Girls from mountainous areas in Hainan pursue football dreams

Girls from mountainous areas of Qiongzhong Li and Miao Autonomous County in south China’s Hainan Province have been chasing their football dreams since the establishment of a girls’ football team in the county.

Members of the Qiongzhong Women’s Football Team in south China’s Hainan Province attend a training session. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Starting from scratch, the first batch of more than 20 players of the Qiongzhong Women’s Football Team began to train under the guidance of their coaches Xiao Shan, a retired football player, and his wife Wu Xiaoli. Wu gave up her job in a pharmaceutical company and came to the county in 2006, after which she became a coach for the team.

In the beginning, the team was underfunded and understaffed. To supply additional food, the couple directed the girls to plant vegetables. In addition to serving as coaches, they also took on various roles as the team’s cooks, teachers and drivers.

Photo shows Wu Xiaoli, a coach of the Qiongzhong Women’s Football Team in south China’s Hainan Province. (People’s Daily Online/Fu Wuping)

Thanks to many years of consistent efforts, the couple was able to train dozens of girls and cultivate them into becoming world champions, having empowered them to find a new place in society.

The team won the Gothia Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2015. The Gothia Cup, held in Sweden every year, is the largest and most international youth football tournament in the world. The team also won the Gothia Cup China, the national sister competition to its international Swedish counterpart, in 2016 and 2017.

“After coming here, I found that these girls urgently needed our help. They aspired to change their lives,” said Wu.

“I never expected that we could help some of the girls to go to universities and send some to the Chinese national women’s football team. I’m so proud of them. They are even more proud of themselves,” Wu said.

Chen Qiaocui, a coach of the Qiongzhong Women’s Football Team in south China’s Hainan Province, instructs team members. (People’s Daily Online/Fu Wuping)

Chen Qiaocui was one of the girls in the county who saw her fate transformed through the sport of football. Chen, among one of the first batch of players on the team, has since become a coach for the team, hoping to train the next generation of footballers.

“Thanks to football, I develop a cheerful and resilient personality and live a wonderful life,” Chen said, recalling that she left Qiongzhong for the first time in 2007 after she took part in competitions outside the county.

Wang Huimin, a member of the Qiongzhong Women’s Football Team in south China’s Hainan Province, competes in a match during the Gothia Cup in 2017. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

“The team was a turning point in my life and a stage for me to showcase my ability. I will continue striving for the team,” Chen added.

So far, four members on the team have entered the China women’s national under-20 football team while 12 have entered the China women’s national under-17 football team. “As a coach, I want to lead the team to take part in high-level competitions and help more girls in my hometown to see a wider world,” Chen said.

Wang Huimin, a current member of the team, said she wants to play at international competitions and win honor for her motherland, which has motivated her to continue following through with the team’s strict training schedule. “Every football player has that dream,” Wang said firmly. 

Members of the Qiongzhong Women’s Football Team in south China’s Hainan Province attend a training session. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Members of the Qiongzhong Women’s Football Team in south China’s Hainan Province attend a training session. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)