Supporting retired national team players to contribute to youth training—requires unlocking constraints and advancing five major reforms.

Written by Cheng Shan. The youth training mobilization issued by Chinese Football Association President Song Kai to retired national team players has pinpointed the critical issue of Chinese football. Retired national team players engaging in grassroots youth training is not merely an enhancement but a vital rescue—they bring real match awareness, standard technical movements, and professional football habits, precisely what Chinese children lack most.

However, passion can ignite momentarily, but only systems can sustain long-term efforts. Song Kai also stated in the youth training mobilization: "The Football Association will fully support everyone by building platforms, improving safeguards, and clearing channels, so that retired national team players can engage in youth training with opportunities, dignity, rewards, and honor." This proves that the Association understands that to truly root retired national team players in youth training, it relies not on appeals or inspiration but on institutional reforms: ensuring they have income security, qualification pathways, platform access, career prospects, and long-term policy support.

Only when youth training becomes a worthwhile, desirable, long-term, and respectable career will retired national team players truly stay, immerse themselves, and produce results.

▲Multiple male and female national team players participated in the AFC Coach B-Level Enhancement Course.

Income is the first and most practical barrier facing retired national team players entering youth training. Their professional football careers have maintained a relatively high standard of living for most retired players. After retirement, their employment directions mostly focus on areas like match commentary, entrepreneurship, business, or club management roles. Such jobs either offer substantial salaries or flexible schedules, with annual incomes often reaching hundreds of thousands, millions, or even higher.

In contrast, the grassroots youth training sector is bleak. Domestic grassroots youth training coaches' salaries are generally at the lower-middle social level. Entry-level coaches in private youth training institutions typically earn between 3,000 to 6,000 yuan per month. Even in major cities, experienced youth training coaches rarely exceed 10,000 yuan monthly, with issues like low salary caps, lack of performance bonuses, and limited promotion or salary increase mechanisms. More critically, most grassroots youth training positions lack formal employment status, social security insurance, or stable contract guarantees. For retired national team players, entering youth training means a drastic income drop; mere passion cannot offset this huge salary gap.

To solve the income dilemma, the Football Association must establish a competitive and secure salary system. On one hand, set up a special subsidy fund for retired national team players in youth training, led by the Association and jointly funded by the China Football Development Foundation, social capital, and sports lottery公益金, to establish a salary baseline for retired players engaged in grassroots youth training. Previously, the China Football Development Foundation's "Social Football Youth Training Quality Improvement Action Plan"公益 project had provided relevant funding for non-profit social youth training institutions. Additionally,配套 training performance and talent输送 rewards; for coaches involved in youth training, substantial bonuses should be given for each player输送 to national teams. Furthermore, promote professional保障 for youth training coaches, ensuring social security insurance payments and long-term labor contracts, making youth training a respectable job with stable income, professional dignity, and upward mobility.

▲The national training camp of the China Football Development Foundation's "Social Football Youth Training Quality Improvement Action Plan" held in Beijing in August last year.

According to current Chinese Football Association regulations,从事 youth training coaching requires holding AFC or CFA-issued coaching certificates at various levels, from D, C to B, A levels. The certification process is繁琐, lengthy, and costly. D and C level certificate training至少 takes several weeks; obtaining a B level or higher certificate suitable for youth training coaching requires years,层层考核, and脱产 training, imposing极高 time costs for刚退役 national team players wanting to quickly enter youth training. More值得商榷的是, this certification system emphasizes theory over实战; even if they can teach children the most practical football skills and match awareness, they may be barred from youth training due to lacking a certificate.

To破解资质局限, the Football Association must打破僵化的 certificate考核教条 and establish a绿色通道 for retired national team player coaching qualifications. Actually,早在2021, the CFA Technical Department had opened a绿色培训通道 for retired football players. Players eligible for the绿色通道 need to meet conditions like participating in top-tier league, Chinese甲联赛, women's super league, or women's甲联赛 first-team matches for five years or more. Among them, male players earn 5 points per appearance in senior national teams, 3 points per appearance in top-tier leagues, 1 point per appearance in Chinese甲联赛, requiring a total score above 250 points. Female players earn 5 points per appearance in senior national teams, 3 points per appearance in women's super leagues, requiring a total score above 200 points. The精英教练员通道程序 starts from D level advancing to higher levels up to C level,不受持有原级别证书最低时间规定限制, but coaching licenses must be valid.学员 who have undergone绿色培训通道 and already hold C level教练员证书 need至少经历6 months带队实践 and submit实践证明 from their单位 before applying for B level培训课程. Advancement from B to A level follows normal upgrade procedures.

This绿色通道 can now be further放宽. For example, retired national team players with senior national team正式出场经历 or top-tier职业联赛出场经历无需从D级证书开始逐级考证; retired players投身青训达到一定时段 can use the绿色通道 during教练培训; for retired players wanting to coach高端青训, open快速考核通道 for B and A level certificates,简化理论考核流程, focusing on实战教学能力考核.

▲In 2021, the Chinese Football Association opened a绿色培训通道 for retired players.

