Zhidan Football: From Quantitative Accumulation to Qualitative Leap

Zhang Xiaojian (first from right)

Reported by Wang Wei On the morning of August 11, the third Century Elite Schools Cup Football Exchange Tournament (Primary School Group) opened at the Zhidan Youth Training Center. Among the dignitaries on stage was Zhang Xiaojian, a former Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Security who first introduced football to Zhidan in the 1970s. Watching young footballers joyfully running on the natural turf of the training center, he exclaimed, "More than 50 years later, I have witnessed earth-shaking changes in Zhidan football!"

Nearly a month earlier, on July 14, when the Zhidan Football Youth Training Center was officially completed, Ding Changbao—director of the Zhidan County Football Development Center and chairman of the county Football Association, who had been connected to Zhidan football since 2003—was moved to tears. His long-cherished dream had finally come true. The energy accumulated over years in Zhidan football had nearly reached its peak. With the official launch of the youth training center, Zhidan football transitioned from quantitative change to qualitative transformation.

Ding Changbao, Director of Zhidan County Football Development Center and Chairman of the County Football Association

The development of Zhidan football has gone through four stages: First, the initiation period—in the 1970s, Beijing-educated youth Zhang Xiaojian formed the first football team in Zhidan, igniting the initial spark and launching the county's football journey. Second, the pilot and foundation-laying period—in 2003, Zhidan established the first county-level football association in China; in 2007, it pioneered campus football activities; and in 2010, it was designated as the first national pilot county for youth campus football, shifting from grassroots activities to systematic promotion. Third, the strategic growth period—on March 29, 2014, the Zhidan youth football team received great encouragement during an exchange in Germany, lighting up the dreams of local youth. After returning, Zhidan gradually formed an integrated development model of "teaching-training-competition." Fourth, the breakthrough period of system innovation—in 2023 and 2024, Zhidan was successively designated as a national pilot for the western region's sports-education integration football youth training system and a national pilot for youth football talent cultivation reform.

Currently, Zhidan County's Longgang Experimental Middle School and Bao'an Middle School have established football specialty classes, recruiting football-talented students from across the county. Yan'an Zhidan Football Sports School recruits football-talented students from the entire province, while the county's Longgang High School recruits from across Yan'an City. These schools provide pathways for students to enter higher education through single-enrollment and high-level sports team recruitment. So far, over 80 football-talented students have been admitted to prestigious universities such as Fudan, Xi'an Jiaotong, Beijing Sport University, and Korea's Hoseo University.

In 2023 and 2024, Zhidan County was successively designated as a national pilot for the western region's sports-education integration football youth training system and a national pilot for youth football talent cultivation reform, accelerating Zhidan football development. This period is seen by Li Yuxi, Deputy Director of the Zhidan County Education and Sports Bureau, as "the breakthrough period of Zhidan football system innovation."

Zhidan Football Exhibition Hall

In November last year, during a national-level football research meeting held in Zhidan County, Chinese Football Association Chairman Song Kai, after seeing Zhidan's unwavering commitment to football development over more than 20 years at Zhidan Hongxing Primary School, remarked, "If China had 100 Zhidans, Chinese football would have developed long ago."

In Ding Changbao's phone, there is a photo taken this June when Zhang Wei, then Vice Mayor of Yan'an City, visited Zhidan County High School to see the football class students before his temporary assignment ended and he returned to Beijing. During his time in Yan'an, Zhang Wei was in charge of sports and invested heavily in Zhidan football development. He even traveled to Bijie, Guizhou, to cheer for Zhidan's young footballers competing away from home. He was deeply concerned about the implementation of a seamless pathway for youth football talent cultivation reform and was also anxious about the completion of the Zhidan Football Youth Training Center.

"When bidding farewell to the football class students at Zhidan High School, the students collectively recited a poem by Wang Guozhen titled 'Thanks': How can I thank you? When I walked toward you, I had hoped to harvest a spring breeze, but you gave me an entire spring; how can I thank you? When I walked toward you, I had hoped to catch a spray of waves, but you gave me an entire ocean..." Ding Changbao recalled the scene with tears in his eyes. "The children wanted to thank him for his attention to Zhidan football. Mayor Zhang was moved to tears in front of them." Zhang Wei then specifically visited the under-construction Zhidan Football Youth Training Center, as it was his concern—he hoped it would be completed soon to provide the best training conditions for Zhidan's children.

July 14 was the day of the official unveiling of the Zhidan Football Youth Training Center. On that day, Gao Zhidan, Director of the General Administration of Sport of China, visited Zhidan to conduct football research.

The completion of the Zhidan Football Center means that Zhidan football and its young players now have a home. On July 10, many details at the youth training center still needed polishing, and all staff worked overtime, finishing the remaining work in four days to ensure the center's official unveiling on July 14. During that period, Yang Haidong, the deputy county magistrate in charge of education and sports, worked late into the night at the center every day. "More than 100 of us worked continuously for several days, with all our coaches joining in. Many hands make light work. When the youth training center was fully completed, our hearts were at ease," said Niu Yongquan, Vice Chairman of the Zhidan County Football Association.

