It seems like yesterday when we visited Hangzhou five years ago, and time flies. Takeshi Okada opened with this sentiment, talking about the feeling of change on the Zhejiang FC. Yesterday afternoon, the former Zhejiang team coach, FC now investor Okada Takeshi returned to Hangzhou Zhongtai base, and Zhejiang FC signed a new agreement on youth training. The two sides plan to strengthen the team's special soccer training at all levels in the next cooperation, and comprehensively improve the players' physical quality and goalkeeping skills. In addition, the scope of cooperation will be further expanded to cover the training of first team youth players.
During the signing ceremony, players Gao Di and Sun Zheng Ao specially came to visit their mentor, Takeshi Okada, and the three of them reminisced about the past together. Ten years ago, Takeshi Okada instructed Gaudi to score a goal from the back of the net, which became a "Chinese Super League classic", and Gaudi was overwhelmed with emotion: "The years are like a dream, and ten years have passed. I would like to thank Mr. Takeshi Okada for his training and trust in me."
Takeshi Okada was full of joy at returning to the Zhongtai base, and even more so at the metamorphosis of Zhejiang FC. "In recent years, I have met with Mr. Jiao (Jiao Fengbo, general manager of Zhejiang FC) every year. Five years ago, Mr. Jiao vowed to bring the club back to the Chinese Super League. Today, that wish has been realized. He then mentioned his desire to enter the Asian Champions League, and surprisingly, that goal has also been achieved. I am sincerely pleased and surprised by the good results achieved by the Zhejiang first team." Takeshi Okada added: "In addition to the results, the facilities at the base have been greatly improved, with the stadiums in better condition and in greater numbers.
Talking about the youth training players of Zhejiang FC in the base, Takeshi Okada commented, "From a technical point of view, there is no obvious gap between the players here and Japan." He then talked about the development of young players. In the 2nd China Youth Football League 2023 (U17 Division) that ended on Saturday, Zhejiang Greentown U17 Green Team won the U17 Division National Championship and successfully defended their title with a 1-0 victory over Shanghai Shenhua U17 Team. In addition, Zhejiang Greentown U19 team won the second place in the Middle Youth Championship, while U13 team and U17 Blue team both won the third place.
Takeshi Okada recognizes the achievements of Zhejiang FC's youth training, but he emphasizes that behind the achievements are the concepts and philosophies that underpin them: "If the young players are only looking for championships, they can look for taller players to get the ball high up in the air. But when they grow up, can they still maintain this advantage? Therefore, Zhejiang FC's strength lies in its unique soccer concept and philosophy, which not only seeks to win, but also focuses on the all-round development of young people.
In Takeshi Okada's opinion, "systematization" is the key to Japan's soccer leadership: "In recent years, Japanese soccer has made continuous efforts in the areas of coach training, youth training, popularization of the soccer population, and improvement of the elite level. In China, we may pay more attention to the performance of the first team and neglect other aspects. I don't think Zhejiang Football Club alone can change Chinese soccer, but I hope it can inspire and influence the development of Chinese soccer as a whole.
Takeshi Okada added: "If there were more clubs like Zhejiang FC in China, the level of soccer would change drastically. Zhejiang has a large population and a developed economy, but FC is the only Chinese Super League club. Japan has only one tenth of China's population but has 65 professional clubs. If there are more clubs in Zhejiang, the level of soccer will definitely be renewed."
In recent years, the general manager of Zhejiang FC Jiao Fengbo often go to Japan with the team to play, personally feel the gap between Chinese and Japanese soccer, determined to catch up. As a result, Zhejiang FC has signed a contract with Japan Youth Training for the fifth time. Jiao Fengbo said: "The cooperation between the two sides has been more than ten years, and will continue to upgrade. If foreign coaches were invited, Chinese soccer would have taken off long ago. Soccer improvement needs to be systematized and there are no shortcuts. Therefore, we are working with Japan.
Jiao Fengbo said that more young players will participate in Japanese matches in the future and one or two adult players will be sent to Japan at the end of the year for further study. He said: "In the past we learned from Brazil and Europe, but now Japanese soccer has become a world benchmark. I think learning from Japan is enough. The club should expand its international vision, from players to staff, in order to progress in soccer."
