Young girls in Henan dream of soccer glory

Through rigorous training and dedication, a girls' soccer team in Zhangpan village in Luoyang, Henan province, has helped boost young players' self-confidence and bring them a brighter future.

Located in the city's Mengjin district, Zhangpan Primary School has only about 200 students and 19 teachers. The small rural school has faced many obstacles in developing the sport.

At first, players didn't have decent athletic shoes or a proper pitch. They had to train on the cement playground every day, using makeshift goal nets they put together themselves. Tea eggs and noodles made up the daily menu.

However, the school produced 15 champions at county-level or higher competitions in a span of less than seven years. Twelve of the female members who graduated in the past three years have become national-level athletes.

"Over the years, I've been deeply touched by their courage against hardship," said Song Haibo, the headmaster. "They played match after match and have achieved prominence."

The legend began in 2016, when Song decided to establish the soccer team. His efforts have paid off handsomely. In late December, a documentary, High-Flying Girl, was released online, telling the team's story to a broad audience.

Song said there were two main drivers.

"Mengjin district holds soccer competitions every year. We wanted to make a good showing," he said. "And Liang Yaowu, a former physical education teacher at the school, wanted to give students the choice of developing their sports talents so they might be admitted to a good university through soccer."

Liang was engaged in other forms of athletics at the time and had no experience in soccer. So they read a book, watched online tutorials and tried to instruct the students the best they could.

A year later, the girls' soccer team was born. Li Lei, a 36-year-old man who worked at a soccer club in Luoyang, was invited to provide professional guidance.

"I went to and from the school more than 20 times a month. During competitions, it would be around six times a week. It was the rural children's desire for soccer that motivated me to persist," Li said.

He added that members of the girls' team are resilient. They have a tough mentality, and their love for soccer is sincere and down-to-earth.

"They genuinely love the sport," he said.

Everything didn't go smoothly initially. Parents worried that playing soccer would affect their children's studies.

In response to parents' concerns, teachers started giving the players extra lessons on weekends, and they were asked to finish their homework while in competition. Song and Li also invited parents to watch soccer games. The parents were touched by their children's fight for a dream and agreed to let them continue.

As time passed, the girls' team grew from about 10 players in the first batch to 25. In January 2019, it won the championship of the under-12 girls' group in the Belt and Road International Youth Football Winter Camp, which was held in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

"Thanks to our efforts in soccer, the school attracted wider attention and funding. That allowed us to build a new cafeteria, install new toilets and erect a new dormitory building. Otherwise, the school may have merged with other schools. Soccer has brought us hope," Song said.

For young students, soccer brings not only the joy of victory but also gives children a chance to explore new possibilities.

Song Yuxin, a 10-year-old girl in fifth grade, joined the soccer team in the third batch of players about three years ago. Before that, she mainly watched her older sister play. Later, the headmaster noticed she had some talent and wanted her to have a try.

"I found the feeling of playing soccer very interesting, so I started training," Yuxin said. "Both my sister and I feel that it has made us stronger and improved our physical fitness. And I don't think soccer has hindered my academic performance. Instead, it has pushed my academic performance to a higher level."

She added that she used to be a shy introvert. When a teacher asked her something, she would usually just nod and not speak much.

"But after playing soccer, I have become more outgoing. It has made us more confident and our horizons have broadened," she said.

Earlier, Yuxin and her classmates had watched some national team matches on TV, and they were inspired by the unwavering spirit of Wang Shanshan, a player on the Chinese women's national soccer team.

"I hope to continue playing soccer and eventually join the national team," Yuxin said.

Qi Xin contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at wangsongsong@chinadaily.com.cn