating mass participation rather than just focusing on the elite levels. Doing so will help China achieve a healthy and sustainable development of the sport.<ref>Xu, S. (2021) 'Research on the Selection and Training Mode of Youth Football Reserve Talents in Sichuan Province, China', Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology, 23, pp. 308–311</ref> Football competitions at this level are done at the provincial level amongst children of the same age, with the funding for both these competitions and the training of campus football being raised by the [[Gambling in China|National Lottery]] and local government.<ref>The Ministry of Education of the People's republic of China (2015) Implementation Opinions of 6 Departments including the Ministry of Education on Accelerating the development of Youth Campus Football</ref>
The school-based system is whereby students of all ages develop their footballing skills while at school. The plan was to create 20,000 specialized football schools by 2020, with 30 to 50 million school kids playing the sport.<ref>Liu, Z., Chen, R. and Newman, J. I. (2021) 'The football dream of a sleeping dragon: Media framing(s), east–west geopolitics, and the crisis of the Chinese men's national team', Communication & sport, 9(1), pp. 55–87. doi: 10.1177/2167479519852141</ref> By 2030 China wants 50,000 specialized football schools.<ref>Leite Júnior, E. F. and Rodrigues, C. (2017) 'The Chinese football development plan: Soft power and national identity', HOLOS - ISSN 1807-1600, 5, p. 114. doi: 10.15628/holos.2017.5750.</ref> The school-based system has incorporated football teaching into the curriculum plan,<ref>Guanghui Y, Long Z, Gertrude V, Ramir S A (2021) 'Research on the Key Issues in the Development of Chinese Campus Football', Frontiers in Sport Research, 3(3), pp. 17–25</ref> which is the first time a sport has been part of the school curriculum. This demonstrates how seriously China is taking the development of youth football, by creating mass participation rather than just focusing on the elite levels. Doing so will help China achieve a healthy and sustainable development of the sport.<ref>Xu, S. (2021) 'Research on the Selection and Training Mode of Youth Football Reserve Talents in Sichuan Province, China', Advances in Educational Technology and Psychology, 23, pp. 308–311</ref> Football competitions at this level are done at the provincial level amongst children of the same age, with the funding for both these competitions and the training of campus football being raised by the [[Gambling in China|National Lottery]] and local government.<ref>The Ministry of Education of the People's republic of China (2015) Implementation Opinions of 6 Departments including the Ministry of Education on Accelerating the development of Youth Campus Football</ref>


=== National Youth Football Training Centre ===
=== National Youth Football Training Centre ===
Line 38: Line 38:


=== Professional system ===
=== Professional system ===
The professional system involves the most pressure on the players, as being selected for one of these academies is a great honor for them and their families. In 2019 there were roughly 5,000 youth football players staying at professional football boarding schools and they are seen as the most significant aspect of developing not just youth football, but Chinese football as a whole.<ref>Liu, P. et al. (2022) 'Effect of paternalistic leadership on Chinese youth elite athletes' satisfaction: Resilience as a moderator', Frontiers in psychology, 13, p. 1008163. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1008163</ref> This is highlighted by the fact that professional clubs are required to develop an academy, for instance, Guangzhou [[Evergrande Football School|Evergrande]] created theirs with [[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]].<ref>Connell, J. (2018) 'Globalisation, soft power, and the rise of football in China: Football in China', Geographical research, 56(1), pp. 5–15. doi: 10.1111/1745-5871.12249</ref>
The professional system involves the most pressure on the players, as being selected for one of these academies is a great honor for them and their families. In 2019 there were roughly 5,000 youth football players staying at professional football boarding schools and they are seen as the most significant aspect of developing not just youth football, but Chinese football as a whole.<ref>Liu, P. et al. (2022) 'Effect of paternalistic leadership on Chinese youth elite athletes' satisfaction: Resilience as a moderator', Frontiers in psychology, 13, p. 1008163. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1008163</ref> This is highlighted by the fact that professional clubs are required to develop an academy, for instance, [[Evergrande Football School|Evergrande]] created theirs with [[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]].<ref>Connell, J. (2018) 'Globalisation, soft power, and the rise of football in China: Football in China', Geographical research, 56(1), pp. 5–15. doi: 10.1111/1745-5871.12249</ref>


