Public benefit lights up children's wishes of soccer

The Asian Games Football Dream Project holds its first activity at Hangzhou Xingzhou Primary School on Dec 29, 2018. CHINA DAILY

As a subproject of the 2022 Asian Games Aspirations, the Asian Games Football Dream Project began on April 19, 2018, by the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee and the Young Footballer Growth Fund.

The project supports 2,022 schools throughout Asia by donating equipment, offering courses and organizing camps and competitions to get more youth interested in soccer ahead of the Hangzhou 2022.

By the end of July, more than 4 million people, together with enterprises such as Hangzhou-based automaker Geely; Industrial and Commercial Bank of China; China Telecom; China Mobile and 361°had donated to this project via Alipay, a mobile payment app belonging to Alibaba Group.

The first event was held at Hangzhou Xingzhou Primary School in Zhejiang province on Dec 29, 2018.

The organizing committee has donated soccer equipment and courses to 11 schools featuring soccer courses in Zhejiang.

Former soccer commentator Liu Jianhong, former China Series A League player Liu Cheng and Chinese women's national team player Wang Shuang attended the event.

"I'm so happy when playing soccer with these lovely children and admire that soccer education is now much better than it was in my childhood," said Wang after she met the students.

She added that she has a mission to contribute to the development of sports public welfare and soccer in China.

So far, the Asian Games Football Dream Summer Camp has been held in 25 schools nationwide.

More than 400 students from 45 universities, such as Peking University, Harbin Engineering University and Lanzhou University, served as volunteers at the summer camps for 2,300 children from rural areas.

Themed on the Hangzhou Asian Games, soccer and dreams, the summer camps offer Asian Games knowledge and soccer training courses in a bid to cultivate children's interest in soccer and an understanding of Asian Games while fostering their sporting spirit. As a participant in the summer camp, Xiao Yue, a student in grade three at a primary school in Qianxinan Bouyei and Miao autonomous prefecture, Guizhou province, has a dream of becoming a soccer coach.

Her school was built in a rural area and only had 100 students, not to mention a low number of girls who could play soccer.

Xiao played soccer with boys but had no chance to take part in county or prefecture competitions.

Thanks to the summer camp, more and more girls at her school fell in love with soccer and the school established a female team after weeks of training with three volunteers. The project held a summer camp in Xianchang Central School in Majiang county, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, Guizhou province, on Aug 10, 2019.

During the event, the organizing committee joined hands with Geely to donate soccer gear and related training devices to five local schools.

"The summer camp in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture is of great importance for Geely's efforts in the 2022 Asian Games Aspirations program.

"As a dream supporter, we will undertake social responsibility, enhance Geely's brand image and showcase our leading technology and enterprising spirit," said Yang Xueliang, vice-president of Geely.

By the end of June 2020, a total of 1,371 schools from 30 provinces and regions have applied to the project online and more than 500 have been shortlisted to receive donations after evaluation.

Officials from the organizing committee said that from this year, the project will allow both middle and elementary schools to participate and will add 700 schools in a bid to help more youth realize their soccer dreams.