Keeping soccer alive through kids

Boy having their time at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

By Huang Daohen

 

Children from all over the world living in Beijing have found another way to spend their spare time – playing soccer, rather than glued to American Idol on TV. 

Tuesday is the happiest day of the week for Dylan Evans, 12, and his younger brother Kevin. After a whole day in school, the British boys hurry to attend an intensive soccer course at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium. There, they learn the rudiments of the game and have fun with other children. 

“I love soccer and I really enjoy the games here,” Dylan said. It is an especially joyful time for his team because they have just won the championship at an international junior friendship tournament. 

Like Evans, as many as 30 children ages 8 to 15 attend the course. The program was designed and is taught by the Beijing Guoan Yueye Football Club. Founded 12 years ago, the club focuses on training young players who intend to join professional leagues, and teaching foreign and Chinese children fundamental soccer skills.  

The training sessions, however, are not the end of the story. Guoan also sends players to participate in local youth league tournaments, Cai Wei, the club’s founder and head coach, said.  Cai, a professional soccer player for 20 years before he started the club, said the group’s main aim s to pass on the knowledge of soccer to the younger generation. At first, he provided free training to 20 children from Beijing whom he found to have potential.

“Every day after my part-time job, I taught them soccer, Cai said. Later, with more and more children coming to his class, he decided to start the club.  

Cai said the club has not only grown in size, with members in elementary and middle schools, but also in reputation. But he finds the atmosphere for promoting soccer in the city far from satisfactory.  

“Beijing has 30 to 40 youth soccer clubs, but it has a population of 20 million local and foreign people,” Cai said, “There should be least 200 clubs.