Girls having a go at the goals

Female primary students flourish on soccer fields in a small village in Shandong

In the small mountain village of Zhaozhuang in Yiyuan county, Shandong province, there is a group of soccer-loving girls.

In 2019, the Zhaozhuang Primary School in Yuezhuang township introduced a soccer program that sparked these girls' interest in the sport.

The school selected over 20 girls who were physically fit and hardworking to form a soccer team. They trained an average of five times a week and participated in more than 20 matches each school year.

After several years of training and competing, the girls realized that soccer was not just a simple game, but a sport that requires teamwork to be successful. They soon became more disciplined in their training.

The girls often trained after school or during holidays, but since there is no soccer field in their village, some of them trained in the village's public square, while others used relatively smooth grassland.

Their hard work has paid off. The team has won championships in the Yuezhuang Town Primary School Football Tournament over the past several years. In the 2022 and 2023 Yiyuan County Primary and Secondary School Sports Games, it took second and third place, respectively, in the girls' soccer competitions.

The players became small "stars" in the eyes of their classmates. "These girls are not only hardworking but also have a genuine passion for soccer," said Zheng Min, their coach.

In recent years, both boys' and girls' soccer teams have been established in the various towns and villages in Yiyuan, and soccer courses have been introduced. Girls in particular have begun picking up the sport.