Schools lace up for soccer program

Students laugh during a soccer training course at Haidian National Primary School in Beijing on Tuesday. A European-style curriculum has been launched at the school. Meng Yongmin / Xinhua

Mix of Chinese and European methods will improve training for children at the grassroots

It won't be long before Chinese students practice soccer under a European-style curriculum that groomed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The program will be introduced to about 700 primary schools across China this year, and will provide Chinese students with the same advanced theoretical and field training regimes that their European peers enjoy.

The curriculum was developed in cooperation with Nike and is based on elite European clubs' junior programs. The three-year trial in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu features a combination of Western and Chinese approaches.

It will be implemented by the Education Ministry as a guideline for soccer training in PE classes at selected schools this spring, according to Wang Dengfeng, director of the ministry's PE, health and art department.

The curriculum also features methods for PE teachers to improve their soccer training expertise, including fitness, technique, nutrition and competition organization, which it is hoped will make up for the shortage of grassroots coaches.

"The key to promoting soccer among youths is to provide adequate coaching. The introduction of the curriculum offers timely help to our campaign to popularize the game on campus," Wang said at the launch of the curriculum at Beijing Haidian National Primary School on Tuesday.

With the Chinese national team reaching the quarterfinals at the 2015 Asian Cup, its best performance at the continental tournament since 2004, interest in the sport has revived among the public and the country's leadership.

Aiming to expand the talent pool at the grassroots level, the ministry, in cooperation with the Chinese Football Association, established a plan to develop soccer specialties at 20,000 primary and secondary schools in China by 2017, up from the current 5,000.

To promote participation, soccer skills will be included in the PE test for senior high school entrance exams from 2016 in Beijing, under a regulation published by the Beijing Commission of Education last year.

Han Zheng, a PE teacher from the Middle School Attached to the Beijing University of Petroleum, was impressed by the curriculum's appeal to students.

"The core philosophy of the curriculum and the biggest advantage compared with other courses is to keep the children on the field by engaging them through happy experiences, not grueling workouts. That's the key to keeping children interested from an early age in Europe's soccer powers," he said.