On an ordinary weekday afternoon in January 2022, on the south bank of the Tonghui River in Beijing's Chaoyang District, an ordinary eight-a-side soccer stadium seemed particularly quiet. The field is empty, with only four players engaged in a heated game of "grabbing the circle", with the occasional sound of passing and shooting. This is not a casual game, but a professional training according to the plan. The movements of the four players were skillful, and it was obvious that they were all well-trained players.
In charge of arranging the training was a young man named Bao Seo-nam, 26 years old. He has no experience as a professional player, but studied sports science at Chungnam University in South Korea and obtained a certificate from the Korean Football Association as a Level D coach. He introduced the two players on the field as players from a Chinese League One club last year and members of a Chinese Super League U19 team.
Bao Ruinan founded an organization called "China's Unemployed Players Shelter", which provides a platform for professional players who have lost their jobs due to unpaid wages or the dissolution of their clubs to train and communicate with each other. Here, players do not need to trade money, but help each other through difficult times.
Bao Ruinan said, "Hasn't it been a while since the season ended, and they're all Beijing kids, so they just come over every day to do some individual training and stay in shape."
Bao Ruinan has come up with a gimmicky and controversial name for the less-than-a-year-old organization: China's Shelter for Unemployed Players.
Here, the pitch for training is owned by a big brother Bao Ruinan used to know, and can be used for free on weekdays when no one rents it. The players' food, clothing, housing, transportation, gym, and even treatment for injuries require everyone to work together to find a solution. At the most difficult time, they could not even come up with 1,000 dollars for an MRI examination.
I. Unemployment and employment
Back in April 2021, Bao Ruinan was unemployed. He had worked for a professional club in the Chinese B League, but left after only one month. During the epidemic, the soccer investment climate changed dramatically, with many clubs struggling and players facing unemployment and unpaid wages.
Bao Ruinan works part-time as a fitness instructor at a gym to subsidize his living. He always had his heart set on becoming a soccer coach and in late April received a call from a player who had played for a European club's youth team, A. A wanted to find a place where he could play soccer and train physically to stay in shape and wait for his next opportunity.
Bao Ruinan decided to go it alone and provide a training ground for the A's. Over time, he expanded the idea to become a "shelter for unemployed players". As time went by, he gradually expanded this idea into a "shelter for unemployed players", hoping to provide a platform for more unemployed players to train and communicate with each other.
II. Grass roots and careers
Bao Ruinan posted a call for applications on Weibo, hoping to attract more unemployed players to join. Despite the number of people who came to inquire, very few were actually willing to join. He believes this may have something to do with the fact that players are wary of this model of self-help training and self-care living.
As the team grew, Bao Ruinan hoped to find a stable tournament to hang his hat on, so that the team could have matches to play every week. However, the epidemic caused all amateur leagues under the Beijing Football Association to be suspended, so he had to manually schedule matches with different teams every week.
III. Ideals and realities
Faced with the uncertain future and the cost of living in Beijing, some players have gradually become disillusioned. This "shelter", which was established more than half a year ago, is more like a retreat or a hospice, and has taken away many people's last thoughts about the role of professional players.
Bao Ruinan hasn't given up completely, he always has his heart set on becoming a soccer coach and hopes to take up a position at a lower division club in the south. He said, "As long as there are such players who are willing to come and follow the practice, then I will definitely do my best to bring them."
