Experience Nansha, Unleash Your Passion – The Centennial Schools Cup, Women's Football at Its Finest

Written by Zuo Rui On July 19, the 2026 National Youth Women's Football Elite Tournament and Centennial Schools Cup Women's Football Exchange Match officially began at the International Financial Island Football Park in Nansha District, Guangzhou. Twelve teams from eight provincial-level administrative regions nationwide are eagerly looking forward to this high-level event and intense competition. On Nansha's fresh football field, they are fully expressing themselves and bursting with passion.

Five years ago, the Luzhou Tianli Chunyu School junior girls' team started from scratch. In early July, they just won the U15 group championship of the Sichuan Provincial Games for Luzhou. Behind their impressive provincial games performance, they also maintained stable top rankings in the National Youth Football League. Another strong junior team, the Ganzhou Youth Training Center Women's Football Team, has set its sights on this Sichuan opponent. Head coach Yang Yong said he looks forward to meeting Luzhou Tianli Chunyu School in Nansha: "This is a rare training opportunity for us to prepare for the Jiangxi Provincial Championship and the Provincial Games."

In the heart of Luzhou Tianli Chunyu School's head coach Chen Hua, there is a cherished memory of Guangzhou—25 years ago, she represented Sichuan Women's Football Team in defeating the host team to win a bronze medal at the Ninth National Games. "It's been a long time since I've been to Guangzhou," she said. She feels very fortunate to be invited to play in Nansha this time: "I know the nature of this tournament; there's no pressure about rankings. It's a great chance to adjust the team's overall condition."

Since the beginning of summer, Chen Hua has led the team through consecutive competitions. Under the pressure of major tournaments, "the kids haven't fully shown their characteristics and instincts. Coming to Nansha, we want to play with our own style and traits." More specifically, she refers to the "cohesion and passion" the team has developed over five years, along with a tactical combination of ground passing and control and aerial battles. Although two national-level players are injured and unable to join the trip to Nansha, Chen Hua believes the players she brought are very capable: "We will take this competition seriously and use it to improve ourselves."

The achievements Chen Hua's team made in the Sichuan Provincial Games are exactly what Yang Yong aims for next.

Most of Yang Yong's players come from Dingnan County, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province. They represent Dingnan in city-level events and Ganzhou in provincial tournaments. After becoming the core of Jiangxi's U14 women's team early last year, they also represented the provincial sports school and reached the top eight in the National Sports School Cup. The team traveling to Nansha combines Dingnan-born provincial team players with top talents of the same age from Ganzhou. Within Jiangxi, apart from Pingxiang, there are no equally strong competitors. This team often challenges higher-level opponents, including university teams and even adult amateur men's teams. "Playing against teams of different styles and provinces in Nansha will help us better understand our national standing and build confidence for future matches," Yang Yong said. For the National Youth Women's Football Elite Tournament, they "focus on the process rather than the result," hoping to improve their tactical and technical skills and test their training outcomes and strategies.

Like the Ganzhou Youth Training Center Women's Team, the high school division's Nanjing Football Sports School Women's Team also aims to challenge for the Jiangsu Provincial Games title. Head coach Yin Youyou said they have no specific performance requirements for this trip to Nansha; the main purpose is to "simulate the Provincial Games through this tournament."

Yin Youyou serves as the head coach of Nanjing's team in the Suzhou Super League this season, and also took charge of Nanjing's 2009-2010 age group women's team four years ago. Coaching both an adult men's team and a youth women's team, Yin Youyou bears a heavy burden, but fortunately, both sides have coaching staff to share the work. During his professional playing career, Yin Youyou represented Jiangsu Sainty and won the China League One bronze boot. Based on his professional judgment, he believes that "at least half of the players on this women's team have the potential to pursue professional football," but the players and their parents may not have the same plans.

As soon as she led the team into the dormitory of the Ulink International School, Li Jinxin, head coach of the Hengyang No.20 Middle School Women's Team, felt a strong sense of "belonging and security." Li Jinxin believes safety is the most important thing when traveling for matches: "From the living environment, daily management details, and competition organization requirements, I immediately sensed the high standards of this event."

Li Jinxin's team has mainly participated in Hunan provincial competitions. Last year, they reached the top four in the provincial championship and won third place in the provincial FA Cup. Li Jinxin is very much looking forward to the Nansha trip, believing that participating in a national tournament is highly significant. "Competing against strong opponents is the most valuable experience," he said. "Both the coaching staff and our players can identify gaps and learn from each other during the matches."

As a former member of three Hunan professional teams—Jinguo, Xiangjun, and Xiangtao—41-year-old Li Jinxin has been engaged in grassroots youth training for 15 years since retiring. He also founded the Hengyang No.20 Middle School junior girls' team three years ago. "I know Nansha is full of strong competitors, but while learning from our opponents, we also hope to bring a victory home."

