On April 1, 2016, at 19:00, the new season of the Women's Super League officially kicked off with the first match between promoted horse Shandong
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Away to defending champions Shanghai
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The To Shandong
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For the players, this is both a test and the start of a new chapter. Last year, they won the Triple Crown as dark horses, but they will have to work harder to stay in the Women's Super League in the new season. Our reporter went to Jinan to visit the Shandong Provincial Sports Training Center, where the team is preparing for the game.
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The team's captain Wang Tingting, main striker Zhao Xue and main defender Wu Haiyan were interviewed by reporters and shared their growth process. They all faced difficulties and wanted to give up at one time, but finally chose to persist.
Unexpectedly connected to soccer, insisting on his dream in difficult times
Taishan Evening News: First of all, thank you for accepting the interview, can you talk about your growing up story? When did you start playing soccer and why did you fall in love with it?
Zhao Xue: I started playing soccer in 2003 when I was 12 years old, and I was the coach's pick since I was a kid, probably because I was a fast learner and the coach thought I had some potential. At that time, I thought it was fun to play soccer, and I didn't have any big goals, just because I liked it, and I took it step by step.
Wu Haiyan: I play soccer can be said to be by chance, at first because of good physical quality, practicing track and field, and then was selected into the soccer team, only gradually began to contact with soccer.
Tingting Wang: I started playing soccer in the first grade of elementary school, and I went there with a playful mindset, probably just rushing to the front when running laps, and I didn't expect to be selected. At that time, the school needed a soccer team and also lacked a volleyball team, so I participated in both, and then more involved in soccer.
Taishan Evening News: From the time you started playing soccer to becoming a professional player to being selected for the national team, what do you think was the biggest difficulty you encountered?
Zhao Xue: Maybe it is because women's soccer has less attention, and the gap between the salary level and men's soccer is still very big, so I hope more people will pay attention to us. At the beginning, I also thought of giving up, but under the coach's counseling, I was more determined, and I thought I could play for the national team, so I persevered. Everyone has a low point, I guess. I thought about giving up after the 2013 National Games, and we didn't do too well in the first year of the Women's A. It was only in the second year that we started to make a difference. We didn't do very well in the first year of the Women's League and we started to change in the second year. I'm very grateful to Mr. Yin for encouraging the morale of our players since he took over the team.
Wu Haiyan: Injuries are probably the biggest difficulty, but they have also given me a lot of ideas, and since I've given so much, I have to get a reward for myself and stick with it.
Tingting Wang: In fact, my journey has been quite smooth, without too much difficulty, the only hurdle is to face the choice of playing soccer or going to school. After graduating from junior high school, my mom still wanted me to go to college, just like other kids. Because my dad liked soccer, he was more supportive and respected my decision, and I finally made my own decision and chose soccer.
Triple crown boosts confidence, proves Super League run was no fluke
Taishan Evening News: Last year, under the leadership of Yin, Shandong
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Having won the Triple Crown, how much of a confidence boost do you guys think it is for the team?
Zhao Xue: The Triple Crown has really boosted the team's confidence, and we want to prove that the Super League run is not a fluke and continue to work hard for better results.
