Stefan Stoica has been in Shanghai for seven months, arriving in the city in March to become a youth coach at Jiading’s Boo King Soccer Club.

“I like China,” he said, “And I’m learning to fit in with the way of life around here.”

Stoica had been a youth coach in Valencia, Spain, since 1999, after a career as a player in Romania, his home country.

“I worked in a country where soccer is such a big thing,” says Stoica, referring to Spain. “The people there have so much passion for this sport, both adults and children. I was always in a very competitive environment where there was no shortage of excellent players and coaches, which in a way helped make me better at my job.”

In 2014, he got the opportunity to work in Shanghai. Since then, Jiading has been his second home.

“I found out there was a job opportunity in Shanghai and I asked myself if I wanted to move here. The answer was yes,” Stoica said. “China is a nice country, and I think it would be excellent for me to have a different kind of experience.”

Stoica is in charge of the Boo King Soccer Club’s youth training program. He coaches at four primary schools in Jiading — Yecheng, Nanyuan, Jianbang and Loutang. The kids selected to be on the soccer teams are usually second and third graders.

Every Monday through Friday he stays at one of these four schools for two hours and oversees the children’s soccer training sessions. They do various basic skills training with the coaches at their schools, and Stoica is there to communicate with each coach and make sure that the training is on the right track.

“I want to introduce a more formal training routine, and bring what I’ve learned in Spain and Romania to these school kids in China,” Stoica said.

However, Stoica places an emphasis on fun in the training field. He is very patient with his students and pays attention to their physical and mental condition during training. “ We want them to enjoy playing soccer. Interest in this sport goes a long way and we want to cultivate that passion as much as possible.”

He thinks China’s soccer education should be available for more students and the quality of education should be improved.

“Children of this age should be more involved in sports. It’s good for their health, and it’s a perfect way for them to learn about team spirit, cooperation and sportsmanship, which are essential in a real star player.”

On September 19, Stoica held his first demonstration soccer lesson for parents with kindergarten children interested in early soccer training. He designed interactive games for small children and their parents to play and his efforts to bring soccer to more children in China were much appreciated.

Another important task for Stoica during these training sessions is to identify the most talented children to be in his elite training program.

Being a veteran player himself gives him the edge when it comes to spotting young talent.

“I know what I’m looking for in these kids, and I do everything I can to ensure they have the chance to display their gifts.”

He holds the elite program on weekends. Fewer than 20 children are picked out during the regular training sessions and are gathered every Saturday morning from the schools, to take part in a two-hour training session with him.

The emphasis of the elite program is on sharpening their technique rather than having fun.

Stoica’s coworkers — the coaches from each school — take turns to join him to observe his training style and learn coaching skills.

Many of his coworkers are professional soccer players in the China Super League.

Coach Shen Longyuan is among one of them. Shen played in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and now plays for Boo King Club and coaches at Yecheng Primary School.

“Coach Stoica tries to change the old way that we used to stuff around here,” Shen says. “We were less organized and didn’t have a proper system for youth soccer training. He draws experience from his time in Europe to help us become more professional in this aspect. He is a breath of fresh air.”

However, things haven’t always been this smooth between the Chinese coaches and Stoica. At first, some of the coaches thought it wasn’t right to let a foreign coach be their leader and manager. They weren’t really convinced that this new leader could guide their team in the right direction.

The coaches have a staff meeting every week. Stoica meets with each of them individually to express his thoughts and opinions on their work and their plans in the future.

“I have a notebook,” says Stoica as he takes out a thick book full of his writing in different languages, including training evaluations and work schedules, as well as some drawings.

“I take it with me all the time since I started working here. Whenever I think of something worth mentioning in the meeting or come up with an idea regarding to work, I put it down in my notebook. It helps me keep track of my job and have more productive discussions with my coworkers.”

The coaches have been impressed with Stoica’s ability to coordinate and communicate, and they have grown to adapt to each other’s working style and became good partners in the training field.

Stoica’s assistant Cao Xu both helps him with his work and his daily life in Jiading.

He drives Stoica to work every day and spends time with him and the children on the soccer teams. After work, he drives Stoica home and talks about the next day’s plan.

“I spend a lot of time with him. In my eyes, Stoica is a focused person when it comes to work,” says Cao.

“When he is free, I sometimes take him downtown on weekends and hang around the city. He lives alone here, and the thing he misses the most is his family.”

Stoica’s wife, Marinela, moved to Spain from Romania to be with him when he decided on that career change. Now they have a 2-year-old daughter named Mara and a 9-year old son named Dario so the family has stayed in Spain.

On September 11, his family came to Shanghai for a visit, a reunion he had been looking forward to for months. “It would be better if my wife and children could join me here,” Stoica said.

“Other than that, I am pretty content with where I am and what I’m doing, and I wish to continue working with these kids and do what I do best.”