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CFA Needs to Switch Focus to Youth Soccer
Representatives from 47 member associations, 26 first division clubs, 21 second division clubs and Chinese soccer schools attended the National Youth Soccer Work Meeting sponsored by the Chinese Football Association to discuss the direction China's youth soccer should be developed in Qinghuangdao August 29.
Nan Yong, vice chairman of Chinese Football Association, said that the "ten year plan" drawn up by the Chinese Football Association in 1992 proposed emphasizing the development of youth soccer and training talents athletes. In the past eight years, there has been progress, but there hasn't been enough emphasis on youth soccer. There are still problems such as:
1)The policy is incomplete, there is a lack of management, overall investment is not enough, and there are less Chinese youth soccer players than in developed countries.
2)There is a serious shortage of equipment.
3)The soccer schools lack effective management.
4)The registration statistics are not standardized.
5)The phenomena of temporarily renting a team for youth training and matches are very common.
6)The level of coaching is very low and many of the coaches lack of training.
7)Cheating, covering up the players' real age, playing older players against younger players and paying attention only to short-term benefits are rampant.
8)The education levels of the players are too low to adapt to the needs of developing their soccer game.
Nan Yong said that there is still a gap between China and countries where soccer is developed, and it is not only evident in the levels of the national teams and the professional league matches, but also in the youth soccer. The reforms show that if China wants to raise the level of league matches and national men's team, it must rely on several generations of hard work and a continuous flow of talented soccer players. The youth soccer problems have already severely restricted the development of China's soccer.
The Chinese Football Association has proposed ideas to develop China's youth soccer in stages at the meeting: carry out the spirit of Deng Xiaoping guidance, which teaches soccer to children; popularize the sport; turn the CFA's focus to developing youth soccer; increase the number of youngsters playing the sport; raise the quality of those playing the sport and have the government wholeheartedly support soccer.
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