Soccer outpost transformed into powerhouse

'Be practical'

Ding realized the major hurdle to the development of the sport in China was a lack of players. His friend Zhang Lu, a well-known footballer and sports commentator, told him the solution was to boost soccer's popularity.

"In 2007, I wrote a letter to Zhang. In his reply, he suggested setting up a county soccer association," Ding said. "He told me 'Give up being so ambitious. Be practical. Make children love football. That's the correct way to develop the sport.'"

Ding took his friend's advice and waited at the gate of the county education department for two weeks before he finally met its head, who approved his school soccer program.

Under Ding's program, soccer was included in compulsory education in Zhidan. Professional coaches were hired to teach in primary and high schools, and gifted players were made available to professional teams.

In 2010, Zhidan was included as one of the pilot counties in a national program to promote soccer among students. The next year, the county government allocated an annual budget of 100,000 yuan ($15,400) to the Zhidan Football Association, with that grant increased to 3 million yuan in 2014.

The abundant financial support means all Zhidan students can receive free soccer training.

In 2015, the county's soccer team won a provincial tournament. The success boosted Ding's confidence and he was so in demand that one day he received more than 600 phone calls from parents and potential players.

The 41-year-old put his personal health to one side. He postponed surgery to remove a steel plate from his spine until last year during the COVID-19 outbreak.

To date, about 20,000 students have received soccer coaching at 23 schools in Zhidan.