How to Join Guangzhou City F.C Youth Academy.

Do you want to play football in China? This post “How to Join Guangzhou City F.C Youth Academy” will help you. Also check out Registration Requirement to the Academy, Guangzhou City F.C Manager, Guangzhou City F.C Ground, and How to apply to the Academy.

Guangzhou City F.C Youth Academy

One core aspect of the Guangzhou academy is raising the next generation of football stars. Results have been positive so far, in this aspect. Training is provided for Under 8(U-8) up till the Under 23(U-23). Players who complete these trials are drafted into the senior team.

One thing the club takes pride in is its state-of-the-art facilities, which are among the best in China. Professional services are also engaged in terms of sports development experts, who put tutor students through different stages, while at the academy. G.C.F.C Youth academy players are exposed to extra-curricular activities like seminars, workshops, meet and greet with sports stars, e.t.c.

Sports Psychologists are also recruited to help students develop a positive mental attitude and a good spirit of sportsmanship in football. G.C.F.C. Youth Academy competes in Chinese youth development and youth Super League. This helps in building their competitive skill for football.

How to Join Guangzhou City F.C Youth Academy

Youngsters can join G.C.F.C. Academy via different methods. It could be via a direct Guangzhou City F.C Academy registration or through Open Day trials. A certain level of skills is however required in addition to other requirements.

G.C.F.C. Academy maintains an outlook that allows everyone an equal opportunity.

Some of the requirements needed while applying to join the academy include:

Good Sportsmanship
Consent Letters from Parents, especially for those below 18
Statistics (Position, Height, Fitness e.t.c.)
Academic records of your current school, if you’re applying from high school
Good team spirit
Good Interpersonal Skills

How to apply to the Academy

Once you’ve met the above requirements, proceed to the club’s website at www.gzrffc.com/en.academy for admission procedures.

Guangzhou City F.C Trials for different ages. We shall talk more about Guangzhou City F.C. Academy U9, Guangzhou City F.C Academy U10, Guangzhou City F.C Academy U11, Guangzhou City F.C Academy U13, and Guangzhou City F.C Academy U14.

How to Get Scouted by Guangzhou City F.C Academy Scouts

One way of joining the academy is by getting scouted by the Guangzhou City F.C Academy scouts and this is most times achieved by enrolling in a soccer school near you. The club has a rich network of global scouts, so, therefore, Parents whose wards are showing promising footballing talent should endeavor to enroll them in any Guangzhou City F.C soccer school.

One integral part of the club is its experience in dealing with youngsters. Additionally, youngsters are exposed to how best to scale through Guangzhou City F.C trials. At the end of the program, it is expected that the player leaves the academy better than when they came.

It’s pertinent to note that after the trials, the successful ones would be sent to the development centers and placed in different league levels based on their ages, however, everything comes down to the level of potential identified in the youngster.

How to Pass Guangzhou City F.C Academy Trials

As stated above, trials are an important way of identifying talents. History records that a good number of Guangzhou City F.C players came through the trials. We should note that in cases where the youngster shows bright potential but is incapable of paying the fees required by Guangzhou City F.C, then, they are offered a provisional football scholarship at Guangzhou City F.C.

Ensure you turn up for summer camps, very important.
Always be at your best with good sportsmanship, especially while interacting with teammates.
While training alone or playing inter-soccer competitions endeavour to make videos of your displays.
Show passion and desire to learn it excites coaches and scouts.
Never miss out on open soccer competitions near you.

Requirements / Eligibility Guangzhou City F.C. Academy

Open to all young aspiring footballers all over the globe through the help of Guangzhou City F.C. Scouts.
Parent’s consent remains compulsory, especially for those below 18.
• Academy intends to see stats and records of you if you are already on a team.
Passion for the Sports.

Recommended Scholarship

Football/Academy Scholarship

Guangzhou City F.C. Football Academy

Registration Requirements

Means by which youngsters are accepted into the club include Open Football trials and the Guangzhou City F.C Academy scouts, however, applicants (especially international students) can apply through the club’s website or via special drafting.

Provide good details of yourself, previous clubs [if any], and contact.
Parent’s consent especially for those below 18 years.
Endeavour to submit a video of yourself, this method applies mainly to international applicants.

How to Register Guangzhou City F.C. Football Academy

Visit the official Academy website https://gzrffc.com.cn to commence registration and also find out more.

