On December 8, Qingdao Football Association (QFA) delivered a big news: the 4th CFA C-level Coaching Course (Qingdao) was grandly opened, and Qingdao Football Management Center witnessed this historic moment. The training course was attended by a great number of people, including two senior players of Qingdao Sea Cowboys - Jiang Ning and Zheng Long.
Jiang Ning and Zheng Long's names are on the list of trainees released by the Qingdao Football Association. The two-week training will take place from December 8 to 21, when the trainees will undergo both theoretical and practical tests. Those who pass the test will be awarded a C-level coaching license by the CFA.
It is worth mentioning that the qualification certificates for soccer coaches are graded clearly, from low to high, as Grade D, Grade C, Grade B, Grade A and Professional Grade. Coaches with D-level certificates are suitable for youth soccer training; C-level certificates qualify coaches to coach amateur soccer teams; B-level certificates allow coaches to coach teams below the second tier of professional clubs; A-level certificates allow them to coach first-tier professional clubs; and professional-level certificates allow them to coach teams in the top tier of the league. It is worth noting that since 2010, head coaches in the Chinese Super League and First Division have been required to have this certificate; the AFC has also made it mandatory for head coaches participating in the AFC Champions League to hold the certificate since 2017.
