On June 8 2018, the CFA symposium to prepare the establishment of “the People’s Alliance of Football” was held in Beijing where the attendees contributed ideas for the preparation. The symposium was chaired by CFA Executive Committee member Lin Xiaohua, and attended by the assistant director and member of the Party Leadership Group of General Administration of Sport of China and CFA Secretary of the Party Committee Du Zhaocai, CFA Executive Deputy Director and Secretary General Zhang Jian, People’s Daily Sports Division Director Li Zhongwen, Xinhua News Agency Sports Division Director Xu Jiren, China Sports Newspaper Group Chief Gao Chao, Chinese Enterprises Sports Association Employee Football Committee Director Chi Shangbin, People.cn Sports Division Director and People's Sports Board Chairman Zhu Kai, Beijing Zhutanzhixing Corp. Board Chairman Liu Bingrun, Titan Sports Corp. Board Chairman Zhang Dunnan, Sina.com Sports Editor in Chief Zhan Sheng, Chengdu Gandong Sports Media Corp. Board Chairman Zou Yougeng, Guangzhou Super Football Club Co-founder Peng Weiguo, the representatives from China’s football and media community, and relevant department heads of CFA.

Du Zhaocai: The People’s Alliance of Football Should Contribute Positive Energy to the Pursuit of the Chinese Dream

The Assistant Director and Member of the Party Leadership Group of General Administration of Sport of China and CFA Secretary of the Party Committee Du Zhaocai gave a keynote speech at the symposium. Du pointed out that General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC Xi Jingpi, when meeting with the national advanced sports units and representatives of outstanding individuals, stressed that to expedite transforming China into a world sports leader is to stick with the people-centric thought, advance China’s sports development with the Chinese people at its core, take all-round development of our people as our intent and purpose in our work, implement the National Fitness Strategy and keep improving people’s health. To implement the guidelines in China’s football sector, we need to embrace patriotism and collectivism in football, making football more accessible to the public rather than the competition. Under these circumstances, the People’s Alliance of Football is established to promote social football development. The People’s Alliance of Football, with three guiding principles of collaboration, regulation, football development, is established to attract institutions and enterprises to get involved in social football development. In doing so, market dynamics could be fueled, social actors can be fully inspired to advance a football development for all, and a virtuous circle can be created to create economic and social benefits. The alliance is also conducive to remove the barriers built by vested interests, maximize productivity, find new driving forces, create a fair competition environment, optimize allocation of resources, press ahead the football sector in a larger picture, and give a bigger role for football to play in the initiative of transforming China into a world sports leader and improving people's health.

Du stressed that work in the following three aspects must be strengthened during the preparation of the People’s Alliance of Football: First, we must fully understand the importance and necessity of promoting People’s Football. To develop a people-centric football aims at creating better lives for all Chinese with the help of football and achieving the Chinese dream for them powered by a positive football culture. Secondly, we must launch aggressive innovation. We will blaze a new trail for People’s Football in its implementation, build a new framework for its development, guide the development of social football, develop a positive social football culture, and contribute positive energy in our effort to pursue the Chinese dream. Thirdly, we need to strengthen the publicity campaign. We will create an environment that supports the agenda of People’s Football, cultivate a positive football fan culture, build a fair and ordered game, advocate watching football game in a civilized and rational manner, make football more accessible to communities so as to develop a healthy and positive football culture.

Zhang Jian: Consolidate the Foundation of Development, Look Squarely at the Growing Pains, Find the Forces Driving Healthy Growth of Social Football

CFA Executive Deputy Director and Secretary General Zhang Jian said at the symposium that although football has become an integral part of the growing needs of the Chinese people for better lives, a huge gap remains between the current development of social football and the needs of our people. As members of China’s football community, we must pay attention to those problems. Under the leadership of the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council, we need to follow the rules of football development, lead the football reform, govern in accordance with the laws, stay inclusive and share resources. Meanwhile, we need to consolidate the foundations for football development in the aspects of regulation, talent, infrastructure and social awareness, align our work with the nature of our country and the current development of football in China.

Zhang pointed out that the future of China's football will be shaped by our efforts, rather than a known destination. The People’s Alliance of Football aims at promoting healthy development for social football, giving full play to public organizations, finding the driving forces for healthy development of social football, and making unremitting efforts for a brighter future for China’s football.

Representatives from Various Sectors Contribute Their Ideas to the People’s Alliance of Football and the Future of Social Football

At the symposium, individuals of social football and representatives of media shared their thoughts on the delivery of the People’s Alliance of Football.

