How Artux's children grow up with playing football-TIANSHANNET-天山网

Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Wang Jingjing)news: On February 28, 2025, as the first rays of dawn pierced through the mist of the Pamir Plateau, the green field of Yikesake Primary School in Shang Artux Town, Artux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was already bustling with the energetic figures of young footballers. Bilali Abdukirim and his brother Yomail Abdukirim, both members of the school football team, were doing warm-up exercises in the morning light.

Bilali's pocket dropped two chocolate bars, gifts from his mother before she left home. "You're training four times a day now. Keep some snacks to eat before the morning break training, so that to give you more energy," she said.

Photo taken during the winter vacation shows children participate in winter training at the Artux Football Park in Artux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Wang Jingjing)

The brothers are members of the school team in Yikesake primary school. The village, with its century-long football tradition, is a place where almost every child loves the game. From their first steps on the field, holding onto the goalpost railings, to cheering with their mothers when their fathers scored, and eventually joining the village's youth football club, football has been a constant in their lives.

"Kids who grow up on the football field get excited at the sound of the whistle," said Yusanjan Amat, the school's football coach, a graduate of the Physical Education Department at Xinjiang Normal University and holder of a D-level coaching certificate. As the morning mist cleared, the hour-long morning training session ended, with the girls' ponytails fluttering in the breeze and the boys chasing each other back to class.

This scene is repeated on the football fields of 168 schools across Artux City. From third grade to senior high, every grade has a team, and every school has its own football squad, with 2,400 students participating. "Children who perform well at school can join the free training sessions at village or community football clubs," said Yusanjan. Campus football is the seed, while social training institutions are the gardeners, bridging the gap between school football and professional youth training, all aimed at helping children who love football reach greater heights.

Every Friday, Alimu Askar, the head coach of Artux Green Dream Football Club, would chat with his student Li Jiayi in Mianyang, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, to check on her leg injury and see how her training was going.

Li Jiayi, who had spent her summer vacation at her aunt’s home in Artux City, was amazed by the omnipresent football culture in the city, where young boys could execute precise passes on the free public fields at 10 p.m., and her peers could seamlessly cooperate to score goals. Despite having played football since childhood, Li Jiayi had rarely kicked a ball since entering high school. However, she couldn't resist joining the games and soon met Alimu.

The next day, she enrolled in the club's 15-day summer training camp of the Artux Green Dream Football Club. The camp not only significantly improved her physical fitness but also reignited her pure love for football.

After returning to Mianyang City from Artux, Li Jiayi participated in the 2024 Mianyang City "Gongga Cup" Youth Campus Football League and scored a crucial goal to help her team win. "My teammates noticed a big change in me after I came back from Xinjiang. The passion in the eyes of the younger players in Artux reminded me of my first time playing football," she said. "I want to go to university in Xinjiang and play football with people who share my passion."

Photo taken during the summer vacation of 2024 shows Li Jiayi, a senior high school student from Mianyang City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, participates in the summer training camp of the Artux Green Dream Football Club. (Photo courtesy of Alimu Askar)

The light of passion is shining on more and more children. Artux has 11 social football training clubs, and the Green Dream Club alone has trained over a thousand students in its nine years. Many have been discovered and selected by schools and clubs outside Xinjiang, continuing their love for football on distant fields. Not just boys, but also girls are benefiting; recently, a 13-year-old girl was recruited by a club in Shaanxi to play football while attending junior high school.

Among the coaches at Artux's training clubs are former professional players and university sports majors who study Japanese and European training systems. "We focus on solid basic skills and create opportunities for children to play in front of audiences. After years of persistent effort, we will surely see more talented players emerge," said Alimu.

Parehu Parati, vice president of the Artux Football Association and a child who grew up by the football field, believes that even on a national scale, Artux's football foundation is strong. Children grow up in an environment that loves football. In the future, Artux plans to strengthen exchanges with other regions, especially Kashi, introduce high-level competitions, broaden children's horizons, and enhance their abilities. "We aim to cultivate not just technically skilled professional players, but also individuals who respect rules, value teamwork, and never give up. These are the true talents that Chinese football needs," he said.

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