In 2022 the China Youth Football League (CYFL)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inaugural China Youth Football League kicks off - China.org.cn |url=http://www.china.org.cn/sports/2022-07/11/content_78316083.htm |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.china.org.cn}}</ref> began for the first time. It was developed by China's Ministry of Education, the State General Administration of Sport, and the CFA and is open to youth teams from every pathway, with teams playing in regional matches to qualify for a championship<ref>Inaugural China Youth Football League Kicks Off; Xinhua 2022 https://english.news.cn/20220710/d2564c949f59473599ba7c3a35eea39e/c.html</ref>
In 2022 the China Youth Football League (CYFL)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inaugural China Youth Football League kicks off - China.org.cn |url=http://www.china.org.cn/sports/2022-07/11/content_78316083.htm |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=www.china.org.cn}}</ref> began for the first time. It was developed by China's [[Ministry of Education, China|Ministry of Education]], the [[General Administration of Sport of China|General Administration of Sport]], and the CFA and is open to youth teams from every pathway, with teams playing in regional matches to qualify for a championship.<ref>Inaugural China Youth Football League Kicks Off; Xinhua 2022 https://english.news.cn/20220710/d2564c949f59473599ba7c3a35eea39e/c.html</ref>


There has been an increase in the emphasis on social football within the nation.<ref>Li, L. (2017) 'Understanding China's school football fever in the post-Beijing Olympic era, 2009–2016: Policy and practice', The international journal of the history of sport, 34(17–18), pp. 1898–1914. doi: 10.1080/09523367.2018.1489378</ref> This has been done through school football cultural festivals. This is a diversion from the "[[Olympic Games|Olympic]] strategy" which was previously being utilized in the sport, which has proved ineffective as cultivating talent reliably. Is being focused on in order to foster an organic level of [[Association football culture|football culture]] within China, rather than the sport being used solely as a vehicle for [[Chinese nationalism|national pride]].<ref>Peng, Q. et al. (2022) 'The new hope of Chinese football? Youth football reforms and policy conflicts in the implementation process', European sport management quarterly, pp. 1–23. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2022.2083649</ref>
There has been an increase in the emphasis on social football within the nation.<ref>Li, L. (2017) 'Understanding China's school football fever in the post-Beijing Olympic era, 2009–2016: Policy and practice', The international journal of the history of sport, 34(17–18), pp. 1898–1914. doi: 10.1080/09523367.2018.1489378</ref> This has been done through school football cultural festivals. This is a diversion from the "[[Olympic Games|Olympic]] strategy" which was previously being utilized in the sport, which has proved ineffective as cultivating talent reliably. Is being focused on in order to foster an organic level of [[Association football culture|football culture]] within China, rather than the sport being used solely as a vehicle for [[Chinese nationalism|national pride]].<ref>Peng, Q. et al. (2022) 'The new hope of Chinese football? Youth football reforms and policy conflicts in the implementation process', European sport management quarterly, pp. 1–23. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2022.2083649</ref>

Revision as of 20:55, 22 December 2022

History

Ancient

Chinese football is one of the origins of football itself. The Chinese game cuju began in the 3rd century BC as a military sport from Lin Zi to train troops and measure their fitness levels. It is officially recognized by FIFA as the earliest form of football.[1]

Start of modern rise (c. 1980 - 2012)

Chinese youth football rose to political prominence under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping, who pursued an 'open door policy' which allowed for an increase in western influence within the country.[2] Similarly, the introduction of the 5-day work week boosted football interest due to the ensuing activity gap. Officials saw the potential financial gains that were to be made from football, as a major international sport, and basic reform began in the 1980s. With respect to youth football, Deng began to push the importance of early education in January 1979, as he took control of the physical education commission. The system was characterized by a traditional pyramid structure that featured specialized sports schools and professional teams but lacked sufficient grassroots initiatives.[3]

