Tournament success keeps Uygur soccer boys dreaming

Liu Peng, China's sports minister, kicks off the final of the Who's the King National grassroots soccer tournament at the National Indoor Stadium.[For chinadaily.com.cn]

"One of my dreams has been realized while I still have another to be fulfilled. One day I want to play professionally in the top league," said Afeirtin.

Enthusiasm for the game has swept through Uyguar communities in the remote autonomous region despite insufficient funding, shabby facilities and a lack of professional guidance.

The vast talent pool in the region has delivered on the national stage, contributing high-level players to Chinese Super League clubs including Mirahmetjan Muzepper a midfielder with Henan Jianye FC.

"Although participation in soccer in Xinjiang is massive, the lack of professional development has hampered the game as a lot of young talents have no resources or ways to shine on the national stage," said Akbejon, coach of the Xinjiang team competing in the adult category.

"With the government paying more attention to Xinjiang's soccer development, we believe there will be more players like Muzepper appearing in the top league".

Team Xinjiang was beaten by Guangdong Yifeng, the eventual winner, in the semis of the adult category while team Hong Kong 15 claimed the teenage category after defeating Wuhan No 12 Middle School from Hubei province.

Jointly organized by the State Administration of Sport, Ministry of Education and China Central Television, the Who's the King campaign attracted more than 5,000 amateur teams from 60 cities to participate in the five-a-side tournament which began in August.

"By organizing this kind of tournament, we get more people involved in playing soccer," said Cai Zhenhua, chief of the Chinese Football Association.

"China boasts the largest soccer fan group, but the number of people who regularly play keeps declining. The event will inspire more soccer fans to actually start playing and will push public participation in the game," he added.