How to crown the "King"? This amateur grassroots team, mainly composed of youth training coaches, won the 6th Shanghai Champions League Mingjin Football | Songjiang | Grassroots
The 2023 "Industrial Bank Cup" Shanghai Urban Amateur League Football League and the 6th "China Sports Lottery" Shanghai Football Association Champions League recently made a fortune. The Shanghai Kings played the role of the "dark horse" in the Shanghai amateur football circle, defeating the popular Crab Family Courtyard team in a penalty shootout to win the Shanghai eight player football championship. The Shanghai Pharmaceutical Group team won third place.
Shanghai is a football hub in China, with even amateur football teams gathering among the masses. The background of the Shanghai Kings team is based in the Songjiang Kings youth training, and in the amateur football circle of Shanghai, it cannot be considered a super strong team with significant investment. What exactly does this team, mainly led by youth training coaches, rely on to crown themselves as the "king"?
Youth training is based on
Shanghai King Football Club was founded in 2008 and is a professional youth football training institution. In 2018, it was awarded the title of "Social Brand Youth Training Institution" by the Chinese Football Association and was also awarded the title of "Shanghai Youth Football Training Base". The King's Youth Training is based in Songjiang, aiming to popularize the youth football population, cultivate high-level football players for the Songjiang campus, and form teams to participate in various competitions, contributing the professional strength of the club to the development of Songjiang football.
![How to crown the "King"? This amateur grassroots team, mainly composed of youth training coaches, won the 6th Shanghai Champions League Mingjin Football | Songjiang | Grassroots](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/4d62cd1fdb2d713c73f9e187ef3fc62a.jpg)
At the award ceremony, the robust figures and bodies of two African "foreign aid workers" attracted attention. Shanghai Kings team leader Liu Sheng introduced that they are also part-time coaches of Kings Youth Training. "We are colleagues and usually teach children basic movements at the club. This time in the Champions League, the coaches conducted internal selection and practiced together twice a week. Unlike many teams that rely on high playing fees and bonuses to attract retired professional players, we pursue the pure joy of football. Unity, friendship, and happiness are the biggest gains for everyone to fight together."
After winning the championship, the Shanghai Kings team became a big winner in individual award competitions. Zhao Libin was awarded the Best Coach of the tournament, Pan Haowei became the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament, and Li Ji won the Most Valuable Player of the Year trophy. A team member exclaimed, "Everyone is very happy. During training, everyone is busy with their own tasks. This time, we are not just together to win the championship, but also fighting side by side and working together, greatly enhancing the cohesion of the team."
blueprint planning
Shen Hong, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai King Football Club, admitted that the team's goal of reaching the semi-finals was set before the match, and ultimately winning the championship was somewhat unexpected. He believes that "this is the first city level competition championship won by the King's Adult Team, which brings experience and inspiration for a more systematic planning and layout of competing in Shanghai's highest level amateur competitions in the future."
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"The design of amateur football matches in Shanghai is very systematic and scientific. In the previous Super League and Super League classification matches, we achieved fourth place. Including the upcoming Chen Yi Cup, the team will also strive to achieve good results. In Shen Hong's view, this team with a strong imprint of youth training now has a higher goal:" Now that the Shanghai Amateur League has established itself, the future opportunities are suitable. We strive to provide opportunities for the young players of King's Youth Training to exercise and improve through platforms such as the China Champions League. Overall, youth training requires subsidies, but we will benefit Songjiang's football youth training career through sports events and other means. "
With the continuous development of King's youth training, the club has also introduced more excellent youth training coaches in the past two years. In addition to their daily teaching, they also organized themselves to compete in city wide competitions, striving to open up a new space in the amateur football circle in Shanghai. "At present, the King's Youth Training has completed a systematic team layout from 7 to 16 years old. Many players have been sent to join the professional club team, and some have been selected for the campus football selection and training camp, the elite team training camp of the Municipal Football Association, and even entered universities through single recruitment and other methods. Shen Hong said that winning this championship has strengthened his confidence. Through the continuous efforts of the youth training coaches, he has created a platform for young players to improve their football skills in the future," providing a path for children to rise. ".
Golden tower base
In fact, there are two major parts of Chinese football: professional football and amateur football. Fans and netizens mainly focus on professional football at the tip of the pyramid, ignoring amateur football as the foundation of the pyramid. The number of football population and the popularization of football culture have shortcomings in Chinese football compared to European and American football powerhouses.
![How to crown the "King"? This amateur grassroots team, mainly composed of youth training coaches, won the 6th Shanghai Champions League Mingjin Football | Songjiang | Grassroots](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/ff23c3b394ab9b51f3abfbd9f6edad24.jpg)
As a football hub in Shanghai, the Shanghai Football Association has always attached great importance to cultivating the survival soil of social football and amateur football while supporting the development of high-level professional clubs. The Shanghai Football Association has taken the lead in the national trend, exploring the establishment of a three-level social football league platform that goes up to the Super League, the First Division, and the Champions League. It has also enriched traditional amateur football tournament systems such as the Chen Yi Cup, Yanfeng Cup, and Xinmin Evening News Cup, making them more in line with the characteristics of the times and the needs of citizens.
Under the guidance of the Shanghai Sports Bureau, Shanghai Sports Federation, and Shanghai Social Sports Management Center, the Shanghai Football Association Champions League has been successfully held for six consecutive years. The participating teams mainly come from the winning teams and industry level outstanding teams in the 8-a-side competition of football associations in various districts of the city. After years of deep cultivation and meticulous work, the competition has completed the construction of a grassroots football competition system that connects the city, district, and industry levels. Through guidance, professional competition organizations have gradually matured. With the promotion of sports departments and football associations in various districts, amateur football competitions in Huangpu District, such as the Old Fengxiang Cup, Hongkou Super Cup, Songjiang Telecom Cup, Chongming Yingzhou Cup, Qingchao, Yangchao, Minchao, Fengchao, Jiachao, etc., have gradually taken shape.
Award winning individuals and teams:
Champion: King of Shanghai
![How to crown the "King"? This amateur grassroots team, mainly composed of youth training coaches, won the 6th Shanghai Champions League Mingjin Football | Songjiang | Grassroots](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/47fda104d23444c662b8f0234599676d.jpg)
Runner up: Crab Family Courtyard
Third place: Shanghai Pharmaceutical Group Football Club
Best Referee: Xie Chenyao
Best Coach: Zhao Libin
![How to crown the "King"? This amateur grassroots team, mainly composed of youth training coaches, won the 6th Shanghai Champions League Mingjin Football | Songjiang | Grassroots](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/2c15b88fa4df3faff69544f935ce2307.jpg)
Best Goalkeeper: Pan Haowei
Best Shooter: DENNYS
Best Player: Li Ji