A group of educators with latent football genes have quietly accomplished something significant

Reported by Chen Yong In the process of China's football vocational education reform, one school has been the driving force behind the higher vocational football sports and management major and the secondary vocational football sports major. The Ministry of Education's Vocational Education and Adult Education Department and the General Administration of Sport's Science and Education Department have held their football vocational education conferences at this school for three consecutive years. In other words, the center of China's football vocational education reform over the past three years has been here.

Most people would instinctively assume that the institution undertaking this reform would be Beijing Sport University, Shanghai University of Sport, or at least a key sports vocational college. Surprisingly, the answer is an ordinary higher vocational college—Qingdao Preschool Education College (hereinafter referred to as "Qingdao Preschool College").

Qingdao Preschool College was established only six years ago. Its faculty comes from various education systems in Qingdao, seemingly unrelated to football. However, most of them possess either overt or covert football genes. With the advancement of China's football vocational education reform and the development of the college's football vocational school, they have come together and their football genes have been activated. A group of people passionate about football have quietly accomplished a major feat.

In the summer of 2024, when I first met Li Min, the Party Secretary of Qingdao Preschool College, he candidly told the experts present, "If you ask about my relationship with football, I used to be a fan, but I've rarely watched games in recent years due to work. I never expected that we would be sitting together again because of football."

That day, they chatted about football stories from 20 years ago and discussed the significance and direction of football vocational education. Li Min detailed the situation of Qingdao Preschool College. In the end, he said, "As an educator, I want to say that education is not limited to the classroom. Our higher vocational education is mostly practiced hands-on. For football, the function of education is everywhere. Since we have taken on the heavy responsibility of football vocational education reform, my only thought is: we must not fail; we must produce talent. Qingdao Preschool College will do its utmost to achieve this."

Consequently, during the application and construction of the football vocational school at Qingdao Preschool College, amid various opinions, Li Min's attitude was unequivocal: do it, and do it well. Subsequently, he provided full financial, human, and material support for professional talent introduction, facility construction, and other aspects. Thus, Li Min's identity regarding football transformed from "former fan" back to a football person—a leader in football vocational education.

President Fu Rongyun is not a football fan, but since Qingdao Preschool College began applying for the pilot program, she has been on the front lines. She traveled to the Ministry of Education to apply for the pilot, to the Shandong Provincial Department of Education to apply for the "3+2" vocational to undergraduate articulation system, and for many other tasks, each requiring multiple round trips. She made 17 trips from Qingdao to Beijing for the pilot application and related work, including visits to Beijing Sport University.

Unlike Li Min, whose football genes were rekindled, Fu Rongyun grew into a football vocational educator through her work. The fact that Qingdao Preschool College, an ordinary higher vocational institution, undertook the national football reform task owes much to the full support and hands-on involvement of the two school leaders.

Without Jia Xiaoyang, Li Min and Fu Rongyun's workload might have been significantly lighter. Because without this crazy football enthusiast, this non-sports higher vocational college would not have been linked to football, nor would it have taken on this reform task. Li Min often jokes with Jia Xiaoyang, "In other units, leaders add burdens to employees, but in our school, you are constantly adding burdens to me."

Jia Xiaoyang's passion for football is beyond imagination. When the reporter talked with him about players of the national youth team, he listed them with great familiarity, describing their types, characteristics, and prospects with ease. His depth of knowledge even made the reporter feel embarrassed. In fact, whether he was previously in charge of the Party and Administration Office or now as the head of the Academic Affairs Office, his workload is very heavy, but he has never given up his love and attention for football, especially youth football.

This is a crucial link in why Qingdao Preschool College seized the opportunity when the country initiated football vocational education reform: because of his sufficient passion and familiarity, Jia Xiaoyang keenly recognized this as a good opportunity and proactively drafted relevant plans. However, he still had doubts. At this critical moment, Li Min and Fu Rongyun gave clear support and full backing.