Throughout the 1980s, youth football in China saw a huge boom – but this was generally surface-level and short-lived. Initial successes were seen internationally but this was dampened following suspicion surrounding success in the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship. The CFA did strict testing of the bone age of youth players and found an extortionate number of cases of age fraud within youth football. For example, 120 football players in Wuzhou alone had bone ages exceeding their claimed biological age. Within this time frame, the 5.19 had just taken place when 80,000 football fans rioted in Beijing over China's third loss in the World Cup qualification. Within the context of the one-child policy, poor social security and subpar education within sports schools, parents became increasingly hesitant to push their children into youth football as a result of the high elimination rate of professional football. Similarly, the initially ambitious U15 Jianlibao youth talent team, founded in 1992, was funded by the CFA to go to Brazil for training, but consequently received no training from Brazilian coaches or matches with other teams in their first two years, making the trip futile.[4]

Despite a spike in interest in the 1980s, the number of youth football players in China fell from 650,000 in 1995 to a mere 13,524 in 2008.[5]

Xi era (2012 - present)

Xi Jinping has been very vocal about the importance of growing youth football and has been a driver of football reform since he became General Secretary in 2012. Xi is known to be an avid football fan. On a visit to Germany in 2014 to observe a Chinese youth development team, Xi said that "I have confidence in you, in your generation. I hope you will become outstanding football players in the future".[6] Visiting football stadiums and matches has been a common theme of Xi's foreign visits and he views it as an integral part of China's future.[7]

In addition, there has been a selection of policy initiatives implemented by the Chinese government to curtail the influence of foreign players within the CSL.[8] The aim of this initiative is to promote the CSL as an avenue for local Chinese football talent rather than as a commercial project which it has recently been viewed as. Due to the previous system, there has been a lack of depth within professional squads, and this aims to provide a direct avenue for professional football from the youth system.

2015 football reform plan

In 2015, the Chinese government introduced the Football Reform Plan. This initiative had three goals in the medium to long term: by 2020 build 20,000 specialist football schools with 70,000 new football pitches producing between 30-50 million football-playing school children, by 2030 the 20,000 schools to become 50,000 schools with China's men's team to become one of the highest ranked teams in Asia and the women's team be one of the highest ranked in the world, by 2050 China becomes a football superpower within FIFA's top 20 teams, hosted and won a World Cup.[9]

As a part of the Reform Plan, there was also a change to the set-up of domestic football in China. The plan detailed reforms to the Chinese Football Association (CFA) which gave it autonomy by removing the control that the General Administration of Sport (GAS) used to have. As well as this, the plan details an improvement and reform of the structure and management model of professional football in China with a particular focus on rooting out corruption and gambling rings that had existed in the past.

There has been a particular focus placed on the development of youth football as the primary way to develop football in China. To facilitate this, the government has enacted specific initiatives targeting the growth of the youth game. Local governments have been instructed to promote the popularization of football on campus and the Ministry of Education has made football a compulsory part of physical education.[10] Additionally, there has been a focus on the early identification of talent as well as integration through all levels of the game.

The three pathways

Youth football in China has 3 pathways that a young person can go through to become a professional player: the school-based system, the national youth football national training center, and through professional football club system.[11]

School-based system

The school-based system is whereby students of all ages develop their footballing skills while at school. The plan was to create 20,000 specialized football schools by 2020, with 30 to 50 million school kids playing the sport.[12] By 2030 China wants 50,000 specialized football schools.[13] The school-based system has incorporated football teaching into the curriculum plan,[14] which is the first time a sport has been part of the school curriculum. This demonstrates how seriously China is taking the development of youth football, by creating mass participation rather than just focusing on the elite levels. Doing so will help China achieve a healthy and sustainable development of the sport.[15] Football competitions at this level are done at the provincial level amongst children of the same age, with the funding for both these competitions and the training of campus football being raised by the National Lottery and local government.[16]

