'Soccer dream' top goal of school in Dalian

Sixteen U12 (under 12) soccer players from the United States played a friendly match with their counterparts from Dongbeilu Primary School in Dalian in a recent visit to China, and the home team won the match 4-3.

Colin Rigby, coach of the visiting Mercer Island United club of Washington, spoke highly of the Chinese team.

"They did very good job. I think two or three of the Chinese players are capable of playing top-level games in the US," he said.

Dongbeilu Primary School is renowned as a source of players on China's soccer teams. Since the late 1950s, the school has produced more than 300 professional soccer players. Its alumni can be found in almost all clubs of the Chinese Football Association Super League.

Zhang Wei, a Chinese-American whose two sons are playing soccer at Mercer Island United, sponsored the students' trip to China.

"Most of my 'American dreams' have come true. Now I want to realize my Chinese dream - a soccer dream - to encourage more kids to participate in this sport, featuring team spirit," Zhang said.

This year, Zhang initiated and funded the Hope of Nation Cup soccer tournament for primary students in Dalian. Dongbeilu won both the U12 and U13 championships.

As the school is renowned for its achievements in cultivating soccer players, many schools came to learn from it after the General Administration of Sport and the Ministry of Education initiated a plan in 2009 to promote soccer in primary and middle schools around the country.

The model can be replicated but requires persistence, said Liu Zhongyun, chief coach of the school team. "With enough money, it is easy to facilitate a team. Some schools in Urumqi, Qingdao and Guangzhou and several other cities are catching up," he said.

"We've gotten used to winning the championship. These up-and-coming schools exert great influence on our results in national games. But we are glad to see the sport boom."

Liu said routine training is basic but competitions make the teams develop quickly.

In addition to the annual national school soccer game, the school team also attends various local games.

During the 2012-13 school year, about 12,000 matches among primary and middle school students were held in Dalian, according to Qiu Jianguo, an official from the Dalian Football Association.

In 2011, the city established the Dongbeilu Cup Northeast Asia International Football Tournament, named after Dongbeilu Primary School, and invited teams from South Korea, Russia and Japan.

"International exchanges can open our kids' horizons. We can see great motivation for them and the coaches," said Qiu.

Both the state and the municipal government institutions are putting emphasis on soccer playing in schools.

Dongbeilu School Principal Wang Zuokai sees more children playing soccer in this northeastern coastal city.

"Some parents are trying to make their children love the sport in kindergarten in order to enter our school," he said. "It would be a boost if good players can enjoy some policies for the entrance to middle schools and universities."

Contact the writers at zhuchengpei@chinadaily.com.cn and zhangxiaomin@chinadaily.com.cn