Project Young Phoenix: Empowering Talented Girl Footballers from Western China
While football is loved across the globe, for many it remains less accessible. In China, girls – particularly those from remote regions – often lack the opportunities to get into football, let alone gain in-person experiences with a-list football clubs to learn from them.
To bridge this gap, adidas China, in partnership with the General Administration of Sports of China, the China Football Development Foundation, and FC Bayern Munich, launched the Project Young Phoenix.
This cross-border initiative aims to support the development of youth football in China – particularly among young girls – through adidas' professional football resources. Its focus is on the popularization of women's football and the cultivation of talents in the vast region of western China. A perfect example of how we can fulfill our purpose that, “Through sport, we have the power to change lives.”
In Chinese culture, outstanding women are often compared to phoenixes, symbolizing strength and resilience. Project Young Phoenix reflects this spirit, aspiring to look for future stars in women’s football.
Why we launched the project
Last September, during his first visit to China, adidas’ CEO Bjørn Gulden met Liu Guoyong, Deputy Director-General of the General Administration of Sport of China (equivalent to Vice Sport Minister), Liu suggested that adidas leverages its global resources to support youth football development in China.
For the Young Phoenix Project, we focus our attention on western China, which is the less developed area of our country, where girls have limited access to good quality training facilities. And a significant number of those girls who do have access to the sport often drop out, as a clear professional path remains a luxury to them.
Getting the ball rolling
The participants we were looking for would already possess solid football skills and with an aspiration for advanced training to develop further. Targeting players under the age of 15, the plan rolled out with a winter draft camp and then the summer training camp in Germany.
In January 2024, nearly 100 girls gathered in Chengdu, China, where they were evaluated by a panel including Chinese football legend Sun Wen (the FIFA Women’s Player of the Century, and Winner of the adidas Golden Shoe: FIFA Women's World Cup USA 1999), former national players Fan Yunjie and Wang Liping, and coaches from FC Bayern Munich. In the end, 22 players were drafted to attend the camp in Germany.
Preparation for the project
Planning a three-week training schedule was complex: We needed to identify the needs of our partners and key stakeholders, find out what resources were available to us, design coaching sessions, organize cultural visits and football competitions, and of course establish our budget. After seven months and 19 draft schedules, we finalized the agenda, and on August 10 the team flew to Germany.
A big shout-out goes to the cross-functional teams who made this happen: Sports Marketing prepared a detailed product plan for the participants and made sure every piece of product delivered on time; Corporate Communication ensured top-notch media exposure; and the global Sports Marketing and FC Bayern Munich teams in Germany offered exceptional on-ground support.
In fact, our key partner FC Bayern Munich committed more resources to this project than we had ever expected. They generously agreed to let the team stay at the new FCB house close to their HQ in Munich and let the girls use their training facility, which is as far as we know, is an entitlement no other youth team has been granted. We are very grateful partnering with such nice and talented group of people whose hearts are definitely in football.
The execution
FC Bayern Munich customized a rigorous training program to help the girls advance their technical and tactical skills, fitness, and mental resilience. Their Chinese coaches also participated in seminars on Bayern’s youth training methods.
In friendly matches with local teams (including FC Bayern Munich’s U16 women’s team), the girls secured all three wins, reflecting the dedication they put into their training and personal growth. These life-altering experiences provided them with newfound confidence and motivation. Some players, now back home, said after they won these games that they did not doubt themselves for a second during the local matches because they had beaten FC Bayern Munich!
During their stay, the girls also made regular visits to adidas’ headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, where they visited football history at the adidas museum, explored cutting-edge sports technology in the adidas lab, and engaged in an inspiring interaction with our CEO, Bjørn Gulden.
What they’re saying
The project has been very well received both internally and externally. In China, our project was spoken very highly of by senior officials in terms of its pattern, structure, and execution. There is now an expectation that we continue our efforts into the future.
Our plan also caught the attention of Bavarian Prime Minister, Dr. Markus Söder, who visited the players, encouraging them to keep pursuing their dreams. Dr. Söder had recently visited our sustainable football pitch in Chengdu, China, underscoring our mutual commitment to youth sports development.
Fan Yunjie, Technical Director of Project Young Phoenix: “Opportunities like these are valuable for children in western China. They cherished every moment, showing commitment from day one.”
Wang Chenxi, Captain of Sichuan Zizhong U15: “Going to Germany to learn and exchange skills is valuable.”
Ju Zhitong, National U15 player from Chongqing: “Running on the pitch at adidas headquarters and training with Bayern Munich was a dream come true. This camp brings me closer to my football dreams.”
Xiao Ruiqi, Chinese coach: “Learning from German football will undoubtedly impact women’s football development in my region.”
"Seeing these girls proud and motivated is truly rewarding. I hope they continue to enjoy and excel in football."
What we learned
The cheers and celebrations from the girls on the pitch were just as passionate as any professional player, if not more so. The girls and coaches went back home with great appreciation, confidence, and faith for a future life involving football.
This journey is not only about the game. Personal exchanges and cultural understanding are also at the heart of this project. A world of disconnection and disruption makes exchanges of this sort more meaningful. Moments like these remind us of the size and scale of the impact we can make, by being the embodiment of professionalism, friendship, and sheer kindness
In closing, here are some of my key takeaways:
- Passion creates impact: Witnessing the passion and resilience of young players reminds us that sports are a universal language, capable of building confidence and character.
- Community is key: In times of widespread disruption, meaningful exchanges become crucial. Projects like this strengthen our community and provide real connections in an increasingly disconnected world.
- Pulling together can make the difference: This project would not have been possible without the dedication, professionalism, and kindness of each adidas team member involved. Together, we made a life-altering experience.
