More valuable than competition is the collision of ideas! The diversity of sports-education integration is once again vividly demonstrated in Nansha.

Authored by Zuo Rui. The 2026 National Youth Women's Football Elite Tournament and Centennial Schools Cup Women's Football Exchange Tournament is a new brand event launched by *Football* newspaper in recent years to answer the national call for "accelerating sports-education integration." The 12 teams in this tournament competed face-to-face and improved their techniques, once again showcasing the breadth and diversity of sports-education integration in a concentrated and lively manner.

As the high school group bronze medalist of the previous women's football elite tournament, does the "home" team, Guangzhou Peizheng Middle School women's football team, set its sights on the highest goal? Head coach Zhuo Linghua stated that the participating teams this time are completely different from the last edition. Most of the previous bronze medal squad members have entered university. This time, they aim to learn from visiting teams and compete with strong opponents, "showcasing the new strength of the first-year high school students." She added that football is round, and before the match begins, "no one can predict the outcome."

This school, a pilot for youth football talent cultivation in Guangzhou, has been selected as the only "Leading Dragon" women's football project school in the region. The Guangzhou Education Bureau's significant initiative in campus football and policy support for sports-education integration have brought new development opportunities for Peizheng Middle School's women's football team, along with greater confidence and challenges for Zhuo Linghua.

It is understood that in April this year, Peizheng Middle School was selected as a "Leading Dragon" women's football project school, Zhixin Middle School became the "Leading Dragon" for men's football, and Guangzhou Tourism Vocational School became a mixed-gender football project school at the secondary vocational level, forming a 3+4 secondary-to-bachelor's pathway with Guangzhou Sport University. For Peizheng Middle School, this means it can recruit students nationwide, and this century-old public school now places greater emphasis on students' competitive athletic abilities.

Previously, the admission policy for football-specialized students only allowed a 20% reduction in the cultural score threshold for Peizheng Middle School. The "one-dragon" training pathway linking primary, junior high, and senior high schools, running parallel to the "Leading Dragon," now connects to the university level through the 3+4 secondary-to-bachelor's pilot program at Guangzhou Tourism Vocational School, thus opening up the higher education link in the existing football talent development system.

Former Women's Super League player Zhuo Linghua is one of the beneficiaries of sports-education integration. In 2020, when Zhang Zhihong became principal of Peizheng Middle School, he hired Zhuo Linghua as the head coach of the school's women's football team the following year. Starting with only eight female players, they worked hard for five years, mobilizing the entire school to promote campus football, until now ushering in an unprecedented opportunity—the "Leading Dragon" program has given Peizheng Middle School seven national-level players in the new semester!

Zhuo Linghua believes that outstanding athletes gain a sense of belonging through enrollment: "This will bring diversified improvement to campus football and produce more professional players." In the past, Peizheng Middle School's football class might see one out of 20-plus players enter a professional team, and the school's training goals and resources had to consider the entire group. Now, women's football players are divided into competitive and specialized groups, making their training directions clear at a glance.

The "Leading Dragon" program has given Zhuo Linghua the confidence of a strong team, but also brings great challenges. Players may have training tasks with city, provincial, or national-level teams. How to integrate the team, manage the squad, and prepare for both competitive and campus competitions are all arising issues. "We don't even have a chance to get to know each other well, because they are not at school for long periods and can't spend time with our coaching staff."

She expressed gratitude to the Municipal Education Bureau and Sports Bureau for their support: "I hope that with the full push from school leaders, we can create some waves in the campus football field." She hopes that Peizheng Middle School's women's football team can carve out a new space in campus football.

Previously, Peizheng Middle School has sent football-specialized students to South China University of Technology, South China Normal University, Jinan University, and Tongji University. Graduates from Peizheng's women's football team have entered 985 and 211 universities, with an overall single-admission success rate exceeding 80%. Zhuo Linghua believes that the reason for this reputation in campus football is that Peizheng "does a better job of balancing time between study and training."

The specific approach is: In the first year of high school, the team's 22 players form a separate class, concentrating the school's best teachers for academic studies. The current Party Secretary Zhang Zhihong personally teaches math to the football class. In the second year, when students choose subject streams, apart from those with particularly strong science scores, the rest are advised to choose the humanities, which better aligns with the admissions requirements for sports-specialized students in universities. In the third year, they undergo single-admission special training and cultural review for the single-admission exam.

