Hengyang Football: In the best of times, discovering a better self

Written by Nan Nan In 2015, the "Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Youth Campus Football" was released by the Ministry of Education and six other departments, leading to a rapid growth phase for youth campus football. In 2024, Changsha Yali Foreign Language School clinched the championship in the U13 group final of the Youth Championship, making it the first time the school's representative team won the championship in the men's group of the Youth Championship. With more revitalization policies for football being gradually introduced by the government, the children in campus football have entered the best of times.

After the draw ceremony for the junior high school group of the Second Century-Old School Football Elite Exchange Competition (hereinafter referred to as the "Century-Old School Cup") was completed, each team settled in their positions. The "Group of Death" (Group D) for this exchange competition was also formed: Jinan Dianliu No. 1 Middle School, the host Chuan Mountain English School, Changsha Yali Foreign Language School, and Southwest University Affiliated Middle School. "Fate is predetermined, wealth and nobility are in the hands of heaven," lamented Wang Kai, the coach of the host Chuan Mountain English School.

If the titles of last year's Youth Championship U13 group champion Changsha Yali Foreign Language School and this year's top-ranked Southwest University Affiliated Middle School in the Southwest region are not convincing enough, then the opinion of Liu Yibing, the coach of the first "Century-Old School Cup" junior high school group runner-up Xi'an Tie Yi Middle School, reflects the strength of Group D from another perspective.

"Group D is incredibly strong. I knew Changsha Yali was a formidable team beforehand, but I wouldn't have thought that even the host team was so strong, and they couldn't even advance to the honor group from the group stage," said Liu Yibing. "Before we set out, I mentioned that as last year's runner-up, we aimed to make breakthroughs this time. Although we were prepared to learn and train due to objective reasons like key players being absent, our pre-match expectations were too optimistic given the situation in Group D. However, gathering this information during the group stage is beneficial as it can make the team more serious and dedicated in every match."

The highlight match on the first competition day of Group D was the "Hunan Derby" between the host Chuan Mountain English School and last year's Youth Championship U13 group champion Changsha Yali Foreign Language School. To prepare for this heavyweight match, the host made thorough preparations. From gathering for training early to the grand opening ceremony, everything revealed the determination of this rapidly developing team to challenge the king of campus football in Hunan Province. Although the head coach of the national championship team, Wen Fan, downplayed the atmosphere of "surrounding Changsha" in campus football, almost all the people in Hengyang viewed this match as a prelude to the Hunan Super League.

After the opening ceremony, Hengyang's Deputy Mayor Xie Hong stated in an interview with "Football" magazine: "Hengyang is a major city in education and also a strong city in sports, with a solid football foundation. Hosting the Century-Old School Football Elite Exchange Competition will significantly promote the development of youth football in Hengyang. The city government's emphasis on this event has injected strong motivation into the host team, which caused many troubles for Yali Foreign Language School during their match by utilizing their physicality and familiarity with the field."

Chuan Mountain English School has a tough style and managed to bring the match to a stalemate. Yali Foreign Language School's head coach Wen Fan frequently stood up to direct, hoping the team could perform more steadily. The foundation and temperament of the national champions were still evident, even when a key center-back was sent off for accumulating two yellow cards in the second half; Wen Fan's team still fought hard. "I am very satisfied with the team's attitude in facing difficulties and their all-out performance. Winning this match was not easy, and it was a great experience for us," he said. "The opponent was also a bit unlucky, hitting the frame twice."

Chuan Mountain English School, which has shown impressive development in recent years, indeed lacked some luck in this "Century-Old School Cup." In the second round, they played a tightly contested match against Jinan Dianliu No. 1 Middle School, ultimately losing in a penalty shootout and missing out on the honor group. Regarding this, head coach Wan Jun expressed deep regret, "When the draw came out, we knew we had to give our all in every match in this group to have a chance. We once saw an opportunity but ultimately did not achieve the expected result. However, competing against three strong teams was a valuable experience for our team." Dianliu No. 1 Middle School, which defeated the host in the penalty shootout, also failed to win against Southwest University Affiliated Middle School in regular time; they only secured their place in the honor group through two victories in penalty shootouts.

This junior high school group of the "Century-Old School Cup" attracted many Hengyang citizens to watch the matches, including several seasoned old fans. 81-year-old Ou Jixun comes to the field every day to watch games; he was an athlete for the Hengyang City United Team in the 1960s and has played in matches across Hunan Province. 75-year-old Li Niangen is a senior youth football coach in Hengyang. To watch Chuan Mountain English School's match, he specially took over an hour's bus ride from Hengyang's southern district to the competition area. Here, he met his former teammate Ou Jixun. The two former comrades-in-arms, watching the young players on the field, must have recalled their own youth.

Li Niangen has loved playing football since childhood, and his WeChat name is "Football." As a child without soccer shoes, he played barefoot. In 1965, while studying at Hengyang Normal University Affiliated High School, he dreamed of becoming a football player. Although he once represented the Hengyang City United Team and the Hunan Provincial Team, he was never able to advance further. After realizing he could not become a professional athlete, Li Niangen worked while coaching the younger classes at a sports school. He has been a youth training coach for decades, and among his students, there are many who have been selected for the Hengyang City or even Hunan Provincial teams. Many of Li Niangen's students have followed in their teacher's footsteps and engaged in youth football training. Nowadays, when Wang Xi, the goalkeeper coach for the team representing Hengyang in the Hunan Super League, meets Li Niangen, he always addresses him as "Master."

Supporting the development of provincial capital cities with the strength of the entire province is a practical issue faced by many provinces, and this is also true in campus football. In fact, among the players participating in this "Century-Old School Cup," there are many children from Hengyang, including those from Changsha Yali Foreign Language School and Nanchang No. 2 Middle School. From Li Niangen to Wang Xi, and now to the Hengyang children wearing Yali jerseys, the football community in this city has been silently dedicated.

As Deputy Mayor Xie Hong stated, "Hengyang has a solid foundation for football development. Through this Century-Old School Football Elite Exchange Competition, it will play a very significant role in promoting the overall development of Hengyang football and youth football." The future of Hengyang football is promising.