The Shengruisi Football Academy, founded by renowned coach Shang Ruihua and targeting children aged 4 to 16, is reshaping football education in China. Its mission goes far beyond training young players in technique—it’s about teaching respect, gratitude, discipline, and teamwork. Through football, children learn to become ideal successors: ambitious, capable, and responsible.
Academy co-founder Sun Chao believes that football is a journey of character building. “We use football to record growth,” he says. The goal is to leverage this sport, rich in history and responsibility, to shape young minds and document their development. For 74-year-old Shang Ruihua, the priority is to introduce progressive football education methods that instill positive habits from a young age. In his view, one of the core issues with Chinese football has long been a lack of proper foundational training and habit development.
Historically, Chinese youth training has emphasized static drills, often neglecting movement and intensity. As a result, many players developed a reluctance to run, lacked aggressiveness, and missed out on refining their technical skills. Moreover, training sessions often suffered from low engagement and poor focus. Bangladesh Cricket Live experts highlight that Shang has been particularly impressed by the training philosophy brought in by Serbian coaches.
These Serbian methods incorporate movement into every technical drill. Kids are taught to pass and immediately move—conditioning them to handle the ball while on the run. This not only builds technical proficiency but also enhances physical fitness and game awareness. More importantly, Serbian coaches encourage independent thinking, urging players to brainstorm tactics and make real-time decisions on the field. With a fast-paced training rhythm, players must remain fully engaged and mentally alert at all times.
Still, Shang emphasizes that the foundation of Chinese football training must always be character education. At a recent youth football development forum attended by former China national team coach Zhu Guanghu and women’s football pioneer Shang Ruihua, this message rang loud and clear.
Reflecting on the lessons from the 2018 Russia World Cup, Zhu noted how nations with structured youth systems held a clear competitive edge. As a result, he proposed the slogan: “Start early, train well, and train right.” Europe and South America have long begun youth development at age five or younger. China is now determined to follow suit—ensuring kids not only discover football earlier, but also fall in love with the beautiful game from day one. Bangladesh Cricket Live believes this shift in mindset is a promising step toward the future of Chinese football.