Social football bears the duties of the promotion of the Fitness-for-all Initiative and the work of expanding China’s professional footballers, which is the guiding principles to found the alliance, said People’s Daily Sports Division Director Li Zhongwen. The People’s Alliance of Football should not only encourage the public participating in football games, but also offer joy for them.

Xinhua News Agency Sports Division Director Xu Jiren said experiences and expertise gained from extensive football games, rather than routine practice, is essential to improve player’s performance, which works both for professional and social football. The People’s Alliance of Football should further improve the football competition system. While it includes local social football games, it should stage its own tournaments, build a systematic competition platform for more people so that Chinese football fans can enjoy the charm of football in an institutional, regulated and secure environment.

The People’s Alliance of Football is going to build a football platform for the public though, it must align its tournament nature to league competition. While pursuing well-played tournament, it needs to ensure security, have on-site medical staff and equipment for possible player injuries, have contingency plans for extreme weather, tighten security check for spectators, and mobilize all social forces to facilitate competitions, said China Sports Newspaper Group Chief Gao Chao.

People.cn Sports Division Director and People's Sports Board Chairman Zhu Kai analyzed the role of the alliance in publicizing and promoting social football from the standpoint of media, elaborating the traditional, brand, platform, communication and industry value of the People’s Alliance of Football. Zhu suggested that China’s sports media should take the founding of the alliance as an opportunity to build an all-in-one media platform to promote China’s social football.

Titan Sports Corp. Board Chairman Zhang Dunnan briefed the progress of Beautiful Village Farmer Football Tournament. He pointed out that while China’s social football tournaments abound with players, it lacks a professional manager, a role that the People’s Alliance of Football can play. He hoped that the alliance can issue an annual China Social Football White Paper at year-end to review the progress of China’s social football and provide statistics as guidelines and reference for China’s social football workers.

Chinese Enterprises Sports Association Employee Football Committee Director Chi Shangbin briefed the progress of China Employee Football League. He stated that the league aims at elevate happiness for workers from various industries, enabling football to contribute to the pursuit of the Chinese dream. He hoped that the People’s Alliance of Football can establish and improve the competition system and cooperate with related leagues so that it can better serve football fans from various industries.

Beijing Zhutanzhixing Corp. Board Chairman Liu Bingrun briefed the progress of the Chinese City Football Super League (CCL). Liu stated that the CCL will emerge as the top inter-city football league in China. The league will not only attract more football fans, but also involve campus football and develop youth training programs, thus building an inclusive and healthy city amateur football competition system. The CCL has introduced a three-tiered competition system since 2018, including league, second round of qualifiers (championships) and first round of qualifiers, the last one consisting of provincial, city, county and community level matches. Liu hoped that the CCL can get help from the People’s Alliance of Football in its future development. While expanding the range of competition contenders, it will also strengthen its regulation.

Sina.com Sports Editor in Chief Zhan Sheng stated that the alliance should, besides regulating the development of the 11-man competition, give attention to advance futsal and eight-man football, regulating measures for football leagues played on smaller football fields. Moreover, the People’s Alliance of Football needs to work with relevant youth training authorities to increase support for and facilitate youth football competitions.

Xinhua.com Sports Deputy Editor in Chief Wang Heng suggested the alliance set three goals in hosting tournaments. First, it needs to build a communication platform to collect public opinions, which can contribute to the development of social football. Secondly, it should facilitate football competitions of all levels across the country. Thirdly, it needs to create a positive and healthy football ecology where footballers and football leagues can seek common development and fulfill dreams and value.

Guangzhou Super Football Club Co-founder Peng Weiguo and Chengdu Gandong Sports Media Corp. Board Chairman Zou Yougeng briefed the football tournaments contested by retirees from the former Chinese Jia-A League and social futsal tournaments respectively. They hoped these competitions, with the support from relevant departments of the CFA, can be included in the People’s Alliance of Football to attract more people.

The People’s Alliance of Football can not only involve more people in the Fit-for-all initiative and improve their health, but also give social forces a greater role to play in advancing social football, further expanding China’s professional footballers, shaping the football culture with Chinese characteristics, inspiring a spirit to surmount challenges, and boosting unity and national pride for the Chinese people. The preparation work and the guidelines of China’s social football development and the People’s Alliance of Football was affirmed at the symposium. Taking the conference as a starting point, the CFA will see that the valuable opinions and suggestions provided by the attendees implemented in its work, speed up the delivery of the alliance, and facilitate the better lives for the Chinese people with football activities.

(edit：李鑫)