Domestic youth training systems have long been散,乱,弱, lacking unified,规范,高效的岗位对接平台, causing retired national team players' youth training意愿与基层岗位需求完全脱节.

Current domestic youth training platforms mainly fall into three categories: first, private youth training institutions, often small-scale with缺乏规范管理,多数无力聘请 retired national team player-level coaches and lack成熟的人才培养体系; second, professional club梯队,岗位名额有限, mostly internally消化,对外招聘极少,门槛极高; third,校园足球 and社区足球,受限 by education departments and社区管理,缺乏专业足球教练岗位编制, even if positions exist,难以发挥 retired national team players'专业优势. Many retired national team players expressing youth training意愿后,不知道该联系哪个部门 or去哪里应聘, while grassroots校园,社区,偏远地区的青训点位极度缺高水平教练, forming an尴尬局面 of "一边有人想教,一边无处可教".

The Football Association needs to承担起统筹搭建平台的核心责任, establishing a national retired national team player youth training岗位对接中心. On one hand, the Association联合地方足协,教育部门,职业俱乐部,民营青训机构,全面摸排全国青训教练缺口,梳理校园足球,社区青训,五级青训中心,俱乐部梯队的专属岗位,建立全国统一的青训岗位数据库,明确岗位地点,职责,薪酬,保障;另一方面,搭建线上线下对接平台,为有意愿的 retired national team players建立人才档案,根据其技术特点,执教意向,居住地点,精准匹配基层岗位.同时推行国脚青训支教计划,鼓励 retired national team players前往足球欠发达的中西部地区,县域校园执教,给予额外地区补贴,实现优质青训资源的均衡分配,让 retired national team players'青训热情有处安放,有平台施展.

▲Central and western regions'足球热土不缺充满激情的足球少年,缺的是精英青训教练.

Grassroots youth training coaches普遍面临上升通道狭窄,职业天花板极低的问题. For retired national team players,投身青训不仅要面对当下的收入落差,更要承受未来职业发展方向迷茫的焦虑.

Most youth training coaches work for十几年依然扎根基层,薪资,职位毫无提升, lacking职业成就感 and行业认可度. In contrast, in European football, youth training coaches are核心储备力量 for professional coaches and national team coaches. Barcelona, Bayern, etc., club一线队主帅大多有青训执教经历. UEFA has established完善的青训教练晋升体系;优秀青训教练可直接晋升梯队,一线队,甚至入选国家队教练组. Domestic行业现状 of "干青训没前途"让 retired national team players看不到长期发展的希望, naturally unwilling to treat youth training as a终身职业.

To破解晋升瓶颈, the Football Association必须搭建青训教练直通职业队,国字号的晋升体系.一方面,建立青训教练等级评定制度, from初级到高级,等级与薪资,岗位,权限直接挂钩,阶段性根据教学成果,人才输送数量进行评级晋升.另一方面,明确职业俱乐部一线队,国字号教练组选拔优先录用优秀青训教练,将青训执教经历作为核心考核指标,打破"一线队教练与青训教练割裂"的局面.同时,设立青训教练荣誉体系,评选年度优秀青训国脚教练,人才输送功勋教练,给予行业表彰,提升青训教练的职业荣誉感与社会认可度,让 retired national team players意识到,扎根青训不是职业生涯的退路,而是通往更高职业平台的必经之路.

▲Wang Qiang clearly stated in an interview with this newspaper:扎根基层非终点,而是新起点.

回顾过往, the Football Association曾多次在青训教练的培养层面上做出过努力,但大多缺乏中长期规划,没有固定的资金预算,制度保障,领导换届后政策便被搁置,前期投入付诸东流. This朝令夕改的政策环境让行业失去信心, retired national team players未尝不会有在政策持久性上的担心.

To解决问题, the Football Association必须将退役国脚青训计划写入中国足球中长期发展规划,形成固定制度.一方面,明确专项财政预算,每年从中国足球发展基金会,体育公益金中划拨固定资金,用于退役国脚青训补贴,平台建设,教练培训,资金使用公开透明,接受社会监督,杜绝挪用,断供.另一方面,建立政策执行考核机制,将退役国脚青训落地情况,青训人才培养数量,作为足协,地方足协的核心考核指标,与管理层绩效挂钩,不因人事变动,领导更换而调整政策.同时,建立长效监督机制,邀请媒体,球迷,退役国脚代表共同监督政策执行情况,确保号召落地不打折扣,长期执行.

Currently, with the国务院政府工作报告已将"加快重塑足球青训体系"作为2026年政府工作任务,资源和政策倾斜 towards Chinese football youth training is inevitable.在此基础上招揽退役国脚们投身青训是务实之举.在对投身青训的退役国脚给予充分保障的同时,对于那些非球员出身,甚至学历不高但兢兢业业的基层青训教练,也应该"双轨并行"给予相关保障,比如对基层坚守者（非球员出身）,给予实打实的资金补贴或职称评定倾斜,认可他们的基础性贡献.要知道,引入退役国脚是为了"做大蛋糕"（扩大参与基数,提升专业高度）,而保障非球员出身教练的权益是为了"分好蛋糕"（维护生态稳定）.只有两者都得到尊重和支持,青训的金字塔基才能稳固.