Schools look to kick off soccer renaissance

Students take an art class at the Evergrande Soccer School in Qingyuan, Guangdong. Soccer schools are now emphasizing the importance of academic studies.

"Because we prioritize academic studies, we have hired qualified teachers, but we have also employed some coaches from Chelsea," Hong Youqiang, the school's executive head, said.

Fernando Sanchez Cipitria, the technical director at Evergrande School, said the combination of training and study would help to boost Chinese soccer. "Academic study is of great importance to young, developing players. A professional player will find it hard to find a career after retirement if he hasn't been well educated in his youth," the retired Spanish player said.

To boost academic performances, Evergrande School approached the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, and several teachers from the Beijing-based school are now working at the soccer school, along with a number of coaches from China and Spain.

Marcello Lippi, a World Cup-winning coach who manages Guangzhou Evergrande, praised the approach. "Soccer should start in youth. Only when more young Chinese people take part in the sport will the country boost its presence on the world stage," said the silver-haired Italian ex-international, who as president of Evergrande School is hoping to see it nurture Chinese soccer stars. "I am confident China will have its own stars coming out of this soccer school," he said.

The school, a collaboration between Guangzhou Evergrande and the Spanish La Liga giant Real Madrid, recently raised tuition fees for new students to 50,000 yuan ($8,000) per year, and plans to enroll 800 students aged between 10 and 15, raising the total to nearly 2,300.

"Most parents agree with the school's philosophy of attaching greater importance to academic studies. We have to introduce stricter requirements for new students," Liu said.

Lagging behind

When Evergrande School was launched two years ago, it failed to realize its target of 3,150 students in the first year, enrolling just 1,086.

"The image of Chinese soccer has taken a beating in the past few years, and many parents are unwilling to send their children to learn the sport," Liu said, adding that the failure to enroll enough students raised awareness of the need to improve youth participation.

"The situation at that time was representative of the state of China's soccer development. We still lag behind in the development of young players, because the image of Chinese soccer has been badly hit by a number of scandals. Parents need to be encouraged to send their children to play soccer," he said.

After two years of studying and training, many of the students have demonstrated their potential, and several groups have been sent to Europe for short-term training and playing experience, according to Liu.

"Parents are now more confident, because they believe their children will perform better in school, both academically and on the soccer field," he said.

Shi Zhuofan, an engineer in Guangzhou, said his 10-year-old son has shown a marked improvement, especially academically, after studying at the school for nearly two years.

"Before he went to the soccer school, his academic performance was poor. Now he is more willing to study, and then play soccer after class," Shi said.

"He might not be a soccer star of the future, but the most important thing is that a child should develop an interest in studying, not by being driven by their parents or teachers but through his own willingness to learn," he said.