Tianshan Net News (Reporter Fan Guobin reports) Recently, in the final of the second "Pomegranate Seed Cup" Youth Men’s Football Championship (junior high school group) in Shufu County, Kashgar, the middle school football team in Langan Town of the county won the championship and took the stage to receive the award. At that moment, the little players hugged each other tightly with their coaches and teachers and cried with joy.
The "Pomegranate Seed Cup" youth football match is one of the "works" of Guangdong football aid to Xinjiang. The name of the competition is "Pomegranate Seed", which means that children of all ethnic groups hold each other tightly through football. Over the past two years, this competition has attracted more than 800 students and teachers from more than 20 schools.
Guangdong’s aid to Xinjiang innovation puts forward "football aid to Xinjiang"
Football aid to Xinjiang is a sports concept first put forward in 19 provinces and cities in Guangdong Province. Since its launch in February 2017, Shufu County, which is supported by Guangzhou counterparts, has taken the lead in setting up 10 middle schools and 12 primary schools as outlets for youth football, building football venues, providing basic equipment and equipment, and carrying out campus football training, so that more and more teenagers in Kashgar like football.
In Kupuse Village Primary School in Saybagh Township, Shufu County, every day after school, a group of students will play football in the artificial grass football field, sweating like rain. "There are 346 students in our school. A year ago, all the children played football in the clay court. Now they are playing football in the artificial grass football field. They are happy." Yong Kaiyuan, the principal of Kupuse Village Primary School, said that children can use the advanced football field thanks to the football aid policy of Guangdong Province.
At present, No.3 Middle School, Mingde Primary School and Saybag Township Central Primary School in Shufu County have become the teaching practice bases of the Football College of Guangzhou Institute of Physical Education. Ten middle schools and 12 primary schools in Shufu County have been included in the football training system, and more than 500 young people of all ethnic groups have received professional football training all the year round.
The second "Pomegranate Seed Cup" Youth Men’s Football Championship in Shufu County. (Image courtesy of the Autonomous Region Sports Bureau)
In 2018, the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau issued the "Guangdong Football Aid Xinjiang Work Plan" to integrate strength resources and increase investment in football aid Xinjiang. In that year, the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau invested 2 million yuan in aid to Xinjiang, which was used for the reconstruction of the basic football field and the construction of facilities in the aided areas.
"Our goal is to strive to build four to six artificial grass football fields for sevens and related supporting projects in Kashgar within three years." Wang Weidong, deputy inspector of Guangdong Sports Bureau, said.
Not only that, Guangdong Football Aid to Xinjiang also helps Xinjiang to build a football training structure, competition structure and transportation system. Through campus football training, youth men’s football championships, campus leagues covering Shufu County, Jiashi County and the Third Division of the Corps, and sending talents to football schools in Xinjiang and Guangdong, the youth football cause in Kashgar has been gradually promoted in depth.
The second "Pomegranate Seed Cup" Youth Men’s Football Championship in Shufu County. (Image courtesy of the Autonomous Region Sports Bureau)
Plant a seed of hope
In February 2017, Wang Liang of the Football Center of Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau came to Kashgar as a professional football technician to participate in the aid work in Xinjiang.
Since coming to Kashgar, Wang Liang has spent half his time teaching football in rural primary schools. "Every time I go to school, the children are waiting for me at the school gate. Everyone is vying to help me with my football equipment. I can really feel the children’s love for football."
Sepura Nurmaiti, a 10-year-old fourth-grade student of Mingde Primary School in Shufu County, loved playing football since childhood. Recently, he got a brand-new football donated by Guangdong Sports Lottery Management Center, and then received football shoes from Wang Liang. He was very excited.
Sepura’s parents are not around, and she is one of the few boarding children in Mingde Primary School. She is usually taciturn. After Wang Liang went to Mingde Primary School to carry out football training, he teamed up to play football. Sepra’s "Football Dream" was activated. He was originally shy and introverted, and now he plays football on the court with his classmates every day, learning the national common language and learning cultural knowledge together.
"With football, he is like a completely different person, positive, sunny, cheerful and lovely. The purpose of football aid to Xinjiang is to plant a seed of hope in the hearts of children and bring about positive energy changes. " Seeing that his efforts won the harvest, Wang Liang showed a gratified smile.
In July 2018, the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau and the Guangdong Frontier Command organized a 24-member Kashgar youth football team to go to Guangdong Province for a 17-day competition exchange.
In order to participate in the competition, the little players braved the heat to practice their skills, while studying hard the classroom knowledge and learning the national common language.
In the end, each of the 24 children got the opportunity to go to Guangdong to participate in the competition and exchange. When the little player boarded the flight to Guangzhou, everyone was very excited, and a happy smile permeated everyone’s face.
The poverty alleviation research group of Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau donated campus football activities to Tuoyun Ranch School. (Image courtesy of the Autonomous Region Sports Bureau)
There are successors in the development of football in Xinjiang
In addition to Wang Liang, in the past two years, Guangdong Province has continuously sent football coaches to Xinjiang for team formation, coaching and referee training to help cultivate local football talents.
Guangzhou Institute of Physical Education and Guangzhou Fuli Football Club have set up three football teaching bases and youth training cooperation institutions in Mingde Primary School, No.3 Middle School and Saybag Township Central Primary School in Shufu County. Three experts from Guangdong Provincial Department of Education and Guangzhou Institute of Physical Education went to Kashgar to hold a training course for coaches and referees, with 70 trainees. Among them, Imran Tursun of Mingde Primary School stood out from the selection of Fuli Chelsea Football School and entered the school in September 2018. Evergrande Real Madrid Football School has 97 Xinjiang children, most of whom are from Kashgar.
Seeing that my younger brother, Imran Tursun, has been admitted to R&F Football School, my older brother, Imran Mohammad Aili, who is now in the sixth grade of Mingde Yu Primary School, said with envy: "I want to study hard and play football like my younger brother to realize my ‘ Football dream ’ 。”
Backer Batur, the captain who led Langan Town Middle School to win the second "Pomegranate Seed Cup" youth football team championship, has a greater ideal. "I want to redouble my efforts, learn the national common language well, learn cultural lessons well, become an excellent athlete when I grow up, compete in domestic and international competitions, and win glory for my country."