Guangzhou City F.C.

Guangzhou City Football Club is a Chinese Professional football club that competes in the Chinese Super League under license from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). Just like its name, the team is based in Guangzhou, Guangdong and their home venue is the Yuexiushan Stadium which has a capacity of 18,000.

The club is owned by the Chinese Property developers R&F Properties and they took charge of the club in June 2011. From the year 2011 till 2020, the club’s name was Guangzhou R&F, which was short for rich and force. In December 2020, the club changed its name to Guangzhou city.

The Club was founded in 1986 in Shenyang, Liaoning and it was known as Shenyang Football Team. The capacity of the stadium was 55,000 and its name was Wulihe Stadium, up until they moved to Changsha, Hunan in 2007 to reside in the Helong Stadium.

Relocation

An American Sportswear and Sports equipment company known as MAZAMBA took over the club in 2010. The club relocated to Shenzen, Guangdong in February 2011 after this.

They weren’t owners of the club for a long time as Chinese Property developers Guangzhou R & F gained ownership of the club in June 2011. Their most successful club season was in 2014 as they finished 3^rd in the league and qualified for the 2015 AFC Champions League.

History of Guangzhou City F.C

History before moving to Guangzhou

The club was founded in 1986 by the local Shenyang government sports body to take part in the Chinese football league system. As a result of this, the club bore the name Shenyang. That year, the team started at the bottom of the league by playing in the second division.

They got a promotion to the 1988 Chinese Jia-A League after the league expanded and a club by the name Liaoning FC was ineligible to field their reserve team in the same division. Unfortunately, the club was relegated after one season. The club mostly remained within the second tier, except for a short foray in the 1992 Chinese Jia-A League campaign; however, just like de Ja Vu, they have been relegated once again.

The Chinese Football League system took a professional turn in 1994. The team was allowed to garner sponsorships and also rename themselves Sheonya and were allowed to join the top tier due to their 1992 membership.

Major Changes

They renamed themselves Shenyang Huayang after they were relegated at the end of the season and then to Shenyang Sealion in 1996. After these changes, the club won promotion to the top tier. However, they were able to avoid relegation again. This was the beginning of the club’s establishment within the league although the team benefitted from a season where there were no relegations as the league was expanding.

The club was taken over by Ginde Plastic Pipe Industry Group, a subsidiary of the Hongyuan Group in 2001 and changed the club’s name to Shenyang Ginde. The club’s home ground, Wulihe Stadium was demolished in 2007.

Road to Relegation

It was expected that the club move to another stadium within Shenyang, especially the Shenyang Olympic Sports Center Stadium however it was not a feasible deal. Hence the club moved to Changsha in Hunan and changed its name to Changsha Ginde.

After Changsha Ginde were relegated to League One at the end of the 2010 season, the club was purchased by MAZAMBA and they were moved into the Shenzhen Stadium in the city of Shenzhen, Guangdong.

The owners changed the club’s name to Shenzhen Phoenix and to represent this change, the club changed its home kit from sky blue to green. The club was later exposed to having serious financial problems by May 2011 and they also struggled to pay their players and their hotel accommodation.

History in Guangzhou

In serious doubt of completing the 2011 season, Shenzhen Phoenix was put up for sale. The club was acquired by Chinese Property developers Guangzhou R&F who moved the club back to the Yuexiushan Stadium in Guangzhou and changed the club’s colour back to blue. Results significantly increased under the new ownership. Thus the club gained promotion back to the top tier at the end of the 2011 China League One season.

Seventh place was where the team finished that season and the owners decided to commit to a long-term future with the club by establishing a football school in Meizhou. The club struggled to a poor start at the beginning of the 2012 season and the manager, Sergio Farias, was fired.

Road to Promotion

The replacement was former England manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson who replaced him on June 4, 2013, and was given a 19-month contract. Eriksson’s first full season saw the club finish third, its highest league finish ever, and also qualify for the Asian Champions League for the first time.

An essential player for the team was Moroccan striker, Abderazzak Hamdallah, who scored 22 times in 22 appearances. The manager, Eriksson however left at the end of his contract and moved to Shanghai PSG who had finished fifth that year.

New Manager

On January 2, 2015, the club appointed a new manager by name, Cosmin Contra. He coached the club in their maiden appearance in the Asian Champions League, defeating the Warriors Fc and the Central Coast Mariners in the preliminary stages to earn them a place in the group stage.

