In Kashgar, there is no shortage of soil for football

China News Service, Kashgar, Xinjiang, November 7th. Title: In Kashgar, there is no shortage of soil for football.

Author Jin Zhicheng Liu Dawei

In the alley, two schoolbags are placed as the goal, and the walls on both sides are the sidelines. Streets, ancient cities, and campuses are filled with golf courses. This is what Kashgar football looks like. Many players who went to the national and even international arenas initially pursued their dreams like this.

On November 6, children in the U10 group competed at the Shenzhen-Kujiang Youth Football Training Base. Photo by Jin Zhicheng

This is how 10-year-old Ertug Maimaitiali was "kicked out". He participated in youth training at the age of 6. In July this year, he participated in the fifth China Youth Football League (Xinjiang Division) and "Pomegranate Seed Cup" finals with the team and won the U10 championship. When talking about his goals, he said firmly: "Join the national team, enter the World Cup, and win glory for the country."

On the sidelines, coach Alimujiang Reshati reminded the players: "Keep going, keep going!" Alimujiang was once a professional player who was "kicked out" from the alley, but later turned to coaching due to injury. When he was a child, the dirt pitches used to play football were pitted and filled with mud when it rained. Now, these children have three 11-a-side pitches that have received the highest quality and safety certification from FIFA, and there are specialized coaches to lead the team training.

On November 6, at the Shenqa Youth Football Training Base, the coach took the children to train together. Photo by Jin Zhicheng

The Shenqa Youth Football Training Base where they are located is the largest youth training base in southern Xinjiang. On weekdays, the base arranges coaches to enter the campus to carry out teaching training; on weekends, 20 elite teams from U8 to U16 conduct training camps, training more than 400 elite players, and building a platform for children to pursue their dreams.

"The children here are not afraid of hardship, intrusion, or collision. They have an advantage in willpower, but they are still deficient in skills and tactics. The root cause is the lack of coaches, lack of opportunities, and lack of competitions." Tulahun Abdureheman, vice chairman of the Xinjiang Football Association, said, "Enthusiasm can grow on its own, but these will not."

In this regard, on the one hand, the base "brings in" and invites high-level coaches to come to Xinjiang to teach and provide guidance; on the other hand, the base "goes out" and selects potential coaches to study in big cities. The method of "seeking selection" is also changing. Coaches go deep into villages and schools and use professional equipment and scientific standards to select. "You can't make a conclusion just because you played well once or twice," Tulahun said. The base also holds various youth competitions on a regular basis, giving good prospects ample room to put themselves to use.

Regarding Kashgar’s “football kids”, Tulahun is familiar with them: “Kashgar kids are very talented, and many ‘national footballers’ have gone out from here.” Umitijang Yusup, who was nominated for the Chinese Super League’s Young Player of the Year, and U20 National Youth Team member Mutalifu Yiminkari, etc., all grew up in Kashgar, a fertile soil for football.

"Kashgar will definitely have a place in the bright future of Chinese football," Tulahun said.

In the evening in the ancient city of Kashgar, another group of children came back from school. Before they changed out of their school uniforms, footballs were already being passed around in the alley. (over)