The Centennial School Cup | 16 primary schools, one consensus: teach football, first nurture people

Written by / Zuo Rui Under the sun and on the green field, 16 teams from across the country showcased their team spirit and expressed the lively and joyful nature of children. The second “Centennial School Cup” primary school event has concluded, but the practice of “educating through sports” will not cease, and the educational role of campus football will continue to be creatively advanced.

Through this exchange competition, the “Football Gentlemen” course developed by Hangzhou Xuejun Primary School has received broader recognition and dissemination. This long-running school-based course proposes the educational concept of “Football Gentlemen,” aiming to enhance players’ “standard civilized etiquette, resilient character, and rich cultural sentiment,” and has been recognized as a premium course in Hangzhou and a quality course in Zhejiang Province.

Cultivating children’s “gentlemanly qualities” through football is the goal of the sports research group at Xuejun Primary School. The team leader, Li Zhihua, said, “When children playing football become inclusive, calm, and loving, that is the embodiment of a ‘Football Gentleman.’” At the same time, he and his colleagues have also realized their educational ideal of “educating through sports.”

▲ Team leader Li Zhihua from Xuejun Primary School

During the group matches and the subsequent potential group ranking matches, it wasn't just the coaching staff summarizing during halftime; the players also stood up to share their understanding of the game, their strategies, and objectively analyze their strengths and weaknesses. In the face of stronger opponents, being able to think independently, learn autonomously, and absorb lessons—this is the positive change brought to children by the “Football Gentleman” education, isn't it?

Han Qiang from Chongqing Nankai Primary School is also a dedicated football educator who puts great effort into each week’s “Happy Football” class. Drawing on the activity flow of the AFC “Grassroots Football Festival” and adapting it to the school’s spatial conditions, he divides half the field into four zones during class, focusing on physical fitness, technical training, games, and matches, with each segment lasting five minutes. By the end of the class, each student can complete two rounds, and without realizing it, the class time has flown by amidst strong fun and competitiveness.

Han Qiang stated that each area would have a student acting as a teaching assistant, while the teacher only oversees the technical training segment. The “assistants” hold certificates issued by the school and play an important role in organizing the football course, responsible for mobilizing classmates, clarifying rules, and officiating matches.

▲ Teacher Han Qiang from Chongqing Nankai Primary School (right)

“The redesigned football class is more efficient and appealing. It not only helps expand participation in our campus football but also enhances children's interest and skill in football,” Han Qiang said.

On the surface, it seems that physical education teachers have a much easier time teaching football, but the hard work happens outside of class; nurturing “assistants” requires significant effort. Besides football classes, students in grades three and four engage in dribbling runs during recess. The repetitive dribbling is not in vain; in addition to improving ball control, the newly added “face-to-face relay dribble run” at the annual winter sports meeting also serves to guide training through competitions.

It is reported that the “Happy Football” school-based textbook has been recognized as a premium course by the Shapingba District of Chongqing. The sports research group from Nankai Primary School has been invited multiple times to weak football regions such as Liangping County and Chengkou County to promote their methods of developing campus football and has trained over 200 local grassroots sports teachers.

On the field in Qidong, players who excel academically and possess strong football skills serve as role models and are entrusted with important responsibilities by the coaching staff. According to Lin Kai, the head coach of Nanning Taohuayuan Primary School, the team’s goalkeeper Du Minkun, who is a “Three Good Student” of Nanning in 2024, and the captain and forward Huang Ziyang, who is also the school’s flag bearer, lead the team through challenges and into the honor group finals of this exchange competition with their outstanding leadership and consistent performance.

Taohuayuan Primary School is committed to popularizing football and is recognized as a national characteristic school for campus football and a model school for campus football in Guangxi. In 2023 and 2025, they won the male and female championships in the Nanning “Thousand-Mile Cup” campus football league. The school insists on promoting holistic education and aims to cultivate “five beautiful youths.”

Team leader Wu Xinyue stated that the development of campus football at the school relies on the attention of district leaders and school administrators, and sports activities, including football, are also an important part of cultivating “five beautiful youths.”

▲ Best goalkeeper Du Minkun (second from left) and best player Huang Ziyang (second from right) of this event

The education philosophy of “Moral, Intellectual, Physical, Aesthetic, and Labor Education, with Sports in the Spotlight” vigorously promoted by the education department of Wuchang District in Wuhan in recent years vividly illustrates the prominent position of sports in holistic education. This philosophy has been effectively implemented and uniquely created at Wuhan University First Affiliated Primary School.

Tu Junyi, the team leader of the football team at Wuhan University First Affiliated Primary School, stated that to ensure football players are “in the spotlight” and to enhance their sense of honor and recognition of football on campus, all team members representing the school in competitions can unconditionally be selected as “Three Good Students” or “Outstanding Students.”