Why was he sacked?

Despite an away victory over Gamba Osaka, however, Guangzhou R&F was eliminated at the group stage. On July, 22, Contra was sacked as a result of the club’s poor league form. Li Bing was installed as a caretaker manager. There were more changes as Korean defensive midfielder Park Jong-woo and Hamdallah also left the club mid-season.

Hamdallah only scored thrice in 2015, making him the all-time leading goal-scoring foreigner with a tally of 25, one ahead of Yakubu. the disruptions continued as R&F were forced to play some of their home matches at Guangzhou’s University City Stadium whilst Yuexiushan was being refurnished.

The Dragon Stojkovic era

Guangzhou R&F announced Dragan Stojkovic as their new manager on the 24th, of August and handed the former Yugoslavian international a contract till the end of 2017. He preserved the club’s top-flight status as they finished 14^th out of 16 teams in 2015.

In July 2016, R&F signed Israeli International, Eran Zahavi from Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. Whilst the stadium was being refurbished, R&F played their opening home games in 2017 at the Guangdong Provincial People’s Stadium. Stojkovic’s attacking style of play and Zahavi’s goals led R&F to finish fifth in the CSL in 2017.

Golden Boot

There was final day drama and disappointment as the club fell just short of qualifying for the ACL and Zahavi missed out on breaking the single-season CSL scoring record by just one goal. However, he earned the golden boot with 27 goals. Guangzhou R&F reached the semifinals of the CFA Cup in 2018 but had a disappointing CSL campaign as they finished 10^th.

Setting New Records

In 2019, Guangzhou R&F finished 12^th in the CSL. In attack, Zahavi’s 29 goals set a new single record, but the team had the worst defensive record in the league, conceding 72 times in 30 games. After spending over four seasons at the club – making him Guangzhou R&F’s longest-ever serving manager – Stojkovic left the club in January 2020.

Giovanni Van Bronckhorst was announced as Guangzhou R&F’s new manager o the 4^th of January, 2020. The CSL’s format was disrupted due to covid-19 but Van Bronckhorst led the team to an 11^th-place finish. On December 3^rd, 2020, the club announced that due to personal reasons, Van Bronckhorst had resigned as manager.

In accordance with national rules on the removal of sponsors from club names, the club thus changed its name to Guangzhou City on the 18^th of December, 2020.

Name history

1986–1993: Shenyang
1994: Shenyang Liuyao
1995: Shenyang Huayang
1996–2001: Shenyang Sealion
2001–2006: Shenyang Ginde
2007–2010: Changsha Ginde
2011：Shenzhen Phoenix
2011–2020：Guangzhou R&F
2020–： Guangzhou City

Rivalries

The club took part in the Liaoning Derby, which was a regional fixture contested against Dalian Football club and Liaoning FC while the club was located in Shenyang. Thus the tie against Liaoning FC was the more intimate affair. Hence the clubs shared the Shenyang People’s Stadium in the 1994 League season, compared to the Dalian fixture, which historically saw few meaningful clashes. At the end of the 2006 league season, the club left this derby when they moved out of Shenyang.

Canton Derby

Moving to Guangzhou, they formed a rivalry with Guangzhou Evergrande, which is often referred to as the Canton Derby. The first derby was played at Yuexiushan Stadium on March 16, 2012. However, Guangzhou R&F won 2-0 at home against the reigning league champions.

The venue was significant because it had been Guangzhou Evergrande’s home ground, However, the two club owners, Zhang Li, and Xu Jiayin did not view the derby with hostility, and on the return fixture, R&F won 1–0. They were seen enjoying a meal together instead of watching the game.

Guangzhou City F.C. Ground

The Yuexiushan Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, named for its location at the foot of Yuexiu Hill. It is currently mostly used for football matches and also sometimes used for athletics. Its location is 4, Yingyuan Road. The stadium is however owned by Guangzhou Sports Bureau.

The original stadium at the same location opened before 1926. In 1950, it was completely rebuilt with a capacity of 35,000 people. However, following renovation and the installation of fixed seating in 2012, the capacity is now 18,000

However, the stadium is best reached by taking Guangzhou Metro Line 2 to Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Station.

History of The Ground

In the Qing dynasty, it was originally the location of the ammunition depot. When the Republic era came, Chen Jiongming planned to turn the area into a sports venue. The playground opened before 1926 and had muddy ground and few facilities.