During the application process, to fully demonstrate the attitude and determination of Qingdao Preschool College, Jia Xiaoyang actively contacted and accompanied President Fu Rongyun on multiple visits to the Ministry of Education's Vocational Education and Adult Education Department, the General Administration of Sport's Science and Education Department, Beijing Sport University, the Chinese Football Association, and other relevant units for exchanges and learning. Ultimately, the college became one of the first pilots for national football vocational school construction, and football vocational education and school construction conferences have been held at Qingdao Preschool College for three consecutive years.

When Qingdao Preschool College began applying for the football vocational school pilot, Xu Qian was the deputy director of the college's publicity department, with her mind full of early childhood education and specialized programs like jewelry design. She seemed to have forgotten that she herself was once a football person—a football referee.

Xu Qian participated in the entire process of applying for and building the football vocational school, eventually becoming its head. She has been involved in every aspect of the school's development from scratch over the past three years. Her football genes were naturally reactivated, and now she can talk about professional football education with great familiarity.

This year, Yao Mingfang, a member of the college's Party Committee, became the Party Secretary of the football vocational school, fully demonstrating the importance Qingdao Preschool College places on the school's construction. When chatting with the reporter about football, they quickly connected because of their similar ages: back in the college dormitory, they would buy the "Football" newspaper, tear it into eight pieces, and pass them around to read. Distant football memories were revived after more than 20 years, all because football had come to this place.

Deputy Party Secretary Liu Dachuan, similar to Jia Xiaoyang, has always been passionate about football and loves to play, and he is quite good at it. He has countless stories about football: he once had a car accident on his way to a game, his body is covered with scars from playing, and there is a deep scar on his left ankle, a testament to his love for football. He has a background in physical education, but previously he was responsible for enrollment and other work. After the establishment of the vocational school, he found his true home.

After joining the football vocational school, Liu Dachuan is very happy. He is now the leader of the Qingdao Preschool College football team. During this "Centennial Famous School Cup," Liu Dachuan was very excited. Besides handling various logistical matters, his favorite thing is watching the games.

At Qingdao Preschool College, there is also an "extra" football vocational educator: Wu Zhengbiao, the head of the school's security department. He appears at almost every team activity, partly for his security duties and partly because he likes the kids playing football. He also actively helps the school team arrange charity events and friendly matches. Even though he is "extra," he is truly a football vocational educator.

Guan Haojun is the competition director for Qingdao Preschool College's "Centennial Famous School Cup." Besides coordinating competition matters before the start, he has been at the venue throughout the competition, being one of the earliest to arrive and one of the latest to leave. Guan Haojun is also a football enthusiast. Being quite tall, he especially enjoys agile dribbling and passing moves. After the football vocational school was established, he proactively applied to join it, transitioning from his previous vocational education role to football vocational education. Like Liu Dachuan, he perfectly unites his passion and work.

Unlike Guan Haojun, Sun Shijie is not a football person, but he is a sports person, and his identity is even more impressive—a master of aerobics. During this "Centennial Famous School Cup," he was in charge of logistics and stayed at the school throughout.

At the Qingdao Preschool College football vocational school, there are many more staff members. For example, counselor Zhang Yixian was once a professional table tennis player. As the secretary of the college's Youth League Committee, she voluntarily requested to serve as the counselor for the football sports major, and the students really like this "big sister who understands them."

We cannot document every football vocational educator at Qingdao Preschool College, but the college's achievements in football vocational education are inseparable from the efforts of every staff member.

Now, more professional football talents have come to the school, such as the school's vice president and head coach Hou Zhiqiang, and the head coach of the Chinese futsal national team, Li Jianlei. They have been deeply involved in professional and youth football for many years, bringing a new atmosphere to the school. As a result, the football vocational school at Qingdao Preschool College is becoming increasingly professional.

However, the story of these educators at Qingdao Preschool College who were once far from football but now have their football genes rekindled proves that the power of football is everywhere. In football, only love is unbreakable.