Chinese football pioneers to lecture PE teachers on campus football

Nearly 200 PE teachers from primary and high schools began a five-day training program on campus football education in China on May 18.

Zhu Guanghu, former coach of China’s national football team along with Sun Wen, retired star of China’s women’s football, will give lectures to these PE teachers during the term.

The training is to ensure each local school has at least one professional football instructor.

The program was launched earlier this year after China decided to develop grass-root football and campus football as part of its efforts to improve Chinese football.

A total of 1,519 teachers will be trained this year in two training centers at Shanghai Normal University and Shanghai University of Sport.

“Training PE teachers of local schools is essential because football is highly specialized and not every PE teacher is capable of teaching students without professional training,” said Zhu.

Organizers said the teachers will be coached in basic football knowledge and skills, especially about how to control the ball.

They will also be briefed on how to handle students during injuries.

PE teachers were happy to receive professional instruction as nearly 80 percent of them had little idea on how to train their students.

“I majored in ping pong and learnt to play football only for one year at university,” said Shen Wei, a PE teacher at the Kunming Primary School in Yangpu District.

“But it was more than 10 years ago. I only know some basic rules of the game but nothing about skills.”