It was 5p.m., and the sunlight was still fierce in Shufu, a county of Kashgar in Xinjiang. Mamat Ali Rozi (Ali) was having a match with his teammates at a newly-built standardized football field of Mingde Primary School. 

The football pitch was still an empty area covered with mud one year ago. Kids used to call it“the misty football field”because dust floated every time when they had training.

11-year-old Ali said his memory of joining the school football team is still fresh and clear. “Coach Zhou Zhiyou is from Guangdong. He came to select team members in 2017 and formed the school football team. I signed up as soon as I heard the news,” said Ali.

Students are practicing at the new football field at Mingde Primary School. The project name “Guangdong aids Xinjiang” are printed on their jerseys.

Zhou Zhiyou is one of the first coaches that came for an aid project launched by Guangdong province in 2017, aiming to help Xinjiang kids pursue their football dream. The project assists Shufu to build football fields and give students professional training in 10 middle schools and 12 primary schools.

“Through the eyes of these kids, I can tell their passion,” said Zhou, “I remember clearly that a kid wore sandles to my training and he played barefoot for a whole afternoon. That was when I made up my mind to teach them well.”

Shufu is at an altitude of 3,650 meters above sea level, which means local kids have stronger body strength naturally. Zhou customized a training plan and tried to involve as many students as possible. With all these efforts, Mingde Primary School now has a football team in every class and organizes a match every week.

Mingde Primary School

Ali is one of these kids who take the football training very seriously. He goes to school for a two-hour training session at 7 a.m. every morning before sunrise. After school, Ali and his friends practice with a paper-made football in the community. He also downloaded videos of Neymar, the famous Brazilian football player, to better his techniques.

“I hope I can play football with Emran in Guangdong someday,” Ali said.

Ali and his companions are playing a paper football made by himself in the community after school.

Emran Tursun is the first boy in Kashgar that made his way out of town as a ‘football star’. With his outstanding skills, Emran got admitted by the R&F Football Academy of Guangdong when the scouts came to select potential trainees in September 2018.

Emran is training at R&F Football Academy in Meizhou, Guangdong.

Emran is now studying while having intensive training at the academy in Meizhou, Guangdong.“It was like a dream come true to play football here. I wouldn’t have had this chance without the aid project. I can still remember the excitement when I got the admission,” said Emran.

Emran’s training in Meizhou is never easy. He has to consult and learn from excellent teammates during weekend to catch up with others. He also loves practicing with other Xinjiang students and his two roommates who are respectively from Guangzhou and Chaozhou of Guangdong province.

Emran is playing football with Xinjiang students.

Six months later, his endeavours eventually paid off. Emran and his team won the Zhanjiang Junior Championship in October last year. This is the first trophy since he arrived in Guangdong. “The victory immediately brought back the confidence I had lost,”he said.

Zhou Zhiyou said Emran set a good example to other Shufu kids, showing the possibility to change one’s fate with personal efforts. “As long as we stick to the project, talented and diligent kids can have opportunities to fulfill their dreams.”

Up till now, an increasing number of students in Kashgar have achieved this opportunity. In January 2019, Ali and 21 students took part in the winter training at R&F Football Academy in Meizhou. “It was the first time for me to take a flight and left my hometown to other places in the country,”Ali said.

During the winter training, Ali received professional guidance from foreign coaches and played matches with more players from different cities. He also met Emran and had training together.

“I’ll practice hard and surpass Emran one day,”Ali said.

Shufu team members are cheering each other on before a game.

Football is changing the life of many Kashgar kids like Emran and Ali. Thus far, the Guangdong aid project has provided more than 500 students with professional football training in Shufu.

The local football team has become stronger and stronger over the past two years. They won the U12 championship campus group during the Belt and Road International Youth Football Tournament in 2019.

In addition, the project helps kids solve real-life problems on their way to pursuing dreams. In May 2020, the project staff conducted a feedback research at Mingde Primary School and found the annual 30-thousand-yuan tuition fee has become a heavy burden on Emran’s family. Having discussed with the R&F Football Academy, the Academy and the aid project decided to jointly cover Emran’s tuition fee until his graduation.

Huang Shenghua，Chairman of Guangzhou R&F Football Club said they expect to have another selection in Shufu to look for more potential players by the end of this year.

Thus far, three Xinjiang students have been admitted into the National Youth Football Team. The Guangdong football aid project is expected to enable more Shufu students to fight themselves into the list and facilitate communication between different ethnic groups.

Entering the national team is also Emran’s dream. He smiled shyly and said “I wish to become a professional athlete like them and win glory for China. I’d also love to be a coach at Mingde Primary School so that I can share the love given by the Guangdong aid project.”

Supervisors: Wang Xiyong, Luo Yanjun

Planners: Zheng Jiaxin, Wu Zhe

Reporters: Peng Lin, Li He, Liu Qiang

Translators: Zhang Ying, Yin Juewen, Jerry Grey 

Interns: Shen Beifeng, Li Yuan

Cameramen: Zhang Di, Li He

Editors: Wan Wenlong