Xi'an Regional Youth Training Center: The Nerve Center of Northwest Football

Reported by Zuo Rui from Xi'an From March 10th to 16th, 60 young football talents from the Northwest region converged at the Xi'an Regional Youth Training Center for the 2026 Chinese Football Association Men's Elite Youth Player Regional Training Camp. In the Northwest, an area with relatively weaker strength but immense potential on China's football map, the establishment of the nation's third regional youth training center in Xi'an over a year ago demonstrates a commitment not to overlook any locality in the Northwest nor miss any elite youth talent.

On December 31st, 2024, the Xi'an Regional Youth Training Center's application was approved, and it commenced operations shortly thereafter. During this regional training camp, Guan Yong, the operational director of the Chinese Football Association Xi'an Regional Youth Training Center, explained that the center is jointly built by the Chinese Football Association and the local government. The association's funding primarily covers salaries for the technical and operational teams, as well as daily operational expenses; the government, besides providing office and training facilities, contributes a larger proportion of funds for team training camps and external training matches. This also means that all expenses for U12 to U14 age group participants in regional training camps are fully covered.

The Xi'an Regional Youth Training Center's office and training facilities are located at the Xi'an Silk Road International Sports Culture Exchange and Training Base. The hardware here is excellent, featuring two 11-a-side natural grass pitches, two artificial grass pitches, and one 7-a-side indoor artificial grass pitch, allowing training to proceed even in rainy or snowy weather. Additionally, there are integrated first-class fitness facilities, rehabilitation equipment, and comprehensive accommodation and dining conditions.

It is reported that the daily operations of the regional youth training center consist of three components: regional team development, including technical and operational team building; city梯队 development, providing technical support for youth training in the host city, including talent selection and training; and comprehensive support, covering administration, finance, and promotion. Currently, the Chinese Football Association has stationed eight full-time staff in Xi'an: an operational director, an operational assistant, a foreign coach, a technical assistant兼 translator, two finance personnel, and two administrative personnel. A foreign youth training director will also arrive in April.

Starting from 2026, the well-established Xi'an Regional Center will conduct two training camps and one intensive camp annually for the U13 and U14 age groups, each lasting one week. The number of training camp participants will start at 60 initially, reduce to 30 in the mid-phase, and after筛选 and reinforcement,最终 24 players will gain the opportunity to represent the region in international invitations and overseas training trips.

The regional center has not yet begun talent selection and training camps for primary school-age players. Participants in the training camps, upon reaching age 15, will enter the selection pool for the national youth team. This camp's talent selection targeted six Northwest provinces (autonomous regions). Among the 60 players born in 2012, 47 are from陕西, with most来自 Xi'an; five are from内蒙古 and新疆 respectively; three are from宁夏; while甘肃 and青海 have no participants this session.

If the football foundation in the Northwest region is relatively weaker compared to coastal areas, then within the Northwest provinces themselves, development is also uneven. Without starting talent reserves and establishing a tracking system from the U14 age group, it would inevitably limit and affect the Northwest's contribution to national team development for ages 15 and above. As talent selection expert裴永久 stated, everyone hopes every province can have children participating, but according to the regional selection standards, "some areas simply cannot produce suitable candidates."

As the British coach of the Xi'an Regional Youth Training Center, Richard McRae explained the talent selection criteria: first, based on the profile template for youth players provided by the Chinese Football Association, understanding the required abilities for each position, and whether a player excels in a particular aspect. He said this player profile was developed through discussions and summaries by coaches from Spain, Britain, Japan, and various regions in China.

Secondly, for all positions, focus on observing the fundamental skills of passing, receiving, and movement. "If at this age, a player lacks proficiency in one of these three areas, significant improvement will be difficult." Then assess how the player applies these fundamentals in match situations—can they integrate them into their role, and what techniques allow them to surpass competitors for the same position?

"We also closely跟踪 those players who are physically smaller,尚未发育, but technically excellent with great potential," said the 41-year-old Briton. Each training camp has a different focus. For instance, this camp aims to identify players who, in two to three months, may qualify for the national youth training center camps.

Before arriving in Xi'an last summer, Richard had worked as a youth coach and scout in苏州, Beijing,厦门等地 for eight years. Prior to coming to China, he served as an assistant coach for the academy at Millwall FC in London. He greatly enjoys his current role; compared to同行 who coach only one team, his position in Xi'an allows him a more comprehensive understanding of Chinese football. Besides leading training camps, his duties also include player talent selection and specialized coaching training.

