Soccer dream comes true for Guangxi kids
By Zhang Li and Alexis Hooi in Nanning | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2023-08-16 12:16
Tan Yuanhua, 12, was invited to watch the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 and set out for New Zealand on Tuesday. She couldn't believe it was happening.
Tan is a member of the youth soccer team in a small village in Liuzhou city in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Thanks to a public welfare project — the Guangxi rural football revitalization plan, initiated by the region's sports authorities and fans — kids like Tan in rural areas have the opportunity to get good training.
In support of the cause, local parents cooperated to transform a pond into a football field. Professional soccer coaches volunteered to provide training and guidance.
All these efforts sparked the soccer passion of village children. Click to see how their football dream come true.
[Video by Li Hanchi]