"I think children who participate in football should naturally have a better ability to allocate their energy," Zhuo Linghua said. "Studying is indeed tiring, but one and a half to two hours of football training after study is also a reasonable adjustment."

Chongqing Banan Middle School is also a century-old prestigious school, founded in 1904. This key middle school in Chongqing advocates "cultivating individuals who are responsible and upright." The women's football team follows this educational philosophy as well. Over the past decade, it has sent more than 100 outstanding talents to universities such as Zhejiang University, Tongji University, Beijing Sport University, Chongqing University, and Southwest University.

As a private school, Sichuan Luzhou Tianli Chunyu School also attaches great importance to players' academic studies. Head coach Chen Hua of the women's football team said that this school completely overturns the traditional impression that football players "only play football and don't attend classes." The players generally have good academic performance, and every time they travel for competitions, cultural teachers accompany them. During summer break, in addition to the new high school students taking bridging classes, there are also football class students making up lessons.

Chen Hua is a coach dispatched by the Sichuan Provincial Football Management Center to Luzhou. She is very grateful to the school's principal, Yang Bing, for his maximum support for the children's football and studies. Although the players have not yet entered high school, they have already been noticed by Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu University, and Sichuan Normal University. "I advise them to keep studying and training hard, and not to make decisions too early."

In the Nansha competition area, there are many coaches with professional player backgrounds who go to great lengths to balance the players' academics and football. The head coach of Nanning Qionglin Senior High School, Liu Yuxiang, formerly played for Yanbian Beiguo and Nantong Zhiyun, and goalkeeper coach Huang He also has professional league experience. Such a coaching staff is considered top-notch in the Guangxi campus football scene. Liu Yuxiang said, "When I first started coaching, I chose the relatively unfamiliar women's football over men's football because I felt the platform for coaching a women's team was better, and sports-education integration was more thorough."

Over five years of coaching women's football, Liu Yuxiang has learned and grown together with his players. He improved from a D-level coach to B-level, and from assistant coach to head coach. Currently, three of his players are competing in the Women's Super League with Guangxi Pingguo Beinong, while the rest enter universities as football-specialized students.

The girls from Nanjing Football School already have athlete status, but the school does not lag behind in promoting sports-education integration. Head coach Yin Youyou said that their men's and women's football teams are both implementing sports-education integration. The players attend regular secondary schools during the day, with the only difference being that they are dismissed early in the afternoon. After that, training, meals, and bedtime are all centralized at the football school. Before these players take the college entrance exam next year, the football school and three local universities in Nanjing are expected to complete the 3+4 secondary-to-bachelor's pathway.

Yin Youyou's professional playing career was during a low point for Jiangsu men's football. In contrast, his coaching experience is richer, including youth training for both men's and women's football, as well as the China League Two and Jiangsu Super League. "Looking back now, I have no regrets. Gains and losses go hand in hand. I played a few years less, but coached a few more years." He said his personality is more suited to coaching, and he prefers to control and manage his own time, so he quickly adapted to coaching women's football. "I don't compare these women's football players with my own playing experience or the environment back then. Their era is different from mine," he said. "As a coach, I just use my latest learning and match experience to help them avoid detours on their competitive path." Yin Youyou estimates that not many of his players will pursue professional football in the future; most will go to university.

The head coach of Hengyang No. 20 Middle School, Li Jinxin, also has a professional playing background. After graduating from Hengyang Normal University in 2011, Li Jinxin became a coach at the city sports school. Three years ago, he was dispatched by the sports school to stay on campus and built a new women's football team that ranks among the top three in the province. During Li Jinxin's playing days, it was harder to become a national-level athlete or get into university. He deeply understands the importance of academic study for football players and firmly believes in the formula: "Life management + training management = match victory." Therefore, for the majority of his players, Li Jinxin believes that going all the way to university through football is the most reasonable and optimal life path. "If you have enough determination and talent, there are precedents of entering professional teams during or after university," he said. "Obtaining a bachelor's degree not only doesn't hinder you from playing professional football, but also improves your understanding of the game."

Li Jinxin said that the formation of good habits and a sound personality comes from the combined influence of school teachers and coaches. Players who understand rules are welcomed in all walks of life. For this reason, Li Jinxin always requires his players to pay attention to civility and politeness in daily life and to do household chores when at home: "The changes in our women's football players, inside and out, are visible to teachers, students, and parents."