Proper goals for school soccer

Boys demonstrate soccer skills at opening ceremony of the R&F Soccer School in Meizhou, Guangdong province, September 19, 2013. The school, a joint project between Chinese Super League club Guangzhou R&F and English Premier giant Chelsea, has enrolled 140 students aged 8-12 this year.The English club has sent a number of technical staff to help youth training at the school. [Qiu Quanlin/Asianewsphoto]

Pragmatic and workable reform measures are expected to boost the development of the country's widely maligned world of soccer, says a People's Daily article.

There has formed an extensive public consensus on the importance of developing soccer in schools, as indicated by the educational authorities' plan to popularize soccer courses at 20,000 schools nationwide. As well as a long-term program for football development, what the authorities should do next is introduce some concrete measures, such as ensuring the schools have standard soccer ground fields and qualified soccer teachers. They also need to come up with a rational training curriculum for children of different ages.

Popularizing soccer in schools is a necessary move to boost the development of the sport in China. But this does not mean that talented soccer players will be cultivated soon.

Through the implementation of a well-conceived program, the authorities can cultivate and nurture children's enthusiasm for playing the sport. However, the authorities should bear in mind that the soccer classes should have a reasonable educational assessment that is free from utilitarianism or short-term image building for the sport.

At the same time, popularizing soccer in schools should not mean the weakening or exclusion of other sports in schools.

And any plan to promote the development of school soccer and the country's broader sports cause should be conducted according to the law. Only in this way, can China further enrich its sporting endeavors and effectively avoid the man-made separation between education and sports.