This year marks the 5th anniversary of the concept of people's city. As the place where it was first proposed, Yangpu is thriving with a flourishing digital economy and a dynamic, youthful spirit. Let's immerse ourselves in this city that is becoming increasingly "YOUNG" for the people...

The Paris Olympics are in full swing. The event has undoubtedly brought a surge of enthusiasm and attention to competitive sports and public fitness. Yangpu is pioneering new practices in the people's city, striving to deeply and innovatively integrate sports into life. With a focus on nurturing from a young age, we are accelerating the transition from a "large sports district" to a "leading sports district."

In the intense heat of summer, a group of teenage girls, drenched in sweat, were fully engaged in summer training, including running, passing and confrontational training, on a football field. On the sidelines, she tirelessly shouted to remind them of the technical essentials and precautions, occasionally stepping onto the field to demonstrate and shared in their exertion. Returning to her alma mater, her wish is: "I want to do something for youth football." Studying at school, training at the sports school and living at home is the "Yangpu model" of integration between physical education and academics. ""I've loved football since I started learning it in the first grade of elementary school," she said, and for her, football is a source of joy. Smart wristbands are used to collect data such as heart rate, running distance and sprint speed, and when paired with footballs equipped with smart chips, they can even calculate shooting and interception success rate, and other data of the players. On the field, the children are currently engaged in a "smart football match". "Bridge is very interesting, and my goal for this competition is to be in the top five." The university gymnasium is not idle during the summer vacation, but turns into a "field" where children make friends through card games...

In the new practice of the people's city, how Yangpu makes sports a pursuit for children?

The vibrant vitality of the green field is nurtured by the sweat of the players and coaches.

Returning to her alma mater, her wish is: "I want to do something for youth football."

In the intense heat of summer, a group of teenage girls were fully engaged in summer training, including running, passing and competitive drills on the Baiyangdian football field. On the sidelines, Pu Wei, the newly-appointed head coach of the girls' football team of Shanghai Yangpu Youth Amateur Athletic School (YYAAS), was actively shouting instructions, reminding the girls of key techniques and safety tips, and occasionally joining them on the field to demonstrate and share in their exertion. Returning to her alma mater and standing on the familiar field, she said, "It is both an honor and full of challenges."

Yangpu has long been known as a "hometown of football", with a continuous emergence of football talents. Since the 1950s, it has cultivated a large number of outstanding athletes for Shanghai and the country, including Zhang Honggen, Gu Zhaonian, Xi Zhikang, Fan Zhiyi, Li Chengming, Bai Lili and Pu Wei.

While the Yangpu men's football team has consistently been a top contender in the city, the women's team has been in need of a leading figure. With a playing career that spanned three World Cups and three Olympic Games, Pu has transitioned through various roles, including press officer for the municipal football association, football commentator and college women's football coach, before ultimately deciding to return to her alma mater. Her wish is to "do something for youth football".

The "Yangpu Model" of sports and education integration: Studying at school, training at the sports school, living at home

Youth football training has always been a hallmark of Yangpu's sports culture. The innovative "Yangpu Model" integrates education and sports by allowing students to study at school, train at the sports school and live at home, fostering talents in a unique way.

"I've loved football since I started learning it in the first grade of elementary school," said Wang Zifei, a young talent on the Yangpu girls' football team. For her, football is a source of joy, and despite the fatigue that comes with training, she finds the company of her teammates makes the summer vacation enjoyable.

Like Wang, many young athletes in Yangpu follow a growth path that includes training after school, on weekends, and during holidays from an early age, continuing through to the college entrance examination.

"I was also trained in Baiyangdian in my childhood, and now I feel very familiar when I'm back here, like returning home," said Pu. "When I'm coaching these girls, memories of my old coach's teachings often come to mind."

Yangpu's football has flourished in recent years. With over 20,000 regular football players among a population of more than 1 million, the district's football fields make up more than one third of the city's total. Every primary and secondary school now has its own football team. With football as its dominant sport, YYAAS boasts 20 football coaches and nearly 300 football players, and is supported by a team dedicated to physical training, research and medical care.

"Sports can be harsh, with only a select few reaching the pinnacle of victory," said Tian Qing, Principal of YYAS. "However, this training model supports both academic and athletic pursuits, which is why it has the backing of parents."

The goal of summer training: To teach the children how to compete and give them more confidence

The summer vacation is a crucial time for athletes to temper their will and refine their skills. The primary goal is to teach children how to compete and give them more confidence, and to help them apply their skills in real matches, according to Pu. "From what I've seen, the young players' technical skills are quite exceptional for their age group."