Compared to the Hengyang team's two-hour high-speed train ride to Nansha, the Zhidan U15 women's team from Yan'an, Shaanxi, has the longest journey. The team is mainly composed of students from Zhidan County Longgang Experimental Middle School, supplemented by players from other local schools. Thanks to Zhidan's strong commitment and favorable policies for football development, the team has many opportunities to travel for matches, including county, city, and provincial events, as well as the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Invitational, National Youth League qualifiers, Central and Western China Football Invitational, and Western Youth Training Cup. In the view of coach Zuo Qiang, who led the team on the long trip to Nansha, these passionate Zhidan girls love challenges and never think they have too many matches. "As soon as I mentioned the tournament in Guangzhou in the team's group chat, everyone responded very enthusiastically and eagerly. This is a rare opportunity to participate. I believe the elite tournament will be of a very high level, and the kids will have a lot of room to learn and improve."

"I think every time they compete, they gain something and make progress. Facing opponents from different cities and styles helps deepen their understanding of football and makes it easier for them to persist," Zuo Qiang said. Besides training the team, he also hopes the players can continue on the football path for the long term.

Both women's football teams from Guangxi feel that high-quality competitive matches are too scarce. With increased support this year, they stepped onto the National Youth League stage for the first time, and it is also their first time competing in neighboring Guangdong. During the second phase of the National Youth League in June, Wu Beibei and Li Xinjing from Nanning No.17 Middle School were selected for the U15 national women's team training camp. Team leader Lin Hai is grateful to the Football Newspaper for the opportunity to participate: "I know our opponents are very strong. Since we have too few chances to compete at a high level, we cherish this opportunity and want to show our best and strive for the highest goals." He said that while Guangxi's football conditions may not match others', "our spirit must not fall behind."

Liu Yuxiang, head coach of the Nanning Qionglin Senior High School Women's Team, said: "I'm very happy to be in Nansha for the first time. When we trained in Beihai in winter, we could play two or three friendly matches each week against different styles of opponents, but those weren't official matches—the atmosphere and significance are different."

The Yingde No.1 Middle School Women's Team is a team with deep campus football tradition and long-lasting heritage at this tournament. According to team leader Li Tao, since the older generation of educators founded the first "Revitalization Cup" football tournament in 1985, the school has used the event as a spark, insisting on universal participation and upholding the original intention of education. In the late 1990s, Yingde No.1 Middle School's football entered a period of inheritance and enhancement, with outstanding alumna and Chinese women's football star Zhao Lihong becoming a spiritual benchmark for all teachers and students. From 2015 onwards, Yingde No.1 Middle School's football has entered a phase of leapfrog innovation. The school has integrated campus football into its top-level design, building a full-chain education system covering teaching, training, competition, culture, and talent development, achieving a leap from basic popularization to standardized quality improvement, and then to brand building. It is reported that Yingde No.1 Middle School has reached the finals of the Guangdong Provincial "Governor's Cup" for 10 consecutive years, winning the women's runner-up in 2021 and fourth place in the women's U16 group in 2024, while the men's team has repeatedly ranked among the top six in the province. They have also won the Qingyuan "Mayor's Cup" championship 14 times, firmly holding the top tier of Qingyuan campus football.

Compared to Yingde No.1 Middle School's 40-year persistence, the Liangjiang Yucai Middle School, which started developing women's football "not too late," is equally commendable. In 2008, Wang Junji became the first professional physical education teacher specializing in football at Chongqing Liangjiang Yucai Middle School. Thanks to his efforts, football began to take off at this key middle school in Chongqing. In 2024, the school entrusted Wang Junji with the task of "second entrepreneurship." Against the background of generally finding it difficult to get girls to play football, he led the creation of the school's first high school women's team in its history.

It is reported that the school is currently the only one in Chongqing that develops both men's and women's football simultaneously and has the quota to recruit 12 football-specialized students each year from the education department. Wang Junji said that the team has received support from several junior high schools in Liangjiang New Area, but in the future, "we have to rely on ourselves."

Another team from Chongqing is the Banan Middle School junior girls' team. Since its establishment in 2012, it has grown from an initial dozen players to nearly 100 now training at both junior and senior high levels. Team leader Li Yi said that junior girls' teams rarely have opportunities to travel for matches, and this is their first time competing outside their hometown. "The team attaches great importance to this tournament, and the players are very excited."

Chen Yu, team leader of Hunan Chenzhou No.2 Middle School, deeply agrees: "The team is very eager to compete." He said that the most important aspect of this first participation is learning and exchange, and the second is experiencing Nansha's culture and education. He believes the children will surely gain a lot from this trip.

The week-long tournament is hosted by the Football Newspaper, the Information Times, and the Nansha District Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports of Guangzhou; organized by Guangzhou Nansha Cultural and Sports Investment Co., Ltd.; co-organized by the Nansha District Youth Amateur Sports School and the Nansha District Football Association; supported by Guangzhou Nansha Development and Construction Group Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Ulink College, and Guangzhou Rike Sports Goods Co., Ltd.; and sponsored by Guangzhou Duofengman Food Co., Ltd.