So far, besides陕西, Richard has visited宁夏 and青海, and plans to go to新疆 or甘肃 in April. "Many players cannot be assessed online; on-site evaluation is necessary," he said. "The only challenge is that in Britain, a four-hour drive covers the farthest distances, whereas in Northwest China, four hours might not even leave one province."

This training camp divided players evenly into three teams of 20 based on skill level and position. Besides Team A's head coach Richard, other coaches are兼职, including Team B head coach周麟 (professional grade) and Team C head coach张镐 (A grade). These coaches are partly selected from the Chinese Football Association's coaching talent pool and partly drawn from Northwest provinces. Each team is supported by a professional staff including assistant coaches, goalkeeper coaches, fitness coaches, technical analysts, team doctors, and team managers.

Coaches recruited nationwide, though compensation is modest, are highly motivated by their passion and responsibility for Chinese football, viewing the training camps as platforms to contribute their expertise and enhance themselves. For example,周麟, serving the Xi'an Regional Center for the second time, prefers working here over his previous assignment at the大连 regional center. "I feel the Northwest更需要 me, and working here is more meaningful," he said. After resigning from a Chinese甲 league club, joining the regional training camp is an opportunity for him to总结积淀 and重新出发.

Before each camp's participants arrive, the technical team convenes提前 in Xi'an. The coaching group, led by Richard, together with周麟,张镐, and assistant coaches, determines the camp's theme, content, and procedures.原则上, there are three training sessions daily. The three head coaches share common goals, but implementation details are not required to be identical, allowing room for each coach's individuality and philosophy.

During the three-team交叉循环赛 on the afternoon of the 13th, each 40-minute match began with entrance ceremonies, pre-match photos, and motivational preparations, and employed local professional referees. Although the score did not affect player ratings or coach evaluations, exciting进攻防守 moments elicited enthusiasm from the coaching bench, reinforcing demands for实战 performance and player engagement in the matches.

During position-specific technical training on the morning of the 14th, Richard used the forwards' admiration for梅西 to guide players to think like the Argentine superstar;周麟 instructed defenders who admire范戴克 on how the Dutchman would act in similar situations;张镐 demanded that defending players, when pressing forwards, maintain communication with the goalkeeper, always covering the far angle and protecting the goal.

张镐 believes the Xi'an Regional Youth Training Center significantly impacts and drives Northwest football. "Previously, children from the Northwest rarely entered the national team's radar. Now, through regular talent selection camps, data入库, and updates, a continuous tracking system has been established." Consequently, relevant departments of the Chinese Football Association can monitor the real-time status of入库 players, "and national youth teams now include players from the Northwest."

张镐 spent his middle school years and coaching career at Xi'an Tie Yi High School. This cultivator of school football now has the chance to become a bridge to professional football. For him, each regional training camp is a研修 opportunity, allowing exploration of the connection between school football and professional football while creating fair competitive pathways for these middle school students.

Players under张镐's responsibility in the camp, regardless of origin or school, have their camp performance and skill levels recorded via评分评级, video clips, and scout reports, combined with input from talent experts, and uploaded to the talent database. He stated that Xi'an's city-level youth training center and five district-level centers are already operational. In his view, the Xi'an Regional Youth Training Center aims to elevate youth training standards across the entire Northwest region, ensuring no talented and willing少年英才 is missed.

To support the technical and operational teams in the six Northwest provinces, the regional training camp offers opportunities for同行 from within the region to observe and learn. 28-year-old费建熹, from the甘肃省 U16 provincial team coaching staff, serves as an assistant coach for Team B. Another key task for him is to bring back the operational model, organizational structure, preparation methods, and operational essentials of the regional youth training center to promote the development of the甘肃省 youth training center.

费建熹 mentioned that甘肃 sent two 2011-age-group players to the Xi'an Regional Center last year, and this is his first participation in a regional training camp. "I am fortunate to be part of甘肃 football's best development period, with national-level attention and local government support. I am delighted to learn at the Xi'an Regional Center and contribute to revitalizing甘肃 football."

In Xi'an, he genuinely experienced the coordinated efforts of a professional team where each member fulfills their role diligently. He also thoughtfully considered which aspects of主教练周麟 and goalkeeper coach时萌's "generous guidance and patient mentoring" could be immediately applied, which needed careful digestion, and which exceeded the current capabilities of甘肃 players...

张镐 believes that through the localized impact of the Xi'an Regional Youth Training Center, one can foresee the future where the five-level youth training center system collectively propels Chinese football forward step by step.费建熹 believes that the establishment of provincial youth training centers will undoubtedly bring positive changes to the relatively落后 football scene in甘肃.