Hitting the net with grassroots gains

Shanghai SIPG's historic Chinese Super League triumph and the increasing number of players and referees in the city are all testament to the municipality's success in building a vibrant soccer scene, according to the Shanghai Football Association (SFA).

At the SFA's Leadership Conference on Dec 28, officials revealed that the city had 5,804 registered amateur youth players in 2018, up over 400 from the previous year, while the number of registered professional training bases grew from 119 to 126.

There was an increase in the number of competitive matches as well, with 37,866 players from 2,382 teams taking part in 105 tournaments throughout the year.

"Compared with years ago, parents are now more supportive of their kids playing soccer. They see the sport more as a means to help improve fitness and character instead of making money," said SFA chairman Zhu Guanghu, who was the head coach of China's national team between 2005 and 2007.

Zhu believes that some of the players who participated in the City Games and the Football Association Elite League last year have the potential to excel on the global stage.

The SFA said it is also proud that the number of newly trained coaches in the city has tripled over the past year. In 2018, 338 coaches had B, C, and D certifications. In addition, 486 people received an E certificate, which is more oriented toward youth training.

In contrast, only 78 people attained the E qualification in 2015.

According to Pan Lina, the director of the SFA's skills department, the association will continue to strengthen its training of coaches and expand youth development to kindergartens.

"There are many citizens aged between 45 and 60 who have played in professional teams or sports schools for a long time. Leveraging their rich experience in communities and schools will help establish a comprehensive scouting network," Zhu said.

Adult registration numbers are also on the rise.

Ten clubs, 25 teams and 935 players were registered in 2018. Shanghai currently also has 11 referee supervisors and 38 refs officiating in the various domestic professional leagues, the highest representation in the country.

The establishment of the Shanghai Football Association Super League, the Shanghai Football Association League and the Champions League, in addition to collaborations with top European leagues, were also breakthroughs made by the SFA in 2018, said Zhu.

"Our goal is to continuously push the development of youth soccer in order to achieve a two-fold increase in the number of youth players as well as boost the popularity of soccer in the country," he added.

Shanghai SIPG, which won its maiden CSL title last season, and Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, are the city's two top-flight teams. However, two other clubs, Shanghai Shenxin and Shanghai Sunfun, compete in the second and third tiers respectively, while the city also has its own women's pro team-Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank.