Shandong Luneng Taishan Football School:Youth Soccer Sages

In early 2015， upon the release of the Overall Plan for Chinese Football Reform and Development， football development was elevated to Chinese national policy. In this blueprint for China’s football future， the importance of youth football education received special emphasis. Understandably， specific methods to disperse new resources and optimize training of Chinese youth have become hotly debated topics.

In the 1990s， after China’s reform of football， schools devoted to the sport mushroomed in the country. Although many of them closed within a few years， the standouts， like Shandong Luneng， have survived to this day. Established in 1999， Shandong Luneng is a flagship of youth football training in China after nearly 20 years of development.

One highlight of the school is its commitment to international standards. To introduce advanced European ideas to youth football training， the school successively hired three renowned Serbian coaches， Kokovic Doko， Radmanovic Vlado， and Zoran Zugic， as its head coaches. In 2013， as part of its training strategy， Luneng launched a comprehensive cooperation program with Brazil’s Sao Paulo Club， bringing their advanced expertise and abundant global experience to the school’s youth development program.

The most important function of Luneng Taishan Football School is discovering kids with great potential. As a leader of current football reform in China， the school is exploring new ways to reach out to regular schools as well as preserve an impressive reserve for professionals. Luneng School plans to establish a football school at each prefecture-level city across Shandong Province and dispatch coaches to work with every school. These coaches will also act as talent scouts looking for young players with high potential in every city. Recruits will be admitted to Luneng School. After a football network is established in each city， league matches can be held across the province， which will further integrate resources for youth football in the region. Luneng School already launched the new strategy in Binzhou City.

Luneng School has produced 149 players who have made China’s national football teams at various levels. It has produced even more professionals who are active in the Chinese Football Association Super League. The school has produced more professional football players than any other in China. Recently， China Pictorial sat down with Tan Zhaohui， headmaster of Luneng Football School， to talk about the school’s experiences with youth training and adoption of international practices as well as the general atmosphere of youth football training in China today.

China Pictorial （CP）： Your school now manages youth teams at a variety of levels. How do you classify teams？

Tan Zhaohui （Tan）： We now have a total of 12 teams with players ranging from 10 to 19 years old. Our students were recruited through nationwide tryouts. Age is our first criterion for team classification. Students of the same age are divided into groups， and groups with greater numbers are further split. Every player must pass tests run by the school’s evaluation committee in order to get onto teams. We’re really optimistic about our team building these days. In the first half of 2016， we had 17 players admitted to training camps of national teams. Among them， four were admitted to the U19 national team， three to the U17 national team， and 10 to the U14 national team. Thirteen students from my school were selected to participate in the national U15 Elite Training Camp organized by Chinese Football Association. Moreover， 22 students were admitted to reserves of professional clubs.

CP： What makes Luneng different from other football schools in China？

Tan： Since it was established in 1999， the school has been committed to building a world-class football school. I think my school possesses three distinct features： First， for years we have been employing experienced foreign professionals as our head coaches， and drawing on their advanced ideas on tactics and management. We will welcome a new Portuguese head coach in July. Second， the school has been popularizing and improving the sport of football with Chinese youth. Third， we attach equal importance to academic learning and football performance， with emphasis on moral education and the development of good habits， aiming to produce high-quality football professionals.

CP： What areas need the most focus when training youth？

Tan： The most important thing is to help kids develop healthy personalities. Our school is first a school， and then a football school. We make great efforts to improve kids’ character and perseverance. We don’t want to put too much emphasis on kids’ performance on the pitch when they’re young. For little kids， honing their skills and developing an interest in the sport should be the priority.

CP： Your school’s accomplishments in youth training have been widely acclaimed. What is responsible for your training successes？

Tan： People working in youth football training have to endure loneliness. Although the world has seen rapid football development in recent years， China is still searching for a development path suitable to its conditions. During this process， phenomena such as people looking to see fast results and overnight success have been emerging. The Chinese national team and the Chinese Football Association Super League as well as youth teams want to see better performances quickly and more professionals soon， which actually goes against the laws of football. According to our experiences in recent years， youth football education is the key to enhancing the overall competitiveness of the nation’s football strength， which requires abundant investments in time and patience.

CP： Compared to standout foreign football schools， what does China need to improve？

Tan： First of all， our players need to work on the basics. We used to emphasize cohesive team tactics rather than individual skills. It is time to change this practice. As for team training in the future， especially teams for U-17 and below， we should reinforce individual skills and essential techniques to establish a solid foundation for future players.

Second， football teams need to be more optimistic. Actually， China’s overall atmosphere for football culture still needs to improve and people in the sport should make better efforts to help kids get enthusiastic about the sport. Coaches and management personnel need to teach young players to evolve from past passive training to having the motivation to train on their own and finding joy in it. Third， we need to be better connected to advanced international practices. No one can deny that the most developed system for youth training is in Europe， still the capital of global football today. Chinese standouts should be sent to Europe for medium and long-term training. And this practice should gradually become routine. Finally， Chinese football schools shouldn’t focus too much on winning tournaments and awards domestically， and professional training of coaches need to be better.

CP： What international practices in youth football training can China learn from？ Tan： In youth football training， I think it will be best if China

blazes its own path. Other countries have indeed developed many successful modes， but they are not necessarily suitable for us. China can draw on others’ strength and take its own road based on its actual situation. The country should form its own system.

I think a mature youth football training system has the following elements： high-potential players， experienced coaches and teachers， a systematic dietary and nutrition system， a well-developed medical and recovery system， and of course， opportunities to participate in plenty of high-level matches.