Coach Chan eyes new goals after leading Jiangsu women to Games gold

After leading her side to glory in the women's soccer competition at the 15th National Games, Jiangsu head coach Chan Yuen-ting has said she's keen to step out of her comfort zone to help further develop Chinese women's soccer.

"I want to see where there might be better opportunities for me to try new things or develop further," the 37-year-old Hong Kong native said following her team's dramatic 1-0 victory over Hubei in Foshan, Guangdong province, on Saturday.

In the hunt for Jiangsu's first National Games title in 12 years, Chan had anticipated a challenging game, and it proved thus, with the competition finale quickly developing into a nail-biter.

It remained deadlocked until the final minute, when two promising young Steel Roses proved to be the decisive thorn in the side of Hubei's staunch defense.

In a move that proved pivotal, Chan sent on Huo Yuexin in the 77th minute. When a long pass from Shao Ziqin found fellow Team China striker Huo in the box, the 20-year-old calmly slotted home the golden goal.

"Before I was about to come on as a substitute, the coach told me to boldly showcase myself, not to be afraid and to push forward with the ball," Huo said afterward.

"This gold medal means a lot to us — finally, we completed the team's four-year-long mission," said Chan.

When Chan took on the role as head coach of the Jiangsu women's team in 2022, the Women's Super League side had no sponsors, no foreign players and a threadbare squad. By winning the women's soccer title at the Games, Chan said she had delivered on her promises when she took the job.

"I've completed a most important, and personally significant task. I'll now take a break, go back to Hong Kong and enjoy a bowl of noodles," Chan said with a smile.

Chan began playing soccer in high school, and after graduating from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2010, she decided to leave the field of science and engineering to pursue a professional career in the sport.

In 2016, at 27 years old, Chan took the helm at Eastern Sports Club and led the team to victory in the Hong Kong Premier League, becoming the first female soccer coach ever to lead a men's team to a top-flight league championship. In 2017, she became the first woman to coach a male soccer team in a top-flight continental competition, when Eastern played Guangzhou Evergrande in an AFC Champions League match.

In 2019 Chan was appointed head coach of China's under-16 women's national team, before transitioning to the Chinese Women's Super League, taking the Jiangsu job in 2022.

Chan said she has learned a lot in Jiangsu over the past three years. "We have gone through a lot together, experiencing both joy and bitterness," she said, adding that there's always room to improve.

"In the future, I hope to become a better coach and contribute further to Chinese women's soccer."

Speaking about the development of the women's game in China, specifically the Women's Super League, Chan believes that there is great potential.

"The domestic soccer league has given players a platform to perform well — it has the potential to develop into the best women's league in Asia," she said.

She also noted that China's U-17 and U-20 women's teams have performed well in international competitions over the past few years thanks to the growing number of talented youngsters.

"I have high expectations for the future development of Chinese women's soccer, and hope that young internationals like Huo can shine on bigger international stages," she said.

Since taking charge at Jiangsu, Chan and the coaching staff have been studying the technical characteristics and development trends of modern women's soccer, experimenting with new formations and playing styles, while nurturing promising talent.

Chan has often encouraged the players, especially the younger ones, to confidently showcase their skills and play in their own style.

"I hope that, through our efforts and the exchanges during the Games, all of the teams will improve, allowing Chinese women's soccer broader development opportunities," she said.

Jiangsu's triumph in Foshan was widely seen as a testament to exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong in terms of talent and soccer development.

Using herself as an example of those exchanges, Chan noted with a smile: "The games are jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, so I am also part of that."

She added that she hoped greater sports exchanges between the Chinese mainland and the two special administrative regions will become the norm, rather than the exception.

"I hope that players from Hong Kong and Macao will get more opportunities to showcase their talent at professional soccer clubs in the Chinese football pyramid, and that coaches from the two SARs can engage more frequently and deeply with their mainland counterparts," Chan said.

qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn