Planting the seeds for new Steel Roses to grow

China's women's team have rightly been basking in the limelight after thrilling the nation last week by securing their spot at the Tokyo Olympics with a heroic 4-3 playoff victory over South Korea.

Amid all the adulation, however, the Steel Roses certainly aren't forgetting their roots. In the wake of the victory, striker Tang Jiali, for example, took time to have a video chat with students of Jinshajiang Road Primary School in Shanghai.

"It is our tradition to give our students the chance to talk to their idols and be inspired by them. I feel that they have become more passionate in training after talking with their 'big sisters'," said school coach Qian Hui.

Qian, 52, is regarded as the godmother of women's soccer in China, and is credited with shaping the careers of many former and current Team China stars.

Along with Tang, Steel Roses players Zhang Xin and Fang Jie were also inspired by Qian to become interested in soccer as kids.

After retiring as a professional player in Henan province in 1993, Qian began coaching the game she loves at Jinshajiang Road Primary School, where she set up the country's first student soccer team for girls.

Qian only managed to recruit eight girls at first. "Many parents were not willing to allow their children to learn soccer at that time, because they thought there was no prospect for professional soccer in China," she said.

Former China international Zhang Ying was among Qian's early charges, and recalls the shoddy facilities available to them back then. "We trained on a poor field surrounded by a cinder track with small stones on it," she said.

As well as being a strict coach, Zhang says Qian was a maternal figure to the girls.

"Coach Qian set high standards for us, but the foundation she laid for us benefited me during my whole career," she said. "She took great care of all of us. We did not have dormitories, for instance, so she made sure we had proper accommodation, like small hotels, and would look after us really well, combing our hair and things like that."

Qian cares about her students' futures after they graduate and hopes each one can fulfill their potential on the pitch.

Her husband, Zhang Xiang, who is also a senior soccer coach, has always supported her career and volunteered to teach middle-and high-school students.

However, finding a middle school willing to accept a soccer team was far from straightforward. Meilong Middle School offered admission to the girls, but many of their families could not afford the high tuition fees of the private school, and therefore chose to quit the team.

Knowing just how passionate the girls were about the game－they even reviewed video footage of their matches at home－Qian refused to give up the fight.

She contacted local education authorities and finally persuaded the school to cut tuition fees for the team. She phoned those families who were looking for a new school, and soon the team was reunited.

Thanks to three decades of dedication to youth coaching, the training base established by Qian and Zhang now encompasses five schools in Shanghai's Putuo district. These days, Qian and her coaching team have even expanded their soccer activities to kindergartens.

Qian is particularly pleased to see that young parents have very different attitudes to the game than previous generations. "They cheer for their children when watching them play, and regard soccer as a sport worthy of their children's participation," she said.

"This gave me a lot of confidence, reinforcing my belief that Chinese soccer has a brighter future."

Xinhua