As an affiliated unit of Wuhan University, all students at Wuhan University First Affiliated Primary School come from the children of faculty and staff at the university. Most of these children are from scholarly families and grow up in a culturally rich environment, which makes them relatively softer in physique and character. “Through five years of promoting campus football, our students have become braver and more confident,” Tu Junyi said.

▲ Team leader Tu Junyi from Wuhan University First Affiliated Primary School

It is reported that Wuhan University First Affiliated Primary School insists on one hour of physical exercise every day. After football was included in the school-based curriculum, every student participates in one football class per week throughout the academic year, and for third and fifth graders, there are an additional four to five football club activities each week. Through years of persistence and football education, children who play football not only show the benefits of physical fitness but also embody a spirit of sportsmanship to varying degrees.

Looking at the players who came to compete in Qidong, Tu Junyi expressed satisfaction with their attitude towards winning and losing, saying, “When we win, we should win with dignity, and when we lose, we should lose gracefully.”

Zhengzhou Zhengshang Road Primary School has produced many national team players, such as Gao Lin, Wang Shangyuan, and Cheng Jin, and has never worried about sourcing football talent, always attracting students and parents to come. However, the head coach Liu Haoyang told this report that over 80% of the players’ parents do not wish for their children to pursue a professional football career. Instead, they hope to satisfy their children's love for football through the sport, thereby nurturing their growth and character, and ultimately, many aim for their children to get into a good university through football.

“Let’s put it this way: if you play football well but do poorly in school, you might be valued in the team.” He said, “But if the situation is reversed, and you play poorly in the team but excel academically, you are a treasure in the whole school, a star.”

▲ Coach Liu Haoyang from Zhengshang Road Primary School

Focusing on children’s academic learning, moral development, and behavioral habits, prioritizing education, and immediately taking measures like suspending training when academic performance declines has formed a strong consensus among century-old schools with varying levels of football heritage.

After every match, regardless of the outcome, the players from Shaanxi Normal University Affiliated Primary School clean up water bottles and tidy the entire field, ensuring that any litter, whether left by themselves or opponents, is properly disposed of. Team leader Li Kaige said that due to the school and coaching staff's extensive work on such details, through daily immersion, the children have learned gratitude and have become accustomed to giving back to football in this manner.

▲ Players from Shaanxi Normal University Affiliated Primary School persist in reading during their journey

Additionally, Shaanxi Normal University Affiliated Primary School conducts annual skill level evaluations for 14 sports, including the three major ball games. Students who achieve certain points receive scholarships worth several hundred yuan. Football players often find it easier to win awards during these evaluations, and what’s even more touching is that after receiving their scholarships, they often choose to buy gifts for their parents to express gratitude for their support in their football endeavors. “The players don’t think about buying fun or tasty things for themselves first; they share with their parents right away, which feels very heartwarming,” Li Kaige said.

On the morning of the 28th, after completing all the events of the “Centennial School Cup,” the young players from Xiamen People's Primary School, after finishing their last meal and preparing to return, specifically went to the cafeteria window to thank the aunties who had taken care of them throughout the week.

Hefei Normal University Second Affiliated Primary School has seen several graduates selected for U-series national teams or playing in the Chinese Super League. However, the school insists on prioritizing education, and becoming a professional player is not the responsibility of the school team, but rather an unexpected delight. Thus, when recruiting professional football coaches from outside, they are particularly cautious. Having football experience, a bachelor's degree, and a good teaching ethic are the basic requirements for hiring external coaches. Currently, graduates from Beijing Sport University and Central China Normal University are teaching at the school.

Head coach Ma Fei believes that the goals, motivations, and methods of schools and clubs in training individuals differ significantly. “Clubs aim to cultivate professional athletes while earning a living, whereas our purpose in coaching is to educate through sports and cultivate students' character.” In daily management of players, those who curse or insult others three times after warnings are all advised to leave the team.

▲ Head coach Ma Fei from Hefei Normal University Second Affiliated Primary School

Ma Fei stated that football can refine players' character and willpower. In this “Centennial School Cup,” they defeated opponents twice in penalty shootouts during the final group match and quarter-finals. “If we can bring our sixth-grade players to Qidong this time, we are fully confident in competing for the championship.”

During the Qidong trip, Ma Fei was most satisfied with the injured players' determination to continue playing and their ability to handle pressure during the two penalty shootouts—each training session before the match concluded with penalty practice, and they specifically requested other players to create pressure by cheering against the penalty takers. When faced with penalty shootouts, their preparation was quite thorough.

“Compared to training, the pressure of penalty shootouts in official matches is somewhat different, but the players passed the test,” Ma Fei said.