Soccer Daily revealed that Coach Jia Xiuquan returned to Beijing after the Asian Cup final, determined to devote himself to youth soccer training. Now he has joined forces with the Tongji International Football Academy to open a new chapter in youth training.
In June of this year, an investor in a Chinese League One team wanted to invite Coach Jia to take the helm, and personally went to Beijing to invite him for an interview. After careful consideration, Coach Jia politely declined the invitation and closed his cell phone for three days.
Mr. Jia has been a member of the Bayi Youth Team since he was 12 years old and has been through the years of sports teams. With his personal experience, he knows that the old model is no longer adapted to the cultivation of soccer talents in the new era. In today's society, in order to become cognizant and individualized people, it is indispensable to be nourished by knowledge and education, as well as a good social environment. Soccer talent training needs to standardize technical training, but also needs to cultivate the culture and cognition of young players, and enhance the decision-making power on the field, which can not be achieved without a good cultural atmosphere and educational channels.
Top university soccer academies need top coaches, and the emergence of the Tongji International Soccer Academy has just met Jia's expectations. With a third party pulling the strings, the two sides kicked off their partnership. The program lasts six years and covers children from middle school to high school. If the contract is renewed, the partnership can be extended to 12 years, demonstrating the commitment and sincerity of both parties to top-level sports education.
Established in 2017, Tongji International Football Academy marks the importance of Tongji University to the development of soccer. As the first international soccer academy in China, President You Songhui explained the meaning of "international": "Tongji was founded by Germans, which is highly internationalized and has frequent exchanges with Europe."
The College has been quick to build a platform to set up a soccer club to provide students with opportunities to play at a high level. In recent years, the Academy's men's team competed in the Chinese Champions League in Zhangzhou, and the women's team partnered with Shanghai Port FC to compete in the Women's B League and won the second place. In addition, the Academy's teams participate in the Five A and Five Super tournaments.
The college plans to build the club into the Middle League level to improve the level of players. President You Songhui said, "The teams in the league above the Central League A have foreign players, and our college is highly internationalized, so we can attract international students through scholarships to enrich the club's lineup, which is our unique advantage."