Currently, the Yangpu men's football team, led by No. 1 High School Affiliated to Tongji University, sustains its dominance through a structured talent development pipeline from kindergarten to primary school and then to junior high school. In parallel, the women's football has expanded its development, establishing a network of "3 senior high, 3 junior high and 5 primary schools." Since last year, 12 kindergartens have been integrated into the training system to address talent scouting challenges.

Pu emphasized passion as the cornerstone of talent selection, noting that coaches can nurture superior football mindset in players with passion for football and aid in their growth.

Yangpu is continuously deepening the integration of sports and education, promoting football through delivering courses, projects and coaches, and sharing facilities from the youth sports school. Coaches are encouraged to engage in school sports advocacy, participate in after-school services, and guide school sports teams in identifying promising talents.

The vibrant vitality of the green field is nurtured by the sweat of players and coaches. Looking at the dedicated girl players, Pu, now in his 40s, thought of "inheritance". "When I was a child, the coach's training and instruction for us children are still vivid in my mind, and now I hope to pass on this spirit," she said.

Coming for digital football matches

Beyond summer training, matches at Baiyangdian Football Fields are routine. The recent 2024 Yangtze River Delta Youth Football Invitational (Shanghai Yangpu) offered another platform for football-loving teenagers to showcase their skills, enhance friendships and engage in friendly competition.

This event was distinguished by its comprehensive digital intelligence, utilizing smart wearables and footballs to collect data on all matches. "Smart wristbands are used to collect data such as heart rate, running distance and sprint speed, and when paired with footballs equipped with smart chips, they can even calculate shooting and interception success rate, and other data of the players," said Chen Xiaoqiang, General Manager of the Education and Sports Business Division of GenGee Technology Co., Ltd. Leveraging advanced football performance and digital event analysis systems, post-match data generates detailed player and team reports to enhance scientific training. The company plans to build a talent database for future events, contributing to a comprehensive football data repository.

Hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Sports and the Yangpu District People's Government, the five-day event featured 12 high-level U11 boys' football teams from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Beijing, Yunnan and other places.

"Our team comprises players selected from various schools and competitions, all with solid foundations and balanced abilities," said Ye Jiying, the coach of the Shanghai Red Team. "We've been training together for about half a month and I hope these warm-up matches will prepare us well for upcoming national competitions."

During the event, Shanghai University of Sports hosted the 2024 Yangtze River Delta Youth Football Elite Talent Development and Exchange Conference. Coaches and scholars came together to discuss the cultivation of football talents.

In recent years, Yangpu has been solidifying its foundation for the cultivation of young sports reserves, establishing the first national and the only youth sports training center in Shanghai.

Looking ahead, Yangpu will further enhance the sharing of resources between the youth sports school and educational institutions, strengthen the development of teaching staff, and explore the coordinated development of the school's youth training system and campus football. It will use intelligent equipment monitoring and big data analysis to empower the identification and cultivation of football talents. By converging promising young football players to the sports school, and through systematic and refined training, Yangpu aims to enable these good seeds to transform these talents into outstanding reserves. The goal is to send them to the national team, professional clubs and universities, thereby propelling the sports sector to new heights.

The university gymnasium is not idle during the summer vacation, but turns into a "field" where children make friends through card games...

Bridge, an intellectual sport, has burgeoned in schools in recent years, positively influencing students' intellectual and moral growth.

Tongji University's gymnasium is not "idle" during the summer vacation; it has turned into an "arena" for children to make friends and refine their card skills—the 2024 Shanghai Youth Sports Elite Series Bridge Competition took place here recently.

Pan Junzhe, representing Team 1 from Yangpu District, is a "veteran" with five years of experience in bridge. His journey with bridge began at the age of seven, and with his mother's guidance, he has come to cherish this intellectual pursuit. He believed that bridge tests not only individual intelligence but also the teamwork and coordination between partners.

Luo Lingyi, representing Team 2 from Fengxian District is a newcomer to bridge, having only started in March or April of last year. Despite her late start, her enthusiasm for bridge is anything but temporary. "Bridge is very interesting, and my goal for this competition is to be in the top five," she said confidently.

This competition, which challenged both individual card skills and collaborative spirit, saw players intensely focused and deeply thoughtful at times...Spanning four days, the event featured eight categories and attracted nearly 1,000 primary and secondary school students from 146 teams across the city.