It is difficult for Chinese football to produce good players? The quality of youth training coaches is worrying
Youth training is the foundation of football development. If youth football coaches are "stuck", even if there are good football seedlings, it may be difficult to make a breakthrough. Banyuetan reporters interviewed football clubs and social training institutions in many places and learned that the current income of youth football coaches in my country is generally unstable and the level of security is insufficient; some high-level coaches are unable to carry out their work in a long-term and stable manner, and talent loss is relatively serious.
Good football seedlings require a large number of grassroots football coaches to discover and cultivate. In 2021, the number of football coaches in Japan reached 84,352; data from the German Football Association showed that in 2022 alone, the number of new graduates who obtained coaching certificates at all levels reached 10,331.
In contrast, by the end of 2022, the total number of registered coaches at or above the D level of the Chinese Football Association will be 80,405. This is the result of a significant increase in the number of coaches after the release of the "Overall Plan for the Reform and Development of Chinese Football" in 2015. Data shows that since the release of the plan, the number of certified coaches in my country has increased by more than 70,000.
In 2018, in response to the serious lack of coaches for campus football, Jiangsu took the lead in innovating and establishing the E-level football coach system. The system has now been implemented in many provinces in China. Taking Jiangsu as an example, 1,650 E-level coaches will be trained in 2023, and more than 9,000 E-level coaches have been trained since 2018.
Judging from the data, the expansion of grassroots football coaches has been significant, but considering the huge population base and the actual needs of campus football development, the gap is still large. "There is a particular lack of high-level coaches." Zhao Tao, one of the initiators of the "Shaanxi Rural School Charity Football Class" and the head of Youcheng Sports, said that most of the newly certified coaches in China are D-level and E-level coaches, many of whom are half-way coaches. When many schools carry out football training, they can only let physical education teachers teach simply.
In addition, according to industry insiders, a few places still have the phenomenon of organizing classes and issuing certificates in order to meet targets, and "getting the certificate is the end."
"Football coaches who have not received systematic training can play a limited role in youth training." Zhao Tao said that retired players who have played in professional leagues are most welcome in youth football training, but they are a scarce resource.
A survey conducted by Banyuetan reporters found that retired professional players generally seek coaching opportunities in professional clubs or echelons of football associations at all levels. Among the external coaches hired by several city-level echelons of the Nanjing Football Association, there are many former professional players who have played in the Chinese Super League and the Women's Super League. They will not give priority to teaching at the grassroots level such as campuses and communities.
Why are retired professional players reluctant to teach at the grassroots level? Inadequate salary and poor career advancement are important reasons.
An industry insider who has served as the youth training director for many Chinese Super League teams said frankly that being a youth training coach now does not give you a high sense of achievement. He said that around 2000, the monthly income of a grassroots coach was about 5,000 yuan; more than 20 years later, the monthly income of this industry has only increased to around 10,000 yuan. Considering that the golden period of a grassroots youth training coach's career is short, if there is no good income expectation or career development channel, it is better to change careers as soon as possible.
"Many people couldn't stand it and returned to their hometowns. Others are staying with me temporarily and plan to improve their academic qualifications or take the civil service exam in the future," said Zhao Tao.
One grassroots football coach interviewed said frankly: "If you can't get the ideal salary, your enthusiasm for leading the team will decrease, and you will just think about getting by every day." Wang Xiaowan, vice chairman of the Jiangsu Football Association, said: "With insufficient salary guarantees, it is difficult for high-level coaches to carry out their work in a long-term and stable manner, which will greatly affect the progress of cultivating football talents."
"It's not that we don't want to pay high salaries, but it's really difficult for us to make a profit ourselves." The person in charge of a grassroots youth training institution said that in recent years, a large number of youth training institutions have emerged in society. Due to severe "internal competition", many of them have fallen into a profit dilemma and are unable to hire coaches with high salaries.
Due to their livelihood, many grassroots coaches are eager to "stand out" and use their achievements to prove themselves. In order to gain recognition from parents and schools, some coaches send children who develop earlier and are stronger to play in competitions. Children who are talented but develop slower rarely have a chance to play.
Some coaches place too much emphasis on game results, and even corrupt the style and discipline of the game. Earlier this year, in a U10 football match, the two teams had a large gap in strength. When the score reached 0:6, the head coach of the trailing team directly ordered the young players on the field to kick: "If you can't kick the ball, can you kick the person?" "If he passes you again, kick him!" Afterwards, the coach and club involved were banned nationwide.
Bad habits such as "taking bribes" have also spread among some youth training coaches. An insider told Banyuetan reporters that it is common for parents to give gifts to coaches, and some coaches will directly call parents to ask them to go to restaurants, KTVs and other entertainment venues to pay the bill and pick up their children. A coach who has served as the youth training director for many Chinese Super League teams said that in order to ensure that their children are taken care of, "in the past few years, many parents have tried every means to bribe youth training coaches and leaders."
Coach and referee training courses have also become a "risk point." An industry insider who has been engaged in football youth training for a long time said that when he attended a C-level coach training course in a certain place, someone pulled him up to the balcony alone and suggested that he spend 5,000 yuan to buy two bottles of Moutai and give them to the lecturer who loves drinking to build relationships. "The tuition fee is 5,000 yuan, and the accommodation is 5,000 yuan. Some people think that it's okay to pay 5,000 yuan more. I clearly refused, and I didn't pass it later." He said.
Take multiple measures to consolidate the professional foundation of grassroots coaches
Industry insiders pointed out that the promotion and playing opportunities of young players are in the hands of coaches. If a young player wants to step into a high-level professional arena, he needs to go through multiple thresholds such as district team, city team, provincial team, and professional club. There is room for power rent-seeking in each link, and corresponding supervision mechanisms and reward and punishment measures must be designed.
Consolidating the income of grassroots coaches is another way to prevent them from seeking rent. Industry insiders interviewed suggested that we could follow the youth training compensation system in foreign countries and allow youth training coaches to receive a share of the transfer fee when players transfer, based on the increase in the value of professional players. At the same time, we should strengthen the training and education of coaches, invite experts from the sports and education industries to give lectures, and focus on improving their football skills teaching ability and knowledge of child psychology.
The 2024 National Sports System Football Work Conference pointed out that we must focus on youth training, establish a correct goal orientation for youth training, focus on solving the "bottleneck" problem of the backward overall level of youth training coaches, and promote the improvement of youth training quality.
"It takes more than 10 years to train a group of good players, and coaches need to persevere in their determination." Zhao Tao believes that it is necessary to create a positive and supportive working environment for grassroots football coaches; give recognition, commendation and rewards to outstanding coaches to stimulate their work motivation and sense of honor; create star representatives of youth football coaches, and enhance this group's sense of professional pride and social identity through publicity and promotion.