Niu Yongquan, Vice Chairman of Zhidan County Football Association

Ding Changbao, who originally dreamed of becoming a writer or journalist in his youth, became deeply connected with football in 2003. Having a football youth training center and training base in Zhidan was one of his dreams. "Many years ago, I dreamed of having a football base. I started promoting this idea in 2014 and looked at many locations," Ding Changbao said.

In December 2023, Zhidan County became a pilot for the western region's sports-education integration football youth training system, and Ding Changbao felt that his dream was about to come true. "With the youth training center, we now have a place where coaches and players can train together. In practical terms, it directly solves the bottlenecks we previously faced in hosting events and training camps. If I were to use an analogy, I'd say it's like Zhidan football has blossomed and borne fruit—a tangible achievement. Now that we have this fruit, we can taste its flavor every year. It benefits us and attracts others," he said. Ding Changbao compared the Zhidan Football Youth Training Center to a rocket booster. "Now with high-tech chemical fuel propulsion, we can fly higher and farther."

After the Zhidan Football Youth Training Center was put into use, it hosted, in July alone, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Youth Football Invitational Tournament commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Long March, the finals of the Shaanxi Provincial Youth Campus Football League (High School Group), and the third Century Elite Schools Cup Football Exchange Tournament (Primary School Group).

On the afternoon of August 11, the Zhidan U11 football team returned from a visit to Kenya, Africa. When the team's young star, Yan Luxi, stepped onto the natural turf of the Zhidan Football Youth Training Center, his first impression was, "It feels very comfortable. Falling on this turf doesn't hurt."

Zhidan football is now strengthening its "soft power" in coaching staff, hiring renowned South Korean coach Lee Jang-soo as honorary principal of the Zhidan Football Sports School, South Korean AFC A-level coach Heo Hwa-mo as youth training director, and Lee Jong-woon as head coach. By establishing a scientific and reasonable youth training system, they are building a more solid foundation for football, enabling more outstanding players to emerge and grow. Zhidan football is quietly transitioning from quantitative change to qualitative transformation.

Now, the Zhidan County Football Youth Training Center has risen from the ground in the north of the county. With a total investment of 142 million yuan, the center covers 64.88 mu (about 4.33 hectares) and is fully equipped. It includes a comprehensive dining building, dormitory buildings, a gym, a hall of honor, meeting and training rooms, an indoor five-a-side football pitch, and other functional spaces. It can accommodate 400 people for training, accommodation, and study tours. Outdoors, it features two natural turf and one artificial turf standard 11-a-side football fields, making it a comprehensive professional youth training base integrating football training, event hosting, study exchanges, and accommodation services.

With the youth training center, Niu Yongquan, Vice Chairman of the Zhidan County Football Association, has truly felt a qualitative leap in Zhidan football. "Previously, many of our teams trained on a single field. Now with the youth training center, we can better practice team tactics, which greatly helps the team's improvement." Hao Chenxi, head coach of Zhidan County Shizhen Primary School, who once studied at Evergrande Football School, expressed deeply: "When I was a child, I mostly played football on concrete. Now that the youth training center is complete, more children will want to play football. The moment I stepped onto the natural turf at the Zhidan Youth Training Center felt amazing—I never dared to imagine it before. The opening match of this Century Elite Schools Cup was played on natural turf, and since the kids had never played on natural grass before, they were a bit unaccustomed."

During the third Century Elite Schools Cup Football Exchange Tournament, Lee Jang-soo witnessed the launch of the football youth training center in Zhidan. "I came to Zhidan a few months ago, when the fields and dormitories were still under construction. I never imagined that just a few months later, the fields and apartments would already be ready for competition. The facilities—fields, gym, dormitories, cafeteria—are all together, very convenient. With such a base, we can host domestic and international invitational tournaments in Zhidan, which will elevate Zhidan football. I'm also amazed that in a county like Zhidan, there are two standard 11-a-side natural turf fields and one artificial turf field, along with such excellent accommodation. This is unimaginable in South Korea. I know the state and local government have invested heavily in this youth training center—it's no small feat. I believe that if there were more youth training centers like Zhidan's, the development of Chinese football would definitely get better and better," Lee Jang-soo said.

"In the future, we can host international and domestic competitions here, and it can serve as a training base for football teams at all levels in Shaanxi Province. We hope that one day Zhidan will have a China League Two team, providing an outlet for our children. Next, we will promote a mini-program for football matchmaking, allowing residents of Zhidan and even Yan'an to come and play at the Zhidan Youth Training Center. At the same time, we will focus on innovating the integrated development of 'events + study tours + cultural tourism + agricultural products' and the event economy. Leveraging the influx of people from events, we aim to expand the tertiary industries of football study tours and sports tourism." This is the vision of Zhidan football people for the future direction of the youth training center.