National Youth Football Training Centre

The CFA leads the second pathway through the National Youth Football[17] Training Centre, with the support of local associations, and by 2020 had created 12 men's and 14 women's youth training centers.[18] The focus in this pathway is on finding talent and then developing it during training sessions.[19] It differs from the other pathways as it is directly led by the CFA, and it also has a focus on training coaches and referees. Training coaches is important for the long-term development of youth football, so that future players can receive even better training sessions.

Professional system

The professional system involves the most pressure on the players, as being selected for one of these academies is a great honor for them and their families. In 2019 there were roughly 5,000 youth football players staying at professional football boarding schools and they are seen as the most significant aspect of developing not just youth football, but Chinese football as a whole.[20] This is highlighted by the fact that professional clubs are required to develop an academy, for instance, Evergrande created theirs with Real Madrid.[21]

In 2022 the China Youth Football League (CYFL)[22] began for the first time. It was developed by China's Ministry of Education, the General Administration of Sport, and the CFA and is open to youth teams from every pathway, with teams playing in regional matches to qualify for a championship.[23]

There has been an increase in the emphasis on social football within the nation.[24] This has been done through school football cultural festivals. This is a diversion from the "Olympic strategy" which was previously being utilized in the sport, which has proved ineffective as cultivating talent reliably. Is being focused on in order to foster an organic level of football culture within China, rather than the sport being used solely as a vehicle for national pride.[25]

Issues

The initiatives to boost youth football in China have had mixed results. Increased expenditure on youth football appears to have increased levels of youth participation.[26] However, social barriers remain to recruit new elite young footballers. Football is often regarded as a hindrance to children's education, especially for children above 13. There is a problem of players having a busy training schedule that comes into conflict with their school obligations.[27] For this reason, many parents prefer their children not to prioritize football.[28] The conflict between education and football training appears to be one of the underlying causes of the shortage of elite football players above the age of 13.

While there has been increased expenditure on youth football, some have also highlighted that there is a lack of skills and knowledge at a grassroots level. Some have stated that it was difficult to find a coach who possessed the right coaching skills.[29][30] Some coaches were regarded as too focused on the short-term goal of achieving elite performance, and others were not able to communicate with and effectively motivate young players.[31] Football's community-building benefits, as well as its benefits to mental and physical health, have largely been overlooked, failing to create an environment that draws in and motivates young players.[32]

Despite aims to minimize corruption within football in China, there was recently an accusation of match-fixing within an under-15s fixture involving the Evergrande youth football team.[33] This is a continuing issue within Chinese Football since the 1990s, and despite measures and arrests throughout the CFA in the 2010s, it is still pervasive throughout all levels of Chinese football, extending to the youth system.

References

  1. ^ socceracademy (2018-12-16). "ORIGIN OF FOOTBALL IS CHINESE; THE CUJU". International Football Academy Soccer Interaction in spain/ Academia de fútbol. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  2. ^ Howell, J. (1991) 'The impact of the open door policy on the Chinese state', in The Chinese State in the Era of Economic Reform. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, pp. 119–146
  3. ^ Peng, Q. et al. (2022) 'The new hope of Chinese football? Youth football reforms and policy conflicts in the implementation process', European sport management quarterly, pp. 1–23. doi: 10.1080/16184742.2022.2083649
  4. ^ Tan, G. (2017) 'When will China win the world cup? A study of China's youth football development', The international journal of the history of sport, 34(17–18), pp. 1883–1897. doi: 10.1080/09523367.2018.1481831
  5. ^ Liu, W. (2018) 'The realistic contradiction of the development of chinese football undertaking and its reform path in the perspective of the requirements for deepening the system reform of the 19th national congress report', Journal of Guangzhou Sport University, 38(2), pp. 4–7
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