The new government refreshed the playground as both a sports stadium and arena for civic celebration in 1950. Friendly and International matches were hosted in this stadium in the late 1950s and early 1960s including matches against Algeria, Sweden as well as Soviet champions Spartak Moscow.

These games would come to be known as ‘foreign battles’ and would see both Cuba and Albania play at Yuexiushan in the early 1970s, after the end of the Cultural Revolution, visiting sides included the West German Olympic Team.

Events at the Stadium

This stadium was also the venue for Guangzhou’s National Day celebrations, although an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the Russian October Revolution ended in disaster when 33 people were killed in a crush.

The Yuexiushan stadium hosted the inaugural Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup match in early 1979. Guangdong however won by 1 goal to nil.

With the opening of the new Tianhe stadium in the late 1980s, the Yuexiushan was no longer the premier ground in Guangzhou. However, Guangzhou continued to play their regular fixtures at Yuexiushan and finished second in the National Championship in 1992 and 1994, helped by an unbeaten record of 21 games at Yuexiushan.

Renovations

Yuexiushan has undergone multiple renovations since the late 1990s which have seen player facilities in the entrance tower at the city end of the ground improved and a roof, electronic scoreboard, and fixed plastic seating installed for spectators. Fans sitting at the Yuexiu Park end of the ground are still exposed to the elements.

Promotion and First game

Following their promotion to the Chinese Super League (CSL), original tenants Guangzhou Evergrande moved out of the Yuexiushan Stadium. Hence going across town to Tianhe Stadium for the 2011 season.

Guangzhou R&F played its first home game at Yuexiushan in the summer of 2011. Thus they were promoted to the CSL at the end of the season. Following R&F’s third-place finish in 2014, Yuexiushan hosted four Asian Champions League games under floodlights in 2015.

Another Renovation

Yuexiushan was renovated over the winter of 2016–17. The pitch was relayed, and VIP facilities improved. Also, the whole stadium was painted blue which is the colour of tenants Guangzhou R&F. The first match at the refurbished stadium was held on 28 April 2017. However, R&F was defeated 3–1 by Guizhou Hengfeng in the CSL.

Following a poor run of form, the Yuexiushan was repainted in gold and green. The decision was reportedly made on Feng Shui principles.

Notable events

October 1976: Guangdong 0–2 Australia. Australia was the first international side to tour China after Mao Zedong’s death.
May 1978: Yuexiushan hosts Guangdong vs. West Bromwich Albion-friendly match.
• 25 December 2010: Super Show 3 Tour – The South Korean K-pop group
Super Junior held a concert with a sold-out crowd of 30,000 people at the stadium.
17 March 2012: Yuexiushan hosts the first Canton Derby as Guangzhou R&F beat reigning league champions. As well as former Yuexiushan tenants Guangzhou Evergrande, 2–0.
Spring 2015: Yuexiushan hosts AFC Champions League football as Guangzhou R&F play in the group stages. R&F came through two qualifying rounds after finishing third in the Chinese Super League in 2014.

Guangzhou City F.C. Manager

Jacobus Johannes Martinus Paulus “Jean-Paul” van Gastel was born 28 April 1972 in Bred, North Brabant. He’s a retired midfielder from the Netherland. He also has five caps for the Dutch National team, scoring twice. He’s currently the head coach f Guangzhou City in the Chinese Super League.

Club career

Van Gastel started his professional career in 1990 with Willem II. He stayed for six seasons, before moving to Feyenoord. There he won the Dutch title (1999). He also moved to Italy in 2001 and played for Ternana Calcio (Serie B) and Como Calcio 1907 (Serie A). He ended his career in 2003 with De Graafschap.

Coaching Career

After his playing days, he worked from 2004 to 2005 as Head Coach of the U-19 team of Willem II. He however began his coaching career with the U-19 of Feyenoord on 30^th, June 2005.

During his stint at Feyenoord as an assistant coach, He, alongside Giovanni van, Bronckhorst won 5 trophies. As well as an Eredivisie and KNVB Cup. Then in 2020, he joined alongside Giovanni van Bronckhorst in joining Guangzhou R&F as an assistant coach. After that season, he became head coach of the club after van Bronckhorst’s resignation.

His major wins.

He led also Guangzhou City to a ninth-place finish in the 2021 season of the Chinese Super League. This was in the regular standings and a fifth-place finish in the championship round.