Fan says clubs need to invest in youth soccer
Print Edition
FORMER Shanghai Shenhua captain Fan Zhiyi says he doesn’t stand united with the club’s supporters, who have turned their back on the new owners after they changed the club’s name and emblem.
“I think it’s strange that fans are shouting slogans like ‘give Shenhua back’ during the matches,” Fan says. “Greenland invested money in the team and should be allowed to make adjustments (in club name and emblem).
“I’m a practical person. Take Guangzhou Evergrande for example, their achievement today is largely due to ownership. The two straight domestic titles and the Asian Champions League crown are the best payback for its investment.”
Shenhua’s long-term supporters have voiced anger at the team’s first few home games at Hongkou Football Stadium, protesting the changes by shouting slogans and hanging banners. Some sat with their back to the field at the beginning of the match.
“The behavior of many fans is unfathomable. I can’t understand why the Shenhua fans insult the team’s investors during a game,” says Fan, who believes long-term investment is the key to building a solid and sustainable youth soccer program to ensure the sport thrives going forward.
Meanwhile, the former Shenhua defender is happy with Shanghai having three clubs in the top-tier league.
“It’s not too many and shows the capacity of a metropolis city. Cities like Beijing and Guangzhou can also do the same, as Guangzhou already has two competitive Super League teams,” he says.
Stable squad
Though being more connected to Shenhua and East Asia, Fan is predicting a better season from Shanghai Shenxin, though the team sits 13th in the 16-team CSL standings after 10 rounds. East Asia is 6th (after nine rounds) and Shenhua 9th (after 10 rounds).
“Shenxin has a more stable squad compared with the other two local teams. Despite a lack of strong foreign players, veteran players like Yu Tao and Wang Yun will prove valuable.”
Fan says all three teams face the same problem — a shortage of young players.
“For me, China’s ‘youth football’ or ‘school football’ is a strange concept. The education bureau invests in the schools to produce young players. When a professional football club spots young talents and wants to sign them, nobody knows who the young player belongs to,” says Fan. “This is also a problem for other sports in China.
The former national team captain, who now works with the Shanghai Football Association on youth soccer projects, thinks the local clubs should play a larger developmental role.
“I think all three Shanghai clubs should spend money to provide coaching resources. When some young talents have entered an elite stage after years of consistent training, the clubs can hold a joint auction for the players, who can choose the team they want to join.
“Currently, the Shanghai Sports Bureau is responsible for cultivating young players, which is done to enter a team in the National Games. When players reach 16 to 18 years old, the age ready for turning professional, the local clubs step up,” says Fan.
“It would be better if clubs build a complete system to cultivate players from a young age. Evergrande has a football school, although it is expensive. Clubs should give young players a goal to aspire to.”
Fan was the coach of the Shanghai U-16 Team, which advanced to the last eight at the National Games in 2009. He then joined Xu Genbao’s East Asia Club, which was then in the domestic league’s second-tier, as head coach. He resigned after failing to take the team to the Super League after the 2010 season.
“I’ve been the coach of an U-16 team, and it was a challenging job. First, you need to be patient, and know how to pass on your ideas to the children in a proper way. Coaching a youth team is not about winning titles, but to cultivate habits in a player’s daily life that will help them become professional footballers.”
Fan says a three-step system is common in soccer powerhouse countries — neighborhood, cultivable and elite stages. Children build up interests in the neighborhood stage, receive proper basic training next, and, if they are good enough, then seek a professional career in the elite stage.
“Investment and coaching resources is what we lack,” Fan says. “Different coaches and training methods for different age groups is extremely important.”
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